A rocket is a projectile or vehicle that can fly over long distances using a jet engine. "Missile" is the term for a rocket being used as a weapon.
Rockets and missiles were developed during the Second World War by Germany. German military leaders wanted a weapon they could fire from mainland Europe and use against distant targets in Britain. In 1943, German engineers began building the V-2 rocket, which you can see in the picture to the right. The V-2 could travel up to 200 miles and then explode on contact with the ground. It was unlike any weapon the Allies had ever seen, but it wasn't enough to prevent the German defeat.
After the war, German scientists and engineers who had built the V-2 and other rockets were in high demand. The United States hired many of them to work on American missile projects, while the Soviets simply captured them and forced them to work. The results of these projects were intercontinental missiles--rocket weapons that could travel from one continent to another--and the rockets that traveled into space during the Space Race.
The Apollo moon missions were based on technology from the Second World War. And the transformation of rockets into intercontinental missiles had a huge impact on the Cold War. After their invention, it was suddenly possible for the United States and the Soviet Union to launch nuclear attacks on each other from their own shores.
During which conflict did jet engines become the main power source for military planes?
- World War I
- World War II
- Cold War
- Spanish Civil War
Jet engines were developed during World War II, but they came into widespread use during the Cold War.
Jet engines were developed during World War II, but they came into widespread use during the Cold War.
Jet engines were developed during World War II, but they came into widespread use during the Cold War.
Jet engines were developed during World War II, but they came into widespread use during the Cold War.
How did intercontinental missiles change the Cold War?
- They allowed the superpowers to make long-distance nuclear strikes.
- They made containment an easier policy to enforce.
- They made the Soviet Union the greatest military power in the world.
- They delayed progress in the Space Race for several years.
The ability to launch nuclear missiles against each other from their own shores caused the citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union to live in fear of nuclear annihilation, which could come at any moment. This heightened the tension between the two countries but also prevented a direct military conflict.
The ability to launch nuclear missiles against each other from their own shores caused the citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union to live in fear of nuclear annihilation, which could come at any moment. This heightened the tension between the two countries but also prevented a direct military conflict.
The ability to launch nuclear missiles against each other from their own shores caused the citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union to live in fear of nuclear annihilation, which could come at any moment. This heightened the tension between the two countries but also prevented a direct military conflict.
The ability to launch nuclear missiles against each other from their own shores caused the citizens of the United States and the Soviet Union to live in fear of nuclear annihilation, which could come at any moment. This heightened the tension between the two countries but also prevented a direct military conflict.
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