User:Blue2gold/rough draft

I am re-wording the "Earlier Spaceflights" section and adding material to it along with adding new material in general to the page.

Origins
Although commonly referred to beginning on October 4, 1957 with the launch of Sputnik 1 by the Soviet Union, the technology behind the space age and subsequent space race began back in the 1930s. With the technological advancements, innovations, and inventions common in Nazis Germany related to war, their creation of a missile capable of striking London became their primary goal and would lay the groundwork for future space technologies and exploration.

Dr. Wernher von Braun
Referred to as the most important rocket developer during the twentieth century, Dr. Wernher von Braun worked first for Germany, and later the United States. He first joined the German Society for Space Travel in 1928 and later joined the German army in 1932 to develop liquid-fuel rockets. He and his teams’ work on the V-2 rocket became the basis for both the United States’ and the Soviet Unions’ intercontinental ballistic missiles and later space programs.

V-2 Rocket
Also referred to as the A-4 rocket in Germany, the V-2 rocket was introduced by the German army nearing the end of the war. Fueled by burning a mixture of liquid oxygen and alcohol, the V-2 was capable of 3,500 miles per hour. With an effective range of 200 miles with an approximate arch of 60 miles, the V-2 missile was capable of striking at Southern England from bases in the low land countries. Roughly 3,200 – 3,600 V-2 missiles were deployed against Allied targets during the course of the war, with about 25% of all missiles launched failing due to air bursts.