When many people think of rockets, the first thing that comes to mind is NASA and its space exploration programs.  When NASA first started creating rockets, they looked more like the model rockets that are built today.  They were composed of four primary parts.  These four parts are the nose cone, the body, the fuel, and the rocket engine.  These early rockets that NASA built had all of the vital components situated at the front of the rocket, inside the body of the rocket.  NASA now uses a completely different system.  The vital components are now strapped to rockets in the form of a shuttle.  However, the rockets that take the shuttle into space, are fundamentally the same as the original rockets.

                                                                                                             
                          The early rocket designed for use in the apollo missions.                                  This is the current design that NASA uses to put people in space.
                        (http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Rockets/Apollo-11/Apollo.asp)                                                                          (http://www.howstuffworks.com/rocket.htm)