How are rockets made? The Beginner’s Guide to Rockets will introduce you to the basics behind rocket science.
The Beginner’s Guide to Rockets will help you learn the basic math and physics that govern the design and flight of rockets. We’ll look at many different kinds of rockets, from stomp rockets, which are a special kind of artillery shell, to bottle rockets, to model rockets, to full scale boosters. We’ll look at the similarities and the differences in these rockets and include some instructions for making and flying your own rockets.
Here you can study how rockets operate at your own pace and to your own level of interest. The flight of the rocket involves the interaction of forces, so we include background pages on the fundamentals of forces. Aerodynamics plays a major role in the flight of toy rockets and in the generation of thrust for full scale rockets, so there are background pages devoted to basic aerodynamics. There are also background pages on thermodynamics and gas dynamics because of the role they play in rocket propulsion. Since we will be sending rockets to the Moon and Mars, we provide some background information on these destinations in addition to our home planet.
Rocket Fundamentals
Rocket Motion
- Rocket Modeler Simulation
- Basic Rocket Motion
- Rocket Translations
- Free Fall (weight – no drag)
- Determine Maximum Altitude … Interactive
- Altitude Equation Derivation
- Graphical Maximum Altitude
- Effects of Weather Cocking
Stability and Control
- Rocket Rotations
- Roll Motion … Animated
- Pitch Motion … Animated
- Rocket Weathercocking
- Rocket Stability
- Rocket Stability Conditions
- Rocket Control
- Gimbaled Thrust … Interactive
Compressed Air Rockets
- Flight of Air Rocket
- Air Rocket Launch … Interactive
- Terminal Velocity … Interactive
- Flight Equations with Drag … Interactive
- Ballistic Flight Calculator
Bottle Rockets
Model Rockets
- Model Rockets
- Flight of a Model Rocket
- Model Solid Rocket Engine
- Rocket Engine Performance … Animated
- Model Rocket Engine Designation
- Model Rocket Safety
Full Scale Rockets
- Rocket Parts
- Structural System
- Payload System
- Propulsion System
- Guidance System
- Solid Rocket Engine
- Liquid Rocket Engine
- Model Rockets and Real Rockets
- Flight to Orbit … Animated
- Booster Staging … Interactive
- Ideal Rocket Equation
- Rocket Gallery
Thrust
- Rocket Nozzle Simulator
- Rocket Thrust
- Rocket Thrust Equation
- Mass Flow Rate
- Mass Flow Rate Equations
- Thrust Equations Summary
- Nozzle Design
- Specific Impulse
Weight
Aerodynamic Force
- Aerodynamic Forces
- Rocket Center of Pressure
- Generalized Center of Pressure
- Factors That Affect Aerodynamics
- Density Effects
- Velocity Effects
- Shape Effects on Drag
- Size Effects on Drag
- Drag Measurement
- Drag Equation
- Drag Coefficient
- Lift Equation
- Lift Coefficient
Planetary Information
- Earth
- Moon
- Mars
- Air Properties Definitions
- Earth Atmosphere Equation – English
- Earth Atmosphere Equation – Metric
- Mars Atmosphere Equations – English
- Mars Atmosphere Equations – Metric
- Atmospheric Effects Simulator
Fluid Dynamics
- Navier-Stokes Equations
- Euler Equations
- Bernoulli’s Equation
- Similarity Parameters
- Dynamic Pressure
- Boundary Layer
- Mach Number … Interactive
- Speed of Sound … Interactive
- Isentropic Flow … Interactive
- Centered Expansion … Interactive
- Prandtl-Meyer Angle … Interactive
- Oblique Shock Wave … Interactive
- Normal Shock Wave … Interactive
- Crossed Shock Waves … Interactive
- Reflected Shock Waves … Interactive
Static Gases
- Gas Properties Definitions
- Gas Pressure
- Gas Temperature
- Gas Density
- Specific Volume
- Equation of State (Ideal Gas)
- Boyle’s Law … Animated
- Charles and Gay-Lussac’s Law … Animated
- Kinetic Theory of Gases
- Animated Gas Lab