This course uses rocketry as an engineering case study for forces, aerodynamics, mass properties, propulsion concepts, stability, trajectories and mission design. Simulation is the default environment for exploring configurations and failure modes.
Topics
- Forces during powered and unpowered flight.
- Centre of gravity, centre of pressure and static stability.
- Drag, mass fraction and performance trade-offs.
- Trajectory and orbital-mechanics fundamentals.
- OpenRocket/KSP-style simulation workflows.
- Flight data, telemetry and post-flight analysis.
- Engineering documentation, design review and test evidence.
Safety boundary
Student-facing FermiLabs material does not provide recipes, formulation ratios or processing instructions for homemade propellants, black powder or other energetic materials. Physical rocketry uses certified commercial hardware and recognized club/range safety practices under qualified supervision.
FermiLabs course review brief
Learning objective:Apply aerospace systems engineering from requirements through safe test review.
Content update:Strengthen safety gates, propulsion documentation, simulation evidence and design review.
Suggested activity:Run a bounded mission or propulsion trade study using explicit assumptions.
Evidence to produce:Requirements, safety checklist, simulation output and review record.
Review status:Draft editorial integration; verify source curriculum ownership before public promotion.
Curriculum
- 19 Sections
- 209 Lessons
- 60 Days
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- 🎓 HPR Rocketry Club and STEM Education with 👽 KSPLearning focus: 🟢👉 SKS Online Course guide, tips, and emojis meaning list; 🟢🎓👩🔬👷♂️🔬🧵🤖⚡💻📐🎲👽🔨🤯🥽🎧 Digital Repository, Innovative Learning Environments, AR/VR and Metaverse, 3D Printing, Coding,…. Lessons are preserved in source order (13 mapped).13
- 1.1🟢👉 FermiLabs Online Course guide, tips, and emojis meaning list
- 1.2🟢🎓👩🔬👷♂️🔬🧵🤖⚡💻📐🎲👽🔨🤯🥽 📮 Digital Repository, Innovative Learning Environments, AR/VR and Metaverse, 3D Printing, Coding, AI, Robotics and using Games for STEM Education
- 1.3🟢🎮👽🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰 Using KSP to Learn the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math)
- 1.4👩🔬🎓💡🔬🚀🎤🅰 📮 Barriers to STEM Participation for Young Women and Strategies for Supporting Underrepresented Groups
- 1.5🆕🎓👽 📮 Interesting and creative ways to use KSP to learn about space, rocket science and life skills
- 1.6🎓👽🔬💡 📮 KSP for STEM Education as a tool for learning and experimentation, designing and testing
- 1.7🆕🎓👽 📮 KSP: A Valuable Resource for the Scientific Community
- 1.8🆕👽👷♀️ The Research and Development (R&D) Technology Tree tool
- 1.9🆕👽🥼💡 KSP The Research and Development Science Archives
- 1.10🆕💼👩🔬👨🎓🌍 📮 Who’s an Engineer? A map of Engineering
- 1.11🆕👷♂️ 📮 Introduction to the engineering design process and its steps
- 1.12👷♂️👨🎓🚀 📮 Examples of first principles thinking in action, such as SpaceX’s development of reusable rockets
- 1.13👾💡👉 Join our Open Discord Server to share your progress, engage with other and peer review your activities
- 🚀 Rocket Science and 🔑 Rocketry TerminologyLearning focus: 🚀🎧🔗👉 The History of Rockets; 🟢🚀🎓💡🔑🔬🥼🎨🎧🎬🅰 MOVIES: Advice for Aspiring Rocket Scientists and a Rocket Engineer Reviews…. Lessons are preserved in source order (21 mapped).21
- 2.1🚀🔗👉 📮 The History of Rockets
- 2.2🟢🚀🎓💡🔑🔬🥼🎨🎬🅰 📮 MOVIES: Advice for Aspiring Rocket Scientists and a Rocket Engineer Reviews of “October Sky”
- 2.3🆕🚀💼🗽 Big names in Aerospace Engineering Rocket Science
- 2.4🆕🚀🗽 📮 Sputnik 1 mission the first successful space rocket launch with artificial satellite in Earth orbit in history
- 2.5🆕🚀🔑 Glossary and Acronyms of Rocketry Terms
- 2.6🚀👩🔬🎓💡 NASA STEM Engagement Resources and Rocketry activities
- 2.7🚀💡🔗 📮 Ideas and safe Rocketry STEM activities
- 2.8🆕🚀🥼📎💡🔬🎨🅰 📮 How to make a Water Rocket and, launch experiment and attempt for Record-Breaking Rocket
- 2.9🆕🚀 📮 Propulsion and Maximizing Performance
- 2.10🆕🍎🚀📎 📮 How Rockets Work and the science behind a rocket launch
- 2.11🆕🚀🔑 Rocket propulsion system parts and combustion chamber
- 2.12🆕🚀🔑 Aerospace Engineering Rocket Science main Terminology
- 2.13🆕🚀🔑 📮 Launch Windows and Launch Period
- 2.14🆕🤝🚀💡 📮 Teamwork and collaboration are essential in rocketry and space
- 2.15🆕🤝🥼 📮 Teamwork activity The Marshmallow challenge spaghetti tower
- 2.16🆕🚀 📮 Rocket launch process and Liftoff
- 2.17🚀 📮 RUD Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly
- 2.18🟢👽 📮 How to NOT build a Rocket in KSP😂
- 2.19🆕🚀🥼📎 📮 Estimating Rocket Apogee and Building a Launch Altitude Tracker
- 2.20🆕🚀 📮 SpaceX FALCON 9 reusable rocket, operations, landing, ASDS ships and the Octagrabber
- 2.21🚀🍎🚨💡👽🔑 📮 The function and types of the heat shield in a rocket
- 🚀 Rocket Club and HPR High Power RocketryLearning focus: 🆕🚀🎧🅰 What is a Rocketry Club and how to join a Team; 🆕🚀👷♂️💻 What are the Software Used in Rocketry Team Clubs. Lessons are preserved in source order (17 mapped).17
- 3.1🆕🚀🅰 📮 What is a Rocketry Club and how to join a Team
- 3.2🆕🚀👷♂️💻 What are the Software Used in Rocketry Team Clubs
- 3.3🆕🚀🅰 📮 Rocket Motor Basics: Codes, Impulse, and Delay
- 3.4🆕🚀🔑 HPR the different components of a high-power rocket
- 3.5🟢👷♂️👨🎓🚀🧵📐🅰💡 📮 Prototyping: The First Step of Engineering: Let’s build a model 1/3 scale rocket
- 3.6🆕🚨🚀💡 📮 HPR Introduction to High-Power Rocketry
- 3.7🆕🚨🚀 📮 HPR The Basics of High-Power Rocketry
- 3.8🆕🚨🚀 📮 HPR Rocket structure construction material
- 3.9🆕🚨🚀🔥🧨🩸💧🔑 📮 HPR Propulsion the high-power rocketry motors and Thrust Curves
- 3.10🆕🚀🔑💡🅰 📮 Understanding Rocket Nozzles and How They Work
- 3.11🆕🚨🚀🪂💡🥼 📮 HPR Recovery System type and example
- 3.12🆕🚨🚀 📮 HPR The different categories of payloads
- 3.13🆕🚀🧨 📮 Solid Fuel Rocket Motors
- 3.14🆕🚀🩸 📮 Hybrid Engine Rocket Motors
- 3.15🆕🛠🔑🚀🔗💡🔬🧰🎤🅰 📮 Tinkering & making workshop DIY tools, devices, Hackerspace, SRAD Rocketry
- 3.16🆕🚀💧 📮 Liquid Fuel Rocket Motors
- 3.17🆕🚀💧🔬🎨🅰 📮 Exploring the Complexities of Liquid Rocketry: A Look at Top Student-Built Rockets
- ✅ Safety Checklists and 📋 ReportsLearning focus: 🆕👷♂️👨🎓🎓✅🎧💡 The Importance and Value of the CHECKLIST in the Engineering Process…; 🆕🚨🚀🎧✅ HPR Always Safety first, to have fun!. Lessons are preserved in source order (7 mapped).7
- 4.1🆕👷♂️👨🎓🎓✅💡 📮 The Importance and Value of the CHECKLIST in the Engineering Process and The checklist manifesto
- 4.2🆕🚨🚀✅ 📮 HPR Always Safety first, to have fun!
- 4.3🆕🚀✅ Rocketry Safety, Checklists and Reports
- 4.4🆕🚀📋💡 Rocket Concept Report
- 4.5🆕🚀📋💡🥼 How to make a Rocket Concept Report for EuRoC challenge
- 4.6🆕🚀📋 Concept Report Example
- 4.7🆕👽📋💡 KSP The Engineer’s Report
- 🎓 Aerospace Engineering in EuropeLearning focus: 🆕🚀🎓 Aerospace Universities in Europe; 🟢🚀🗺️ Map of Rocketry Team in Europe. Lessons are preserved in source order (4 mapped).4
- 🧪 Chemistry in 🚀RocketryLearning focus: 👽🎓🔑💡🥼🔬🎨🧰🧪 Intro Chemistry in 🚀 Rocketry with KSP; 🆕🚀🎧🚨 Rocket Science experiments and explosive demonstrations 🚨. Lessons are preserved in source order (5 mapped).5
- 6.1👽🎓🔑💡🥼🔬🎨🧰🧪 Intro Chemistry in 🚀 Rocketry with KSP
- 6.2🆕🚀🚨 📮 Rocket Science experiments and explosive demonstrations 🚨
- 6.3📮 Rocket Propulsion Concepts: Impulse, Thrust and Safe Simulation
- 6.4🆕👽🔑 📮 KSP The chemistry of rockets and different fuel and propulsion systems
- 6.5🆕🚀🔑💡🥼🔬🎨🧰🧪🅰 📮 The Science of Rocketry: Tutorial Building a Pasta Rocket Engine with common household supplies
- 🍎 Physics and orbital mechanicsLearning focus: 🚀🍎🎧🔑 Learn about Space Orbital Maneuvers with 👽 KSP; 🆕🍎🔑 Key terms of Physics and in Rocketry. Lessons are preserved in source order (9 mapped).9
- 7.1🚀🍎🔑 📮 Learn about Space Orbital Maneuvers with 👽 KSP
- 7.2🆕🍎🔑 Key terms of Physics and in Rocketry
- 7.3🆕🍎🚀💡🗽📎 📮 Applying Newton’s Laws, Forces, and Inertia
- 7.4🍎💦💡 📮 Aerodynamic Drag Force
- 7.5🎓🆕👽 📮 Atmosphere of Planets and Aerobraking on KSP
- 7.6🆕🍎🎓 📮 Thrust the reaction force described by Newton’s third law of motion
- 7.7📮 Orbital Mechanics: Newtonian Dynamics and Mission Energy
- 7.8🆕🚀🔑 Orbital Terms for spaceflight engineering
- 7.9🆕🚀🔑 📮 Spacecraft orientation and how they navigate in Space
- 🌪 Aerodynamics 📐Rocket design and intro to 🧵 3D PrintingLearning focus: 🆕🚀🎧💡 The importance of Aerodynamics in Rocket design and the Physics of…; 🆕🚀🎧💡📐Rocket Center of Pressure and Center of Mass. Lessons are preserved in source order (18 mapped).18
- 8.1🆕🚀💡 📮 The importance of Aerodynamics in Rocket design and the Physics of Flight
- 8.2🆕🚀💡📐 📮 Rocket Center of Pressure and Center of Mass
- 8.3🆕🚀 The different components of a Rocket
- 8.4🆕🚀 📮 The forces acting on a rocket in flight
- 8.5🆕🚀📐 The Factors that Affect Rocket Design
- 8.6📮 Rocket Design and Stability in Open Simulation
- 8.7🆕💡🔺 📮 Install OpenRocket and make your rocket and learn about rocketry and the principles of flight
- 8.8🆕🚀🔺📐Limitations and challenges of using Openrocket for rocket design and simulation
- 8.9🆕📐🟧🧵🚀 📮 Using Fusion360 beginner Tutorial and rocket design activity
- 8.10🆕📐🟧🧵 📮 3D Modeling Software Design stage tip and tricks
- 8.11🆕🚀🥼 📮 Model Rocket Stability Swing Test
- 8.12🆕🧵 📮 History of 3D Printing and additive manufacturing
- 8.13🆕🧵🔑 3D Printing Glossary
- 8.14🆕🧵 📮 3D Printing all steps from the model to the printed object step by step
- 8.15🆕🧵🚀⚡🥼💡🔗🔑🔬🎨🧰🅰 📮 How to make a Test Stand for Water Rockets
- 8.16🆕🧵🚀💡 📮 3D Print a 1/100 model scale of Atlas V Rocket from Thingiverse
- 8.17🆕👽📐 KSP Information on Centers and Costs
- 8.18🆕👽📐 KSP Construction Gizmos
- 🏁 Let’s start with 👽 KSP / 🏁 Start with 👽 KSPLearning focus: 👽🎧 KSP Kerbal Space Program and Science behind the game; 👽 Why KSP is unique, about the Community, modding, tutorials and resources…. Lessons are preserved in source order (10 mapped).10
- 9.1👽 📮 KSP Kerbal Space Program and Science behind the game
- 9.2👽 Why KSP is unique, about the Community, modding, tutorials and resources available for players
- 9.3👽 Buying and installing KSP from STEAM
- 9.4👽 KSP Running the Game
- 9.5👽📎👉 Download and learn from The KSPedia user manual
- 9.6👽 The Kerbal Space Program Wiki
- 9.7👽 📮 Common mistakes that beginners players make in KSP and tips to success
- 9.8👽 KSP The Construction interface
- 9.9👽 KSP The Parts Toolbox
- 9.10👽 KSP Action Groups
- 👽 Introduction to Kerbal Space ProgramLearning focus: 👽KSP Key Features and what is possible to build; 🟢👽 The Kerbol System. Lessons are preserved in source order (14 mapped).14
- 10.1👽KSP Key Features and what is possible to build
- 10.2🟢👽 The Kerbol System
- 10.3👽🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰🔑 Solar system scale on KSP
- 10.4👽 📮 KSP Game modes: Sandbox, Science, and Career
- 10.5👽 Available Spacecraft type
- 10.6👽🔑 📮 KSP Key bindings
- 10.7👽🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰 📮 Career and Science mode and tutorial
- 10.8👽 KSP Currencies on Career mode
- 10.9🟢👽🥼 📮 How to see the Kerbol System Planets and Moons in Science mode
- 10.10👽🔑 📮 KSP TWR Thrust-to-weight ratio
- 10.11👽 📮 KSP Delta-V and tools
- 10.12Trajectories and Orbits: From Simulation to Interpretation
- 10.13👽 📮 KSP expansions DLC Making History
- 10.14👽 📮 KSP expansions DLC Breaking Ground
- 👽 KSP Game playLearning focus: 👽🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰🎧 First steps and Science with KSP; 🟢👽🎧 Building A Rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). Lessons are preserved in source order (20 mapped).20
- 11.1👽🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰 📮 First steps and Science with KSP
- 11.2🟢👽 📮 Building A Rocket in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
- 11.3👽 📮 KSP standard vehicle part, ESA, Breaking Ground, and Making History
- 11.4🟢👽 😂🔑💡 📮 Aerodynamics, SAS and design for fun
- 11.5🟢👽💡 📮 “The Staging Stack” and App Launcher
- 11.6👽🔑 📮 KSP Launching a test rocket on a suborbital trajectory
- 11.7🟢👽💡 📮 Build a SpaceX Starship SN9 replica with KSP
- 11.8👽 📮 Video tutorial, Go to Space
- 11.9📷💡🔑PLR Activity – Post Launch Review
- 11.10🟢👽💡 📮 Build a Rocket with advanced safety system.
- 11.11👽 📮 Video tutorial, Reaching the Orbit
- 11.12👽 📮 Video tutorial, Going to the Mun
- 11.13👽 📮 Video tutorial, How to go REALLY Far
- 11.14👽💡 📮 KSP Training Space Station Construction
- 11.15👽 📮 Interesting spacecraft
- 11.16👽💡 📮 KSP Tutorial ESA Mission Rosetta Comet
- 11.17👽💡 📮 Finding secret locations and Easter eggs in KSP
- 11.18👽💡 📮 KSP Building the NASA Gateway Space Station
- 11.19🟢👽💡 📮 KSP Mission to Jool orbit near Tylo moon
- 11.20👽 📮 KSP Some recommended Mods
- 👽 KSP Game Training Tutorials and activitiesLearning focus: 🟢👽 KSP Training Tutorials with Wernher von Kerman; 👽🎧💡 KSP Training 01 Getting Started And Basic Construction. Lessons are preserved in source order (14 mapped).14
- 12.1🟢👽 KSP Training Tutorials with Wernher von Kerman
- 12.2👽💡 📮 KSP Training 01 Getting Started And Basic Construction
- 12.3👽💡 📮 KSP Training 02 Basic Flight
- 12.4👽💡 📮 KSP Training 03 Intermediate Construction
- 12.5👽💡 📮 KSP Training 04 Suborbital Flight
- 12.6👽💡 📮 KSP Training 05 Advanced Construction
- 12.7👽💡 📮 KSP Training 06 Go For Orbit
- 12.8👽💡 📮 KSP Training 07 Orbiting 101
- 12.9👽💡 📮 KSP Training 08 Science Basic
- 12.10👽💡 📮 KSP Training 09 To The Mun Part 1
- 12.11👽💡 📮 KSP Training 10 To The Mun Part 2
- 12.12👽💡 📮 KSP Training 11 From The Mun
- 12.13👽💡 📮 KSP Training 12 Docking
- 12.14👽💡 📮 KSP Training 13
- 🦾 KSP Robotics RoverLearning focus: 🆕🦾👽🛸🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰🎧 Robotics: Rover and Robot in Space with KSP Kerbal Space Program; 🆕🦾🎧💡 Advantages of using Robots in space. Lessons are preserved in source order (5 mapped).5
- 13.1🆕🦾👽🛸🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰 📮 Robotics: Rover and Robot in Space with KSP Kerbal Space Program
- 13.2🆕🦾💡 📮 Advantages of using Robots in space
- 13.3🆕🦾👽💡 📮 KSP Breaking Ground to design and build rover and spacecraft using robotic parts
- 13.4🆕🦾👽💡 📮 KSP Rovers Design
- 13.5👽💡 📮 KSP The KAL – Kerbal Autopilot Library Controller
- 🛫Aircrafts 🚢 Ships and submarinesLearning focus: 👽🎧🔑💡 Plane design and how to build an aircraft in the SpacePlane…; 🟢👽🎧💡 Building and flying a Hypersonic plane. Lessons are preserved in source order (3 mapped).3
- 🎮 Flight Controls and 🪂 Recovery SystemLearning focus: 🆕👽 KSP How to control vessels and Kerbals; 🆕👽 KSP The Altimeter and altitude control. Lessons are preserved in source order (4 mapped).4
- 🛸 Space Exploration 💡 ideas and activities – Preview of part 1 / 🛸 Space Exploration 💡 ideas and activitiesLearning focus: 🆕🛸🎬💡 Why Space Exploration is so important and the 3 sci-fi movies. Lessons are preserved in source order (1 mapped).1
- 🛸 Space Exploration 💡 ideas and activitiesLearning focus: 🆕🛸🎬💡 Why Space Exploration is so important and the 3 sci-fi movies; 🌌🗽 Big names in Astronomy and Cosmology. Lessons are preserved in source order (40 mapped).40
- 17.1🌌🗽 Big names in Astronomy and Cosmology
- 17.2🆕🛸 📮 Things you need to know about space
- 17.3🟢🌌🛸 📮 The Scale of the Universe
- 17.4🌌🛸💡 📮 The real scale of the Solar System
- 17.5📮 Astronomical Distance: Units, Light Time and Uncertainty
- 17.6🆕🛸❓ 📮 10 The Alien Conundrum
- 17.7🆕🛸🎓💡🥼🔬🎨🧰 📮 Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon Heavy
- 17.8🌌🍎🛸💡 📮 Gravity a fundamental force of nature
- 17.9🆕🟢🛸💡 📮 Astronaut training and activities for the unique challenges of spaceflight
- 17.10📮 Space Mission Design: Objectives, Constraints and Trade-offs
- 17.11🆕🛸 💡 📮 Laboratory in Space ISS the International Space Station
- 17.12🌌🛸💡👉 📮 Explore The Solar System Interactive Tour and How a 360° video works
- 17.13🆕🛸💡 📮 How to get pictures from the International Space Station via amateur radio
- 17.14🆕🛸 💡 📮 EVA Extravehicular Activities or space walks and How a Spacesuit work
- 17.15🆕🛸💡 📮 Laws of space
- 17.16🆕🛸 📮 SpaceX Starship Interplanetary Transport System
- 17.17🌌🛸💡👉 📮 Meteors, Meteroids, Meteorites and Meteor Showers
- 17.18🌌🛸🔑💡👉 📮 Asteroids – the small, rocky objects that orbit the sun
- 17.19🌌🛸💡 📮 Comets the icy bodies that orbit the Sun
- 17.20🆕🛸❓ 📮 1 The Blue Comet Conundrum
- 17.21🆕🛸👽💡 📮 Make your ESA Bepicolombo Mission with KSP
- 17.22🌌🛸💡 📮 The Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite
- 17.23🆕🌌🛸💡 📮 Moon Phases caused by the changing position of the Moon
- 17.24🆕🌌🛸💡 📮 Tides and Tidal phenomena
- 17.25🆕🛸💡 📮 We Are Going to the Moon to stay! The Artemis program and future Moon base
- 17.26🆕🛸💡 📮 How We Could Build a Moon Base TODAY
- 17.27🌌🛸🔑💡👉 📮 Mars the Red Planet
- 17.28🟢🛸💡🔗🔑🔬🎨 📮 Colonizing Mars: build a Mars base and Terraforming it
- 17.29🆕🛸❓ 📮 6 The Martian Conundrum
- 17.30🟢🌌🛸💡🌍 📮 Explore The Earth, ISS and the Solar System with Google Maps
- 17.31🆕🛸📎 📮 The future of space exploration, missions to other planets and new technologies
- 17.32🌌🛸💡🥼 📮 Black Holes are mysterious and fascinating objects in the universe
- 17.33🌌🛸💡 📮 Goldilocks planets for for supporting human life
- 17.34🌌🛸💡👉 📮 Exoplanets
- 17.35🆕🛸❓ 📮 19 The NASA Conundrum
- 17.36🆕🛸🎓💡🔗 📮 NASA Space Place – NASA Science for Kids
- 17.37🆕🛸🔗💡🥘 📮 NASA Space Place – Explore Mars: A Mars Rover Game
- 17.38🆕🍎🌡️🛸💡 📮 Kinetic Theory, Phase Changes, Melting, Boiling, Condensation, and how NASA map planet without ocean
- 17.39🆕🟢🎮⛏️🎓💡🛸🧪 📮 Using Minecraft to learn STEM/STEAM, Chemistry and Space Exploration
- 17.40🆕🛸🔗🎮💡 📮 NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) and game activity
- Original quizzesOriginal source quizzes preserved for review.1
- FermiLabs Common Core — Evidence, Safety & Engineering Method
Curated FermiLabs evidence, safety and engineering-method lessons. Existing course curriculum is preserved; this section is additive and independently owned.
FermiLabs connections:FermiLabs SRAD bi-liquid rocketry
4
Instructor
Free
