Rocket Science 101 Course Syllabus

Rocket Science 101

Course Syllabus

Professor:

Daniel Taylor Hastings

                Aerospace Engineering

                Iowa State University

                DTHRocket[at]gmail[dot]com

Prerequisites:

• Trigonometry, minimum knowledge of calculus, basic physics

Textbooks:

• Rocket Propulsion Elements (7^th edition) Sutton and Biblarz
• Handbook of Model Rocketry (7^th edition) Stine and Stine

Grading:

• Students grade themselves. There will be several quizzes and one exam, weighted by:
• Quizzes: 25%
• Semester project 25%
• Final Exam 50%

Schedule:

1.       Definition of a rocket
2.       Math background
3.       Physics background
4.       Chemistry/thermodynamics background
5.       Basic nozzle theory
6.       Forces on a rocket
7.       Aerodynamic drag
8.       Flight stability
9.       Thrust and weight
10.   Analysis of flight
11.  Model rocketry
12.   Semester project

Remember:  There is nothing magical about rocket science. It is just a sampling of subjects such as physics, chemistry and math, all applied to the goal of flying through space. You don’t have to be a G-whiz to become a rocket scientist, despite the popular phrase “it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to .” It really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to study math, science and engineering and love space travel.