First Steps in Rocketry

A few links to get started.

Encyclopedia Astronautica A good first resource on the history of space technology. The numbers are occasionally incorrect, but nothing else has as wide a span.

JPL Tutorial: The Basics of Space Flight. A really great online course that covers just about everything needed to get something into space. The best on the 'net from the experts in the field.

This is a really great site covering rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics and more. It uses moderately simple math and has a clear, simple layout. Highly recommended!

How Rocket Engines Work It's not magic, it's physics.

The Online Physics Textbook has explanations of rockets

The rocket equation can be derived from Newtons Laws.

NASA's Dictionary of Aerospace Terms This was originally written in the 1960s and is a bit dated. They have some nice links to "Ask the Expert" sites.

Ask a Space Scientist at NASA's IMAGE site.

Spacelink at NASA (find something interesting to say about this)

Space Handbook: Astronautics and its Applications This text, in various editions, has been used to educate Congress, military officers and many others. Its very concise and similar to To Rise From Earth by (find author name, link to amazon) without all the pretty graphics.

Rocketry Online The most comprehensive model rocketry site on the net, it also has a few tidbits about amateur rocketry.

Mathematics is a necessity for a lot of things in space flight. The University of Tennesee at Knoxville has some tutorials on calculus if you need a refresher. There are more at Harvey Mudd College.

You might wonder what you will find when you get Out There, there's a lot of interesting stuff to see. Before you leave you might want to learn a little about where you'll be going.

The U. S. Geological Survey has made some maps of Mercury, Venus, Mars, the Moon, and the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. Make sure you have copies with you before you take off.

If you want to know a little more about where you might go take the Planetary Photojournal Tour.

Great Images in NASA has the best of NASA images available.

NASA's Planetary Science

Planet Fact Sheets pages