Dear Mr. De Barry

I have decided that I would like the topic for my passion project to be rocket engineering. I am going to explain how to build a rocket. I think that this is the right project for me because I have always loved engineering, and I think that rockets would be a fascinating topic to research on, especially because I know little about them. When I was little I used to watch videos on going to the moon. I always watched the rockets in awe. I wondered how they worked, and in this passion project I finally have a chance to find out. In this project I am going to explain the basics on how rockets work and how they are built.

My first question that I need to research is, what are the essential parts of a rocket and how do they work? The answer to this question will be important to my presentation because the answer may allow me to branch off into new questions to be answered. My second guiding question is how do you build a rocket and what tools are needed to do this. After answering this question, I will research the tools that are used to build rockets and become more familiar with them. 

Some of my sub questions are:

• What role does physics have on rockets
• What happens when rockets come out of the atmosphere
• What engines are used to power the rockets and what fuel do they use
• How do rockets differ from one another

I will need to look at many different sites to get the information I will need.

I am going to start at NASA’s website then build off from there. I will probably go to Illinois and Cal Tech’s websites on rocket engineering.

Next I will read books on rocket engineering for additional information, such as:

• Fundamentals of aerospace engineering.(A book I have purchased on Amazon.)

I think that my final product will be in video form. I think I will use an app like We Video or IMovie. I am also going to give information and updates on my research through my blog daily. I am very excited to begin researching and to learn more about engineering rockets.

From Connor