Rocket Science from Scratch

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Unified Sutton + Anderson curriculum

BEGINNER TO MISSION DESIGN

A single, progressive path from zero knowledge to designing your own orbital rocket. Visual intuition first. Then the rigorous math from Sutton’s Rocket Propulsion Elements and Anderson’s Fundamentals of Aerodynamics. Every concept arrives exactly when it becomes useful in the simulators and in Rocket Forge.

Start with the Rocket Equation Try the Momentum Lab first Browse all deep lessons →

Everything is interactive and 100% client-side. Change a parameter in a lab and the numbers update instantly. Your experiments directly improve what you can build in Rocket Forge.

Level 1: Foundations

Visual intuition & conservation laws • ~1.5 hours

Newton’s laws, momentum, energy, and forces. Pure intuition with live visuals — no equations required yet.

CORE LESSONS

The Rocket Equation: Why Mass Ratio Rules Everything

fundamentals newton momentumsutton fundamentals Open Simulator

PROGRESS

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Level 2: Rocket Equation & Basic Performance

Tsiolkovsky equation + performance metrics • ~2 hours

The single most important equation in rocketry. Mass ratio, Isp, Δv. Why rockets are 90% propellant.

CORE LESSONS

Nozzle Theory: Turning Heat into Speed Airfoil Fundamentals: How Wings (and Fins) Create Lift Compressible Flow: Shocks, Expansions, and Supersonic Magic

sutton fundamentalssutton thrust performance Open Simulator

Prereqs: Levels 1

PROGRESS

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Level 3: Propulsion (Nozzles + Propellants)

Nozzle theory & Isp from first principles • ~3 hours

How we actually generate high-speed exhaust. Nozzle design, choked flow, real propellant performance.

CORE LESSONS

Nozzle Theory: Turning Heat into Speed Airfoil Fundamentals: How Wings (and Fins) Create Lift Compressible Flow: Shocks, Expansions, and Supersonic Magic

sutton nozzle theorysutton thrust performancesutton combustion Open Simulator

Prereqs: Levels 2

PROGRESS

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Level 4: Aerodynamics for Rockets

Drag polars, induced drag, shocks & expansions on vehicles • ~3.5 hours

Drag, lift, stability. How the atmosphere fights (and sometimes helps) your rocket. Thin airfoils to finite wings + compressible effects.

CORE LESSONS

Nozzle Theory: Turning Heat into Speed Airfoil Fundamentals: How Wings (and Fins) Create Lift Compressible Flow: Shocks, Expansions, and Supersonic Magic

anderson airfoils finite wingsanderson shocks expansionsanderson drag polaranderson boundary layers Open Simulator

Prereqs: Levels 1, 3

PROGRESS

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Level 5: Staging & Vehicle Design

Multi-stage optimization & vehicle synthesis • ~2.5 hours

Why we stage. Mass budgets, structural ratios, engine trade studies. Connecting propulsion numbers to real vehicle sizing.

sutton flight performancesutton solid rocketssutton liquid engines Open Simulator

Prereqs: Levels 3, 4

PROGRESS

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Level 6: Trajectories, Gravity & Orbits

2D/3D trajectory simulation & orbital mechanics intuition • ~3 hours

Gravity losses, drag losses, steering. How to get to orbit (and back). Simple numerical integration of the equations of motion.

sutton flight performanceanderson applied to rockets Open Simulator

Prereqs: Levels 4, 5

PROGRESS

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Level 7: Mission Design & Rocket Forge Capstone

End-to-end vehicle design, simulation, and iteration • ~4 hours

Put it all together. Design a complete vehicle for a real mission profile. The ultimate test of everything learned.

sutton advanced conceptsanderson hypersonics Open Simulator

Prereqs: Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

PROGRESS

Enter Rocket Forge

THE TWO BOOKS ARE ONE STORY

Cross-book connections you will feel in Rocket Forge

CONNECTION

Nozzle exit pressure (from Sutton) directly determines whether the vehicle experiences over/under-expanded flow and shock losses in the atmosphere (Anderson compressible).

CONNECTION

Induced drag and base drag from aerodynamics (Anderson) are major Δv losses that must be overcome by the propulsion system sized in Sutton.

CONNECTION

Isp and thrust from the engine affect the optimal trajectory and angle-of-attack schedule, which in turn drive the aerodynamic loads and drag polar the vehicle must fly through.

Ready to apply everything?

Level 7 is Rocket Forge — design, simulate, iterate, and compare your vehicle against real rockets.

Open Rocket Forge →

Also available: All Lessons •All Simulators •Sutton Book Modules •Anderson Book Modules