Design and Make Your Own Solid Rocket Motor
"Hands On" Instruction Class
Taught By John Wickman
A Professional Aerospace Engineer
Foreign Nationals Welcome To Attend Class! No Memberships or Certifications Required!
(Foreign nationals contact sales@space-rockets.com for registration)
Only $269 For The Complete Class
(You Can Use Afterpay To Make 4 Interest-Free Payments During Checkout)
Includes “How To Make Amateur Rockets” Bookset
June 26-29, 2024
(Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday)
September 18-21, 2024
(Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday)
September Class is Sold Out!
This class will teach you how to design and build your own solid rocket motors in a relaxed and fun environment. This is NOT a “cook book” propellant formula or “cook book” motor design class that leaves you without the knowledge to design your own rocket motors or formulate your own propellant. This class will teach you how to design a solid rocket motor to a desired pressure-time and thrust-time curve.
During the class, your instructor will give you a peak chamber pressure and pressure-time curve shape and you will design and build a motor to meet that goal. After your motor is built, it will be tested to see how close you come to the goal. Don’t worry. You will succeed with the knowledge given to you in this class.
If you want to learn how to design solid rocket motors to a specific thrust and pressure and be able to design for progressive, neutral or regressive pressure or thrust curves, then this is the class for you. If you are now designing motors based on Kn values, but have no clue as to what your chamber pressure is or how to control the shape of the thrust – time curve, then this class is for you.
Your instructor will be John Wickman, a professional aerospace engineer and internationally known in the field of solid rocket propulsion. He will show you how to formulate a composite propellant for burn rate, performance or combustion temperature. He will also show you how to design a propellant grain pattern to give you the thrust time curve you want and how to design the motor so it doesn’t structurally or thermally fail.
This is a “hands on” class so make sure you wear “work” clothes. You will mix and cast propellant as well as make rocket motor parts during the class. When you finish this class, you will have the knowledge and confidence to start designing and making your own solid rocket motors that will work the first time.
But, that’s not all!! Included with the price of this class is the “How To Make Amateur Rockets – 2nd Edition” bookset. You will not find a class like this offered anywhere so enroll now as each class is limited to just a few students. A guarantee that you will receive the individual instruction you need to be successful.
Class Schedule
Wednesday (9:00 am to 5:00 pm)
You will learn how all rocket engines work and how they produce thrust to propel a rocket. Your instructor will show you how to determine the performance for propellants used in solid, hybrid and liquid rocket engines. You will learn how design your rocket engine for maximum specific impulse (Maximum thrust with least amount of propellant) and maximum combustion efficiency. The class will explain how to properly design rocket nozzle and exit cone such as how big should the exit cone diameter be and what expansion angle is best for the exit cone.
The class will then shift its focus to composite solid rocket motors. Your instructor will show you how to control the thrust and pressure of a rocket motor by the propellant grain geometry and nozzle design. You will learn how to design a motor for not only a neutral thrust curve, but for any degree of regressive or progressive thrust or pressure curve you want. During the first day of class, you will be assigned a maximum peak chamber pressure and pressure-time curve shape. Using what you have learned and the “How to Make Amateur Rockets” software, you will go on a computer and design a rocket motor to meet that goal. You will make a simple rocket nozzle using PVC fittings, graphite, and water putty for your rocket motor.
You will learn how to setup your rocket motor test stand to measure a motor’s thrust and chamber pressure. Your instructor will also show you how to use the data to determine combustion efficiency, delivered specific impulse, and other important motor parameters. He will also give you important safety guidelines for testing your rocket motors on the ground before you fly them in your rockets.
In order to properly characterize a solid rocket propellant for use in a motor, you need to determine its burn rate coefficient and exponent. Your instructor will show you a few different methods to get the data needed to determine those values. He will also show you how to determine the coefficient and exponent once you have the data.
- Learn How Rocket Motors Work
- Learn The Key Rocket Motor Design Parameters & How To Use Them
- Learn How To Design For Specific Thrust & Chamber Pressure Curves
- Design A Rocket Motor To A Specific Peak Pressure & Pressure Curve
- Make A Rocket Nozzle
- Learn How To Determine Burn Rate Parameters
- Learn How to Setup a Rocket Motor Test Stand and Take Pressure and Thrust Data
Thursday (9:00 am to 5:00 pm)
The entire morning of the class will be on how to formulate different kinds of composite solid propellant including ammonium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and potassium perchlorate. You will learn safe methods of handling propellant chemicals. You will learn what ingredients to add to change burn rate, change the propellant mix viscosity and other propellant formulation parameters. You will also learn how solid propellants really work and what the key ingredient is that controls the burn rate of the propellant.
Your instructor will show you how to use the software program, CHEM, to formulate a solid propellant for a desired specific impulse, combustion temperature or mix viscosity. He will show you how to convert that formulation into weights for a propellant batch plus show you a simple way to calculate the correct amount of curing agent to add to the propellant.
You will now start to make the rocket motor you designed during the first day. You will begin by cutting PVC pipe into the required lengths for the propellant cartridges. You will cut cores that will go inside your propellant cartridges for the casting of the solid propellant. Under the supervision of your instructor, you will learn how to mix solid rocket propellant. After the propellant is mixed, you will load it into your propellant cartridges.
- Mix and Cast Solid Rocket Propellant
- Cut and Prepare Propellant Cartridges
- Learn To Formulate a Variety of Solid Propellants
- Learn How Solid Propellants Really Work
Friday (9:00 am to 5:00 pm)
The propellant that you mixed and cast yesterday will have cured into a nice rubbery propellant. Your instructor will show you how to pull out the cores and how to trim any excess propellant from your cartridges. He will also show you a simple way to prepare the propellant surface so your motors ignite faster and easier.
You will drill and tap the rocket motor’s bulkhead so that you can install a pressure tap to measure the chamber pressure when you static fire your motor, tomorrow. After that, your motor will be assembled for static firing.
Your instructor will show you how to do a simple thermal analysis of a rocket motor. While the motor used in the class is a simple PVC pipe rocket motor, you will learn how to make motors out of other materials. You will learn the key areas of the motor that have to be insulated from the heat of the combustion gases and a simple way to protect those areas. Your instructor will also show you how to do a simple stress analysis so that your rocket motors do not structurally fail. If you are going to be making your own reloads, he will show you how to calculate the maximum pressure the reload hardware can experience without damage.
Finally, you will be shown a few simple ways to make reliable electrical igniters to ignite your motor for the static firing. You will no longer have to purchase igniters or igniter kits. He will also show you how to make e-matches for initiating ejection charges fired by electronic deployment devices. Then, you will make your own igniter for your motor.
- Pull Cores & Trim Propellant Grains
- Drill and Tap Rocket Chamber Bulkheads
- Assemble Your Rocket Motor
- Learn How To Do A Thermal and Stress Analysis On Your Rocket Motor
- Learn How To Igniter Your Motor & About Different Igniters Including Pyrogen Igniters
- Make An Igniter For Your Motor
Saturday (9:00 am to 12:40 pm)
This is the big day. Today, you find out if your rocket motor performs as you designed it. You will be shown how to install the igniter in your motor and how to mount the motor in the test stand and connect the instrumentation. After everything checks out, it is time to fire the motor.
You will press the firing button on the control panel as you watch your motor on a TV monitor. As you press the firing button, you will be touching a bit of rocket history. This is not an ordinary firing button or control panel. It is the original control panel used by Aerojet in Sacramento, California. Aerojet was called the “General Motors of Rocketry” by Time magazine in the 1960’s. The control panel you are using to test your rocket motor was also used to test fire solid rocket motors powering Polaris, Minuteman and MX missiles including tactical missiles such as Sidewinder, Maverick, Harpoon and many others.
After the test, the class will look at the measured chamber pressure as a function of time and compare it to your prediction. It will be interesting to see how close you come to the measured results.
Congratulations! You have made and test fired a rocket motor you designed and built yourself. You will receive your Solid Rocket Motor Designer Certificate during a lunch time graduation celebration with pizza and soft drinks.
- Test Fire Your Rocket Motor From A Historic Control Panel
- Analyze Chamber Pressure Data From Your Test Firing
- Post Fire Examination Techniques On Your Motor – What To Look For
- Calculate C-star and C-star Combustion Efficiency For Your Motor
- Determine Burn Rate Data From The Test
- Graduate With a Solid Rocket Motor Designer Certificate
Tuition Includes:
- All Chemicals & Materials For Your Rocket Motor
- “How To Make Amateur Rockets – 2nd Edition” book, software and video
- All Lunches During The Class Including Pizza On The Last Day To Celebrate Your Success!
- Solid Rocket Motor Designer Certificate After Course Completion
- Video Of Your Test Motor Firing Plus The Other Motors In The Class
- Note: A 50% tuition refund will be given to a registrant if they are unable to attend the class
provided they give 30 days notice prior to the first day of class. No refunds will be given if notice is given less than 30 days prior to the first day of class. To receive the refund, the notice of not being able to attend must be sent by email to jwickman@space-rockets.com.
Additional Information
Class location:
The class will be held at CP Technologies facilities at 3745A Studer at the Casper/Natrona County International Airport.
Air Travel:
You can fly to Casper, Wyoming on Delta or United Airlines. Delta flights go through Salt Lake City, Utah with passengers routed on Skywest (The Delta Connection) from Salt Lake City to Casper. United Airlines flights go through Denver, Colorado with passengers routed on United Express to Casper. To save money, you can travel to Denver and then rent a car and drive to Casper. Interstate 25 will take you all the way to Casper.
Motels and Hotels:
The class is held at our facility at the airport and there are no motels located at the airport. There are a variety of hotels and motels located in Casper in all price ranges.