Help for Teenager Interested in Propulsion

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RocketPro

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I have a neighbor who is 14 and we have built a couple of rockets together (MPR-type). Once he’s out of school again, I plan to mentor him through the NAR Jr. L1 program.

He is very interested in Chemistry and propellants. He is bright, but still 14 with no experience with rocketry propulsion. His parents are supportive of his rocketry, but today asked me if it was OK to buy AP so that he could try to make a motor. 😲. I gave them a hard “no” on the AP purchase for a variety of safety-related reasons.

While I’ve flown some research motors built by others, I don’t make research motors myself. I do have multiple engineering degrees and work in the space industry so I know what I don’t know. I know that he’s not ready both in skill and maturity, but, I’d like to provide the appropriate encouragement and mentoring to him so that he doesn’t lose interest.

Any suggestions?
 
I have a neighbor who is 14 and we have built a couple of rockets together (MPR-type). Once he’s out of school again, I plan to mentor him through the NAR Jr. L1 program.

He is very interested in Chemistry and propellants. He is bright, but still 14 with no experience with rocketry propulsion. His parents are supportive of his rocketry, but today asked me if it was OK to buy AP so that he could try to make a motor. 😲. I gave them a hard “no” on the AP purchase for a variety of safety-related reasons.

While I’ve flown some research motors built by others, I don’t make research motors myself. I do have multiple engineering degrees and work in the space industry so I know what I don’t know. I know that he’s not ready both in skill and maturity, but, I’d like to provide the appropriate encouragement and mentoring to him so that he doesn’t lose interest.

Any suggestions?
Which commercial motors have you flown together? Any reloads? Hybrids? (tricky in California, I know).

You can learn and teach much about the inner workings of these motors, and their effects on the rocket’s performance, by comparison and contrast of existing commercial options. I think AeroTech also put out a fairly detailed report on the composition and development of Warp-9 propellant back when it first came out, so knowing how the pros do it may be helpful for satisfying that curiosity without having to take that step of mixing propellant.

If I were you I’d operate under the assumption that experimental motors will eventually be on the table for him and you won’t forever be in a good position to hold him back. Having him become accustomed to and knowledgeable about the “standard” HPR world will provide much-needed background knowledge and a greater respect for the safety culture that will be critical when (not if, when) he takes that step.
 
Get him to a TRA launch. He's almost old enough to join the TRA Mentor program. If he shows good flying results, in 4 years he may be ready for level 2, and will be known to other EX folks who will help.

has he taken high school chemistry and algebra classes? And really excelled? Definitely required!

He may enjoy reading a copy of Sutton's Rocket Propulsion Elements. It's a college level textbook so he'll have to level up on math, and that's a good thing.
 
Does he have a good simulation program like Open Rocket or Rocsim? Encourage him to understand the math that goes into these simulations. Also, encourage him to take the advanced math classes in school to better prepare him for engineering school.
 
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