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== What is OpenRocket? ==

Welcome! [[File:icon-256.png|thumb|800 px|right|The OpenRocket logo.]]
OpenRocket is an open source model rocket simulation software application. It was originally developed by [http://sampo.kapsi.fi/ Sampo Niskanen] in 2009 as part of his master thesis at what was then [https://www.aalto.fi/en/aalto-university/history <em>Helsinki University of Technology</em>]. If you want to have a look at his thesis you can download it from OpenRocket's [http://openrocket.info/documentation.html technical documentation page]. Written entirely in Java, OpenRocket is fully cross-platform. Have a look at the [[Downloading_%26_Installing|next section]] if you need information about how to open the program on your computer. <br /><br />

OpenRocket is intended to be used by rocketeers who want to test the performance of a model rocket before actually building and flying it. The software accurately computes the aerodynamic properties of rockets and simulates their flight, returning a wide range of technical results. <br /><br />

The program can be roughly divided into two sections: <br /><br />
- <strong>Rocket design</strong>, where you can design the model rocket you intend to build, choosing from a wide range of <strong>body components</strong>, <strong>trapezoidal</strong>, <strong>elliptical</strong> and <strong>free-form fins</strong>, <strong>inner components</strong>, and <strong>mass objects</strong>. During this phase you will see a 2D representation of the rocket you are building and various technical information (<strong>size</strong>, <strong>mass</strong>, <strong>apogee</strong>, <strong>max. velocity</strong>, <strong>max. acceleration</strong>, <strong>stability</strong>, <strong>centre of gravity</strong> (<strong>CG</strong>), <strong>centre of pressure</strong> (<strong>CP</strong>)) about your rocket, so you can have already a good idea of its performance even before running any simulation. <br />
- <strong>Flight simulation</strong>, where you can run one or more simulations of your rocket's flight, choosing from one or more <strong>motor configurations</strong>. Each simulation (calculated using the Runge-Kutta 4 simulator) returns a wide range of data about the rocket's flight. Unfortunately, for the moment a graphical visualization of the rocket's flight is not available ([http://openrocket.info/contribute.html help needed]). <br /><br />
For more information about OpenRocket's features and a few screenshots you can have a look [http://openrocket.info/features.html here].