Big journeys start with strong roots.
RocketRoots started with my curiosity about aerospace and a simple idea: make it easier for other students to start exploring it too.
HOW IT STARTED
CURIOSITY CAME FIRST.
I’m Santi, a 17-year-old high school student in Texas with a growing interest in aerospace engineering and space exploration. My interest in aerospace grew from things I already enjoyed — math, science, spacecraft, and learning about space exploration. The more I learned, the more curious I became about how rockets fly, how spacecraft work, and how engineers solve the challenges of exploring beyond Earth.
As I started learning more about aerospace, I also began thinking about how younger students could get an approachable first experience with it. That idea became part of the foundation for RocketRoots.
FROM LEARNING TO BUILDING
FIVE AREAS THAT STOOD OUT.
As I researched different areas of aerospace, five topics caught my attention the most. I also thought they could become interesting starting points for hands-on STEM activities.
01
ROCKET PROPULSION
02
AERODYNAMICS
03
SPACECRAFT LANDING SYSTEMS
04
HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT
05
AEROSPACE MATERIALS
These five areas helped shape the topics, experiments, and learning ideas behind RocketRoots.
THE IDEA
MAKE THE FIRST STEP FEEL POSSIBLE.
When you first discover aerospace, it can seem complicated or far away. I wanted RocketRoots to make that first step feel more approachable: start with a question, understand the idea, and then try something yourself.
EXPLORE → BUILD → GO BEYOND
EXPLORE — Understand the ideas behind aerospace.
BUILD — Turn an idea into a hands-on challenge.
GO BEYOND — Find resources and opportunities to keep learning.
LEARN BY DOING
START SMALL. TEST. LEARN.
One of the first hands-on activities I developed was a Balloon-Powered Rocket. Using simple materials like a balloon, straw, tape, and string, the activity explores ideas connected to rocket propulsion and aerodynamics. The idea is simple: build it, launch it, change something, observe what happens, and test it again.
TRY THE EXPERIMENT
WHAT’S NEXT
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
I’m starting RocketRoots with free aerospace learning, hands-on experiments, videos, and resources that students can explore online. I still have a lot to learn, and that is part of the point. I want RocketRoots to grow as I keep learning, experimenting, and building. Over time, I hope to develop new experiments and videos and eventually explore hands-on STEM kits and learning experiences that can reach more students.
START YOUR OWN JOURNEY.
You do not need to know everything about aerospace to begin. Start with a question, try something, and see where your curiosity takes you.