Ever want to learn how rockets are designed and built? How about how to use composite materials, which if used properly, can have significant benefits over traditional materials, such as metals. This class will discuss how rockets work and what goes into the design of a rocket. Then it will discuss how composites are generally fabricated and students will get a chance to make their own rocket fins out of composite materials.

Ever want to learn how rockets are designed and built? How about how to use composite materials, which if used properly, can have significant benefits over traditional materials, such as metals. This class will discuss how rockets work and what goes into the design of a rocket. Then it will discuss how composites are generally fabricated and students will get a chance to make their own rocket fins out of composite materials. This class is sponsored by the Rocket Team of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS).

Get hands-on with astronomy! In this two-hour class, you will learn about telescopes -- coordinate systems, alignment, focusing, eyepiece size and field of view -- during the first hour, and then move outside for a hands-on lab during the second hour. Depending on the time of the class, students will either get to observe the Sun (though a solar filter, of course!) or the stars. This class is sponsored by the Astrophotography Team of the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) at MIT.

Since the beginning of the space race deep in the heart of the Cold War, international policies have tried to steer the course of space exploration into an international, peaceful endeavor to benefit all mankind. This course will focus on major international space treaties, like the Outer Space Treaty and the Moon Treaty, and how they may or may not be relevant in the future of space exploration. Students will also discuss key policy decisions that the United States has made regarding manned space exploration over the course of the space age. This class is sponsored by the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) at MIT. For more information about MIT-SEDS, visit http://seds.mit.edu