A 17-year-old rural boy from Xinshao County of central China's Hunan Province has achieved the remarkable feat of building rockets from scratch, using online resources to self-educate on all aspects of rocket knowledge, including modeling, fuel making, launch platform construction and 3D printing.
Zhang Shijie's fascination with rockets was ignited in the second year of junior high school when he watched a live broadcast of the Tianhe Core Module launch for China's space station. The stunning scene of the rocket soaring into the sky left a lasting impression on him and sparked his desire to create his own rocket model.
"When I saw the beautiful shock diamonds and the rocket steadily ascending and docking with the space station, I became fascinated with rockets and began to look for relevant information, videos and pictures," said Zhang.
By the time Zhang reached his final year of junior high, he applied concepts from his chemistry and physics classes to refine rocket fuel and create an electronic ignition system. He also turned to internet to learn how to construct engine plugs and nozzles from materials like plastic pipes and cement.
"I have developed a deeper interest in physics, chemistry, and hands-on experiments. I am excited that knowledge extends beyond textbooks; it can be applied practically in real life. That, I believe, is the true essence of knowledge," said Zhang.
When the school's science and innovation group teacher discovered Zhang's passion for rocket model airplanes, the school provided him with 3,500 yuan (about 483 U.S. dollars) to support his research. This funding encouraged him to delve deeper into his project.
Zhang downloaded materials from online science and innovation forum for guidance on mapping and modeling challenges.
"How do I design the aerodynamic shape of the space capsule and the rocket? I don't know anything about modeling, either. How do I draw the engine design? How do I create a physical model? These are some of the problems that bothered me when I was working on my rocket. How can I solve them? I read more materials and gathered similar types of information together," said Zhang.
Zhang also enlisted his classmates to assist with the rocket project, turning it into a collaborative effort that helped them all unwind from their studies.
"It's exciting. Seeing the rocket go up and experiencing the entire creation process is thrilling. The best part is the shock of seeking all parts of the rocket work together and shoot into space," said Zhang Jun, a classmate of Zhang Shijie.
"In the future, I want to be admitted to a prestigious aerospace university to further my studies in aerospace and eventually contribute to China's aerospace industry," said Zhang.
Rural boy builds rockets using online resources, self-taught skills
