Engineers make final adjustments to a small rocket prior to launch as part of Rocket University.

At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers make final adjustments to a small rocket prior to launch as part of Rocket University. The launch will test systems designed by the student engineers.

As part of Rocket University, the engineers are given an opportunity to work a fast-track project to develop skills in developing spacecraft systems of the future. As NASA plans for future spaceflight programs to low-Earth orbit and beyond, teams of engineers at Kennedy are gaining experience in designing and flying launch vehicle systems on a small scale. Four teams of five to eight members from Kennedy are designing rockets complete with avionics and recovery systems. Launch operations require coordination with federal agencies, just as they would with rockets launched in support of a NASA mission. Photo credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann