The authors have undertaken the task of introducing the reader to the general subject of rocket technology, without demanding of him serious preparation, especially in the specialized fields of aero-gas-dynamics and thermodynamics. To understand the material in this book a general back­ ground in the elements of physics, chemistry, and the fundamentals of higher mathematics is all that is needed. In this way, the book is designed for the reader who has the background equivalent to two semesters of a technical college.