The first major step for this project is to figure out what the rocket payload will need to consist of. The first step in that is to launch a rocket using an Arduino. For this, I recruited the help of one of my best friends, Andrew. He allowed me to borrow his Arduino Uno in the name of science, and he coded the first iteration of the launch program, as well as wiring the breadboard. Somehow, amongst our spare parts, we could not find a working button, so we utilized a potentiometer to trigger the launch instead. After the pot was turned all the way, the program flashed an LED. The time between flashes decreased gradually until there was no time in between flashes, at which point the Arduino triggered a relay that closed a circuit connected a 9v battery to an Estes rocket engine igniter. At this point it was getting dark, and the hopes of recovering a rocket from a test launch were slim, so we created a makeshift rocket by hot gluing a nose cone and fins made from a plastic straw to an A - class engine.