Documentation
All Space Academy 3.0 guides, grouped by area. Start anywhere — each page stands on its own.
Six lessons for teams starting in FIRST: organization, season planning, projects and impact, identity, marketing and winning Awards.
Team Attributes
Lesson 1 — Team OrganizationHow a FIRST team organizes itself: areas, roles, responsibilities and a communication routine that actually works.Lesson 2 — Season PlanningBreak the season into stages, turn big goals into small tasks and use simple tools to track everything.Lesson 3 — Projects and ImpactThe difference between a quick action and a real project, how to structure one and how to measure the impact it created.Lesson 4 — Identity and CommunicationColors, symbols, language and personality: how to build a recognizable identity and a clear message.Lesson 5 — Marketing and ContentWhat is worth showing, how to build posts in Canva and how to keep a simple social media calendar.Lesson 6 — Awards and RecognitionGet to know the Awards, build evidence across the season and present your team clearly to the judges.
Four lessons on the FIRST program: mission and programs, how a team is organized, how Awards work, and the culture of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition.
FIRST
Lesson 1 — Getting to Know FIRSTWhat FIRST is, its mission, its programs, and how a season works.Lesson 2 — The Universe of a TeamHow a FIRST team is organized internally: areas, roles, projects, and documentation.Lesson 3 — Awards: Far Beyond the MatchHow FIRST Awards work, the role of judges, and how to prepare your team for interviews.Lesson 4 — The FIRST CultureGracious Professionalism, Coopertition, and what it means to compete while sharing knowledge.How the lessons connectThe thread that ties together the four lessons of the FIRST module.
Nine FTC programming lessons: ecosystem and setup, essential Java, code structure, sensors, TeleOp, mecanum, subsystems, autonomous and community libraries.
MCI — Programming
Lesson 1 — Introduction to the FTC EcosystemControl Hub, Driver Station, the FTC SDK and getting the development environment ready.Lesson 2 — Essential JavaVariables, conditionals, methods, classes and objects, focused on what shows up in FTC code.Lesson 3 — Code OrganizationWhy to move away from a single OpMode, how to split subsystems and structure the project folders.Lesson 4 — Mechanisms and SensorsMotors, servos, encoders, sensors, reading the gamepad and telemetry.Lesson 5 — First TeleOp: Arcade DriveThe structure of an OpMode, reading the gamepad and a first working arcade drive.Lesson 6 — Holonomic Drive and MecanumWhat a holonomic drive is, how mecanum wheels work and how to program them.Lesson 7 — Building More SubsystemsIntake, lift and integrating multiple subsystems inside the TeleOp.Lesson 8 — AutonomousThe structure of an autonomous routine in the SDK, calibration and your first working routine.Lesson 9 — Libraries and Tips to Keep GrowingPedro Pathing, NextFTC, SolversLib, community resources and how to ask for help the right way.How the lessons connectThe full path of the programming module, from environment setup to autonomous.
Six FTC engineering lessons: mechanics fundamentals, chassis and drivetrain, competition mechanisms, CAD in Fusion 360, virtual assembly and manufacturing with optimization.
MCI — Engineering
Lesson 1 — Fundamentals of MechanicsForce, torque, RPM, speed, and motion transmission applied to the FTC robot.Lesson 2 — Chassis and DrivetrainChassis strength, weight, and stability, drivetrain types, and match-day reliability.Lesson 3 — Competition MechanismsIntakes, outtakes, shooters, slides, and lifts designed from game strategy.Lesson 4 — CAD FundamentalsFusion 360 from scratch: sketches, constraints, components, joints, and modeling for FTC.Lesson 5 — Assembly and DesignAssemblies, STEP files, motion simulation, and technical drawings for manufacturing.Lesson 6 — Manufacturing, Prototyping, and OptimizationManufacturing processes, rapid prototypes, and design iteration based on testing.How the lessons connectThe complete path of the engineering module, from concept to optimized part.