Have you ever wanted to build a plane?

How about build an autonomous robot for Nasa?

Unfortunately we all can't achieve every goal.
But we can make our own aircraft and launch it into the atmosphere. All we need is a little creativity, some robotics experience, the Internet, and most importantly some help from:
We start with a couple sheets of EPP foam. I measured my wing shape, traced it with a marker. Since I went with a layer design for strength. I sandwiched a 10mm thick sheet with a 5mm thick sheet. I bonded them together with 3M/90 spray adhesive.
Next we trim the shape with a razer knife by making multiple passes. Then lightly sand the edges with 100 grit sandpaper.
Our next step is to bond the wing halves together. I used wood glue, but any foam safe glue will work. Then cover the seem with the string type packing tape.
We next need to stiffen the wings to keep them from flexing. So we measure a few inches back from the lead edge. Then cut a channel to insert a strut rod. In my case I used wood dowel rods. But most people use carbon fiber shafts. These rods get glued in, then covered with string packing tape.
The next step is to be creative and fabricate an aerodynamically shaped fuselage. Be sure to brace the side walls accordingly, and leave a sacrificial piece on the back which will be removed later for the motor mount. I started by bonding the bottom edges with 3M/90.
Next you want to add additional glue to the seems for extra strength. Don't worry if you slop glue in places you don't want it, as we'll cut off the excess later on.
Now we want to fabricate a motor mount. Typically they are made from basswood, or lite weight metal. I chose to use expanded PVC sheet, and angle braced it for strength. We glue this in with epoxy, or gorilla glue. Again fill the gaps in with glue, for strength. After the glue dries, mark and drill holes for your motor to bolt on later.
At this point we want to go back and clean up the extra glue to save weight. I also added a nose brace to limit the damage in the event of a crash. Then sanded the whole plane body with 100 grit sandpaper. I also angled the lead/tail wing edges to form the airfoil. Then cut off the wing tips and elevons.
Next we swap the wing tips side for side, then glue them on, then cover them with string tape. We also want to tape on our elevons with string tape on both sides. Then spray the whole body with 3M/90 and cover it with fiberglass weave tape. (which is typically used for drywall)
Now we want to cover the fuselage with foam. Glue it in place, tape the seams with string tape. Mount the motor/prop, then make/glue/tape a vert stabilizer/rudder.
Your plane should look like this, at this point.
Now measure and cut a couple access doors. Then using string tape, make lid hinges. Then glue supports over hanging the openings and apply Velcro to hold the lids closed.
The next step is to cover the entire plane in 2mm packing tape. This not only adds color, but additional strength.
After applying this covering use a heat gun to shrink the tape covering to a tight shiny finish, as shown.