diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38698fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+pdf/
+**/*.pdf
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54f4ab5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+OPTIONS = markdown+yaml_metadata_block+smart
+
+NOTES_DIR = prelim_notes
+PDF_DIR = pdf
+NOTES = $(wildcard $(NOTES_DIR)/*.md)
+PDFS = $(patsubst %.md,%.pdf,$(subst $(NOTES_DIR),$(PDF_DIR),$(NOTES)))
+
+all: $(PDFS)
+
+$(PDF_DIR)/%.pdf: $(NOTES_DIR)/%.md pdf_dir 
+	pandoc \
+		--variable mainfont="Roboto" \
+		--variable monofont="Fira Code" \
+		--variable fontsize=11pt \
+		--variable geometry:"top=1in, bottom=1in, left=1in, right=1in" \
+		--variable geometry:letterpaper \
+		-f markdown  $< \
+		-o $@
+
+pdf_dir:
+	mkdir -p $(PDF_DIR)
diff --git a/prelim_notes/plan.md b/prelim_notes/plan.md
index 9f9cb33..9f73a0e 100644
--- a/prelim_notes/plan.md
+++ b/prelim_notes/plan.md
@@ -24,3 +24,14 @@ in the inner and outer loops. Specifically this means:
       environments if that's ever needed, as kubernetes has a robust integration with most
       web-hosting services. This also allows for flexible scalability if improved speed is ever
       needed.
+
+## Open Questions
+
+- Are there other inner and outer loop optimization approaches I should consider?
+- I didn't see a ton of information regarding the specific parameters of the orbital flybys outside
+  of the number and the identities of the planets. I need to figure out whether Englander approaches
+  that optimization in the inner or the outer loop
+- I would like to use a fast language for this, and ideally one that I could benefit from learning
+  about (by this I mean, preferably not C++, as I've used that before -- though it does integrate
+  well with tools like SPICE, so it is a good option). Preferably Rust, as it has the fastest server
+  libraries, which I don't expect to have a huge overhead, but is something to consider.