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Activity: Rockets: Build and Launch a Rocket!

Level: Grades 5-8

To Take Home: Pop Rockets and Instructions

Background Information

The History of Rocketry

To design and build a rocket to explore space, you need to be able to figure out how bigto make it, how heavy it can be, how fast it will have to go, how much fuel it needs, etc.For that you need a theory of how things move in space and how to make thecalculations. Almost all early theory of space flight was worked out over a period ofnearly three centuries from 1600 to 1900.

Johannes Kepler was the German mathematician who in 1609 figured out the equationsfor orbiting planets and satellites. In particular, he determined that the planets move inellipses (ovals) rather than true circles.

In 1687 Isaac Newton wrote a landmark work describing basic laws of force, motion, andgravitation, and invented a new branch of mathematics in the process (calculus). He didall this to show how the force of gravity is the reason that planets’ orbits follow Kepler’sequations.

In 1903 Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a Russian schoolteacher who, without ever launching asingle rocket himself, was the first to figure out all the basic equations for rocketry. Fromhis reading, including Jules Verne’s "From the Earth to the Moon," he concluded thatspace travel was a possibility, that it was in fact man’s destiny, and that rockets would bethe way to do it.

Tsiolkovsky anticipated and solved many of the problems that rocket powered flightwould encounter and drew up several rocket designs. He determined that liquid fuelrockets would be needed to get to space and that the rockets would need to be built instages. He concluded that oxygen and hydrogen would be the most powerful fuels to use.He had predicted in general how, 65 years later, the Saturn V rocket would operate forthe first landing of men on the Moon.

Robert Goddard, an American who is now called "the father of modern rocketry," was theman who designed, built, and flew many of the earliest rockets. He was a universityprofessor who also developed the theory of rocketry and, although he didn't know aboutTsiolkovsky's work, reached the same conclusions as the Russian. He was also heavilyinfluenced by the science fiction of Jules Verne, and he worked hard to develop rocketsbecause he wanted to see them take us into space. When he first published his wellwritten study proposing that rockets could be used to travel to the Moon, many peoplethought it was a crazy idea.

In 1926 Goddard launched the world’s first liquid fueled rocket. In the course of hisexperiments in Massachusetts and later in Roswell, New Mexico, he worked to developmany aspects of rocket technology, earning more than 200 patents. By himself hedeveloped the same components and designs that hundreds of German scientists andengineers arrived at independently at great expense at Peenemunde during World War II.

After reading Jules Verne’s From Earth to the Moon as a boy of 11, the German scientistHermann Oberth became determined to find a way to travel into space. He independentlyarrived at the same rocketry principles as Tsiolkovsky and Goddard. In 1929 hepublished The Rocket Into Interplanetary Space, a highly influential book that wasinternationally acclaimed and persuaded many that the rocket was something to takeseriously as a space vehicle. Oberth was also Wernher Von Braun’s teacher, bringinghim into the German rocket program. Of the great rocketry pioneers, Oberth was theonly one who lived to see men travel through space and land on the Moon.

Together with Oberth and an enormous team of scientists and engineers at Peenemunde,Wernher Von Braun developed and launched the German V2 rocket, the first rocketcapable of reaching space. At the end of World War II, Von Braun led the top scientistsand engineers out of Germany to the Americans rather than be captured by the Russianarmy.) He led U.S. development of military and space exploration rockets. Von Braunwas crucial in the effort to convince the U.S. government to pursue a landing of men onthe Moon and guided U.S. efforts to success. Von Braun led the development of theSaturn rockets, the only series of rockets ever developed that left the launch padsuccessfully on each voyage. If he hadn’t been so successful, we may never have made itto the Moon.

TYPES OF ROCKETS

There have been many types of rockets developed by NASA. The Mercury Redstone 3rocket carried the spacecraft of America's first astronaut, Alan Shephard, into space. TheAtlas 6 rocket carried John Glenn's spacecraft into Earth's orbit, making him the firstAmerican to ever orbit the Earth. The Titan rocket carried the Gemini 12 mission intospace. Titan series rockets carried many Gemini missions into space.

The Saturn V launch vehicle was used for Apollo flights to the Moon. The rocket was364 feet tall and included the spacecraft and three rocket stages. Each rocket stage pushedthe spacecraft farther and farther from Earth. The Saturn V flew ten missions to theMoon, three unpiloted and seven piloted. (Apollo XIII was an unsuccessful mission thatreturned safely to Earth.)

The Soviets launched the Soyuz spacecraft into Earth orbit to meet the American Apollospacecraft. The two spacecraft met in space, proving that such a rendezvous was possible.When the two crafts connected, American astronauts and Soviet Cosmonauts marked themeeting with an historic handshake. The space shuttle has three main rocket engines anda large external fuel tank. Two additional rockets are needed to assist the shuttle in itsjourney into space.

REDSTONE TITANATLAS

SATURN SHUTTLESOYUZ

Principles of Rocketry

Major Parts of A Rocket

Nose cone - The leading section of the rocket with the job of reducing aerodynamic drag.Payload - The section of the rocket that carries the cargo to be delivered.Body tube - The central structure of the rocket, the body tube holds the engine andprovides a mounting point for the fins.Engine - The engine contains the fuel and provides the thrust to accelerate the rocket.Parachute - When the ejection charge ignites, the parachute is forced out and slows therocket's descent to avoid damage.Fins - The fins take over guidance of the rocket once it reaches enough speed andprovides a stabilizing force.

The rocket in this activity does not have a payload section or a parachute because itwill not fly high enough to require one. Model rockets that fly over 100 feet highneed parachutes.

How A Rocket Flies

Newton's Laws of Motion

Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion developed in 1687 determine how a rocket flies.

Newton's First Law is:• An object at rest will remain at rest.• An object in motion will stay in motion in a straight line at the same speed as long as

no force is applied (more accurately, no unbalanced force).

An (unbalanced) force must be exerted for a rocket to lift off from the launch pad.

Newton's Second Law is:

• An object’s acceleration is proportional to the force applied to it.• The force to accelerate an object is proportional to the object’s mass.• In equation form, if we call the force "F," the object’s mass "m," and the acceleration

"a," then Newton's Second Law is simply "F = m * a" which is the most famous formof this fundamental principle of physics.

The amount of thrust (force produced by the engine) will be determined by the mass ofrocket fuel that is burned and how fast the gas escapes the rocket.

Newton's Third Law is:• For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The reaction, or motion, of the rocket is equal to and in an opposite direction from theaction, or thrust, from the engine.

Sequence of a Rocket Flight

The rocket will launch from the pad after a proper countdown and ignition takes place.The rocket will fly to its highest point, called apogee (this is when the parachutes aredeployed) and its fuel is exhausted. At this point the Earth's gravity overcomes the thrustof the rocket and pulls it back down to the Earth. Gravity is always pulling on the rocket;in fact a rocket must travel 17,500 mph to achieve orbit and 25,000 mph to escape theEarth's gravity (and head for the Moon, for example).

Activity

Timeframe - 90 minutes

Pop Rockets

Materials

Book or video about rocketsOaktag (posterboard), 8 x 10 sheetsColored markers, stickersPlastic 35 mm film canisters (Fuji is best because they are translucent and seal on theinside)Basic pattern guide (attached)Cellophane tapeScissorsEffervescing antacid tablets (i.e. Alka Seltzer)Paper towelsWaterEye protection

Introduction to RocketryYou may choose to read a short story or chapter to the group about rockets to begin thesession. It could be a fictional story from "R is for Rocket" or a magazine article aboutthe shuttle or an astronaut. Introduce the history of rocketry and the different types ofrockets that have been launched. You can show a video about the history of rocketry, theApollo Missions, or the Space Shuttle (see book and video lists). A NASA handout isincluded in this guide. Timeframe - 30-45 minutes.

Making RocketsChildren can use the basic pattern to create the shape of their rockets. They can choose tomake the length of the body tube longer or shorter (lighter rockets will fly higher). Theymay also change the shape of the fins to improve the aerodynamics of their rockets.Students may color or decorate their rockets any way they like. Be sure they put theirname or initials on their rocket somewhere. Timeframe - 30-45 minutes.

Procedure

1. Wrap and tape a tube of paper around the film canister. The lid end of thecanister is pointed down! Do not forget to tape it securely to the canister. Tapethe ends of the paper together. Make sure you can get the lid off the rocket.

2. Tape your fins to your rocket, making sure that they are even spaced.3. Roll a cone of paper (in the shape of a Pacman figure) and tape it to the rocket’s

upper end.4. Decorate your rocket.5. It is now ready for flight!

Discussion

This activity is a simple but exciting demonstration of Newton's Laws of Motion. Therocket lifts off because it is acted upon by an unbalanced force (First Law). This is theforce produced when the lid blows off by the carbon dioxide formed inside the canister.The rocket travels upward with a force that is equal and opposite to the downward forcepropelling the water, gas, and lid (Third Law). The amount of force is directlyproportional to the mass of water and gas expelled from the canister and how fast itaccelerates (Second Law).

Launching your rockets safely

Choose a platform that is outside or in a room with a high ceiling.Make sure everyone stands back from the launch platform.Put paper towels down on the launch platform to absorb the water.

Procedure

1. Put on your eye protection.2. Turn the rocket upside down and fill the canister 1/3 full of water (or less).3. Quickly drop in 1/2 of the antacid tablet.4. Snap lid on tight.5. Stand rocket on launch platform.6. Stand back.7. Count backward from 10! (It may go off sooner.)

Follow-Up Questions

How you could improve the design of your rocket?How does the size and weight of the rocket affect how fast and far it will fly?What geometric shapes are present in a rocket?How does the amount of the tablet influence the height of the rocket?What experiments could you do with these rockets? (i.e. hold an altitude contest,graph the results, etc.)

Recommended Videos

NASA (CORE) Catalog: http://core.nasa.gov To order by e-mail: nasaco@leeca.esu.k12.oh.us

The Flight of Apollo 11 (The Eagle has Landed)$16.00, Grades 7-12, 30 minutes, 1969

Apollo 13-Houston We’ve Got a Problem$16.00, Grades 7-adult, 28 minutes, 1970

The Dream is Alive$30.00, Grades 4-adult, 37 minutes, 1985

The Blue Planet$30.00, Grades 4-adult, 42 minutes, 1990

Destiny in Space

Books you can borrow from your library

Non-fiction

Baird, Anne and Koropp, Robert. Space Camp: The Great Adventure for NASAHopefuls. Morrow Junior Books, 1992.

Baird, Anne, Graham, David and Aldrin, Buzz. The U.S. Space Camp Book of Rockets.William Morrow, 1994.

Bean, Alan. My Life as an Astronaut. 1988.

Bondar, Barbara and Bondar, Roberta. On the Shuttle: Eight Days in Space. Owl, 1993.

Campbell, Peter A. Launch Day. Milbrook Press, 1995.

Cole, Michael D. Apollo 11: First Moon Landing. Countdown to Space series. Enslow,1995.

Cole, Michael D. Apollo 13: Space Emergency. Countdown to Space series. Enslow,1995.

Emury, Barbara and Crouch, Tom. The Dream is Alive: A Flight of Discovery Aboardthe Space Shuttle. Harper & Row, 1990.

Graham, Ian and Stewart, Roger. Spacecraft. Raintree, 1995.

Green, Jen, Bergin, Mark and MacDonald, Fiona. Race to the Moon: The Story ofApollo 11. Expedition. Franklin Watts, 1998.

Jay, Michael. Space Shuttle. Franklin Watts, 1984.

Joels, Kerry. The Space Shuttle Operator’s Manual. Ballentine Books, 1982.

Mullane, R. Mike. Do Your Ears Pop in Space?: And 500 Other Surprising QuestionsAbout Space Travel. Wiley and Sons, 1997.

Ride, Sally and Okie, Susan. To Space and Back. Lothrop, Lee and Sheperd, 1986.

Fiction

Bradbury, Ray. R is for Rocket. Short story collection.

Getz, David. Floating Home. Henry Holt, 1997.

Verne, Jules. From the Earth to the Moon, and A Trip Around It.

Good Rocket Related Internet Sites:

The History of Rocketryhttp://www.thespaceplace.com/history/rocket2.html

Space Shuttlehttp://shuttle.nasa.govhttp://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/ssa/docs/Space.Shuttle/index.shtmlhttp://www.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/public/shuttle.html

NASA Home Pagehttp://www.nasa.gov

The Apollo Moon Missionshttp://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/apollo.html

Model Rocketryhttp://www.service.com/estes/estes.html

Science Fiction Spacecrafthttp://tommy.jsc.nasa.gov/~woodfill/SPACEED/SEHHTML/scifi.html

Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-108 February 1996

Lid

2

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Overlap this edge to form cone

Cone Pattern

Tape

Cones can beany size!

Tape fins toyour rocket.

Roll a cone of paper andtape it to the rocket'supper end.

3-2-1 POP!

Wrap and tapea tube ofpaper aroundthe filmcanister. Thelid end of thecanister goesdown!

Ready forflight

51

Rockets: A Teacher's Guide with Activities in Science, Mathematics, and Technology EG-108 February 1996

ROCKETEER NAMES

COUNTDOWN:

1. Put on your eye protection.2. Turn the rocket upside down

and fill the canister one-thirdfull of water.

Work quickly on the next steps!

3. Drop in 1/2 tablet.4. Snap lid on tight.5. Stand rocket on launch

platform.6. Stand back.

LIFTOFF!

What three ways can you improveyour rocket?

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Rocket Pattern

Slits

LET'S DO LAUNCH!Launch your own rocket and test Newton's Laws of Motion. Follow the directions below and then BLAST OFF! Afteryou've launched a few times, answer the following question: What was the unbalanced force that changed your rocketfrom a state of rest to a state of motion?

Materials

Paper PencilScissors Drinking strawCellophane tape

Procedure

Cut out the rocket pattern below. Roll the rectangular body pattern tightly around a pencil and tape the seam. Removethis new cylinder from the pencil.

Following the pattern, cut slits into the top end of the cylinder: Twist the part of the cone that you cut the slits in tomake a cone shape.

Slide the cone end onto the pencil tip. Squeeze and tape it together to seal the end and form a nose cone.

Remove the cylinder from the pencil and gently blow into the open end to check for leaks. If air easily escapes, usemore tape to seal the leaks.

Cut out and fold two sets of fins using the pattern below. Tape the fins near the open end of the cylinder.

Slip the straw into the opening. Point the rocket in a safe direction and blow!