About
this Activity This
activity will demonstrate some of the basic principles behind rocketry.
You'll build a simple "rocket" with ordinary household materials.
The
Saturn V rocket which helped send the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Blast off occurred on July 16th, 1969. Image courtesy of the Apollo
11 30th Anniversary Web Page.
What
You'll Need
1 -
ball of string at least 30 feet (9 meters) long
1 - plastic soda straw
1 - roll of masking tape
1 - pair of scissors
Several balloons
1 - measuring tape
1 - ball-point pen
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Us Know
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What to Do
Thread
one end of the string through the drinking straw.
Attach
it to something stable, like a curtain rod or a heavy piece of furniture.
Be careful that no one trips over the string.
Have
someone inflate a balloon and hold the air inside without tying it.
While
someone holds the other end of the string taut, attach the balloon
to the straw with the masking tape.
Release
the air from the balloon.
Measure
and record the distance it moves.
What's Going On This
simple activity demonstrates how rockets work. They carry containers
filled with substances that, when ignited, produce gases. These
gases escape through vents in the rear of the rocket. The gases
going backward drive the rocket forward. This force demonstrates
the principle of reaction. You can also try this experiment outdoors
using a much longer piece of string.
This
activity was derived from
"Finding the Size of the Sun and the Moon": from Living and Learning
in the Space Age, by Jeff Crelinsten. Copyright 1988.
