Why yes, rocket science is exactly what the Explorers undertook at the end of February 2009.
Using long hard tubes made from PVC pipe, the club members formed rocket bodies from sheets of magazine paper. They wrapped the magazine sheets tightly around the pipes, then taped the resulting seam completely before sliding the paper off of the pipes.
Next, the Explorers made fins for their rockets by tracing patterns onto poster board. Cutting these out, they attached the fins to the bottom of the rocket body with glue. Without these fins, their rockets would tumble aimlessly out of control. The fins help to stabilize the rockets during flight through the air by keeping the craft moving straight and level.
While waiting for the fins to dry, the club members sealed off the top of their rockets with layers of scotch tape, testing the seal by blowing into the bottom end until they could feel no air escaping. Finally, they each wadded up some cellophane food wrap into a tight, small ball, and secured this firmly to the top of the rocket. This provides a soft cushion to protect both the rocket and the rocketeer when the craft comes back to Earth. (And no, the cellophane does not have a negative impact on the rockets' performance--at speeds faster than sound a pointed tip will give the best performance for a rocket, but at subsonic speeds a blunt tip actually does better.)
At this point, our rockets were ready to fly--but unfortunately, our meeting time had come to an end. Building a launcher for the rockets (which will use the simplest propulsion method possible, air power) would have to wait for the next meeting. Check back soon to see if our rockets blast off or fizzle on the launch pad!
Click on "Gallery" below to see some images from our rocket-building activity.
