Table of Contents. Career Overview... 4

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1 Table of Contents Career Overview Basic Lesson Plans Activity 1 Design a Straw Rocket I Activity 2 Design a Straw Rocket II...11 Activity 3 Air-Powered Rockets Challenge 1 How High Can You Go? Activity Challenge 2 Water Rocket Target Practice Activity 5 Solid-Fuel Rockets Challenge 3 Solid-Fuel Rocket Challenge Standards Addressed...56 Puzzle(s) Glossary Assessment Links of Interest

2 Teacher Procedure Objective Students try to engineer a water rocket that will fly higher than their classmates rockets. Background It has been said that the most positive aspect of utilizing design technology projects is that students and teachers begin to look at problems and issues from multiple points of view and in a variety of contexts. One problem may even create another problem, and there are usually several different solutions to each problem. Students also learn that design technology, or engineering design, is an endless process of solving problems. In solving any problem, people take the same steps as the ones students will take in their design technology experiences: Clearly stating the problem Collecting information Developing possible solutions Selecting the best solution Implementing the solution Evaluating the solution Making the needed changes and improving the solution Communicating their findings The action of solving problems opens up the creative process for students and enhances their engagement in classroom learning. Reports indicate that when students are building and creating in the classroom, the engagement level is consistently intense. It does not allow a student to simply sit back and wait to be told what to do it instead requires the student to create, test, and evaluate for themselves. This in turn leads to genuine decision making, which should be an integral part of the entire curriculum. 25 The goal of problem solving is to teach students to use the scientific process no matter what problems they encounter. Procedure Challenge students to engineer a water rocket that will fly higher than their classmates rockets. To complete this activity, students need to test the differences in fuel pressure, fuel volume, and fin shape. Engineering is problem solving, so this activity works as an open-ended challenge. You can give explicit instructions so the students complete the activity in two or three days or this activity can last a week or more. Allow experimentation and insist on documentation. Award prizes to the team that has the highest flying rocket and best design process documentation. If time is short, you may also want to divide the class into three groups and have each group test a different variable. 1Have students construct a water rocket according to the kit s instructions. 2Have students locate their engineering journal or notebook and data sheets and write their fuel pressure, fuel volume, and fin shape hypotheses. 3Instruct students to perform this activity by choosing which variables will be held constant and which one will be modified to test the apogee. Be sure students understand they must test one variable at a time.

3 Teacher Procedure 4Have students enter in their journal, under the hypothesis, the theory behind each hypothesis so they can remember why they designed their rocket that way. They need to leave room for test results. Fuel Pressure Testing Fuel Volume Testing 1Have students test fuel volume by choosing a fuel pressure, holding it constant, and testing different amounts of water in the rocket. They should test the fuel volumes of 100 ml, 125 ml, 150 ml, and 175 ml. 1Have students test fuel pressure by measuring a predetermined amount of water, such as 100 or 200 milliliters (ml), in a graduated cylinder and putting it in the rocket. Measuring one cup of water with a standard measuring cup will also work. 2Instruct the students to attach the rocket to the launcher and pump up the pressure to 25 psi and launch the rocket. 3Have students use an altimeter to find the apogee of the rocket s flight. This may take practice, and students should be given time to try it out before recording official launch data. 4Have students repeat the exercise and record their data as they change the pressure to 45 psi, 65 psi, and 85 psi. Caution: Never allow the students to place more than 90 psi in the rocket. 2Have students use an altimeter to find the apogee of the rocket s flight. 3Have students record their data for each fuel volume on the Water Rocket Data Sheet. Fin Shape Testing 1Have students test the fin shapes effect on their rocket s flight. This portion of the activity takes the longest and can be omitted for brevity or done over a period of several days. 2Have students consider what different fin shapes are possible. Then, they should apply aerodynamic principles to draw or design a fin shape that helps the rocket reach the highest possible apogee under a constant pressure and fuel volume. 26 3Instruct students to draw their shapes, cut them out, glue them to the bottle (using the same procedures as before), and test their designs.

4 Teacher Procedure 4Have students use an altimeter to find the apogee of the rocket s flight. Have students repeat the exercise with different shapes and record their data as they change the shape. Conclusion 1Based on their data, have students determine what pressure, volume, and fin shape will give the highest apogee. Instruct them to build a new rocket based on these decisions. 2Students will test their rockets and record the results. Safety Before beginning construction, students should make sure the bottles are safe for launch. To do this, insert the pressure plug of the launcher into the mouth of the bottle. If the plug does not fit, do not use the bottle. Assembly of the rockets requires the use of a cool-melt glue gun. Students should receive safety instructions on the proper handling and use of this piece of equipment. Below are the safety guidelines. Identifying which parts of the glue gun to avoid touching. Where to place the glue gun when not in use. How to properly load glue slugs into the glue gun. 27 Instructions on allowing the glue gun to cool before storing. During the launch, students should be supervised closely to ensure that a proper distance from the launchpad is maintained. Spectators should be at least 25 feet from the launchpad. Make sure students never place their heads or other body parts over a pressurized rocket. Never place more than 90 psi of pressure in the rocket. Tips Before students begin, consider where to store rockets during the construction phase. You might designate an area for each class hour. Students should pressurize the bottle when marking for fin placement and gluing fins in place. Sanding the edges of the fins and the sides of the bottle before gluing helps adhesion. Decorating the transition cone, body tube, bottle, and nose cone is easier to do before assembly. Varying the length of the nose cone assembly can affect flight. You may allow students to create rockets with differing nose cone lengths. Excess glue and poor construction will affect flight. Encourage students to use small amounts of glue and to keep the assembly of the rocket as neat as possible. Excess glue can be sanded lightly. Premature launch of the recovery system will affect flight. Proper construction is the best way to prevent the recovery system from launching before the rocket reaches its apogee.

5 Teacher Procedure Troubleshooting Be sure students are using cool-melt (low-temperature) glue guns to attach the pedestal and fins to the bottle. Hot-melt glue will distress the plastic and could cause the bottle to split when air pressure is applied. Many teachers purchase a class-size set of Pitsco Stratoblaster water rockets (each of which includes an alignment fixture) and keep the fixture for reuse by students in assembling the R2K rocket kits. This fixture helps provide an accurate alignment of the bottle and body tube, providing a straight and more stable rocket. Occasionally, fins will break off the rockets on impact with the ground. Keep a coolmelt glue gun handy so students can repair their rockets for more launches. Be sure to launch on a calm day. Wind will adversely affect the performance of the rockets and can cause the Ping-Pong ball recovery system to not deploy. Lightly sanding the bottle where the fins will be attached provides a rough surface for the glue to grip. If you have a large group of rockets to launch and are pressed for time, purchasing the AquaPort Competitive Stager from Pitsco will allow one student to pre-stage his or her rocket (fill it with water) while another is launching. Using several launchers will make the activity go faster. However, using several launchers may require more adult supervision than one teacher depending on the class. If the hole in the rocket cone s plastic insert is not open, use a pushpin to open the hole for threading. 28

6 Student Procedure Vocabulary altimeter altitude apogee ascent descent design fin flight gravity launch momentum pressure propulsion rocket thrust variable Materials R2K Bottle Rocket or Stratoblaster Kit Altimeter Water 250 ml graduated cylinder Pencil Cool-melt glue gun and slugs Scissors Any other construction materials necessary Graph paper AquaPort Launcher Safety glasses Water Rocket Data Sheet Using an Altimeter resource page Engineering journal or notebook Procedure 1Locate your engineering journal or notebook and Water Rocket Data Sheet. Write your fuel pressure, fuel volume, and fin shape hypotheses. 2Do this activity by choosing which variables will be held constant and which one will be modified to test the apogee. Be sure that you only test one variable at a time. 3In your journal under the hypothesis, write your theory about each hypothesis. Be sure to leave room for test results. Fuel Pressure Testing 1Test the fuel pressure by measuring a predetermined amount of water such as 100 or 200 milliliters (ml) in a graduated cylinder and putting it in the rocket. Measuring a cup of water with a standard measuring cup also works. 2Attach the rocket to the launcher, pump up the pressure to 25 psi, and launch the rocket. 29 3Use an altimeter to find the apogee of the rocket s flight. This may take practice. Try it out a few times before recording data. Refer to the Using an Altimeter resource page for more information.

7 Student Procedure 4Repeat the exercise and record the data as you change the pressure to 45 psi, 65 psi, and 85 psi. Caution: Never place more than 90 psi in the rocket! 4When you are ready to test your shapes, cut them out, cool-melt glue them to the bottle (using the same procedures as before), and test the rocket. Fuel Volume Testing 1Test fuel volume by choosing a fuel pressure, holding it constant, and testing different amounts of water in the rocket. 2Use an altimeter to find the apogee of the rocket s flight. 5Use an altimeter to find the apogee of the rocket s flight. 6Repeat the exercise with at least three different shapes. Record the results on your data sheet. Conclusion 3Repeat the exercise and record the data as you change the fuel volume to 100 ml, 125 ml, 150 ml, and 175 ml. Fin Shape Testing 1Test how the fin shapes affect the rocket s flight. 1Based on your data, determine what pressure, volume, and fin shape will give you maximum apogee. Build a new rocket based on these decisions. 2Test your rocket and record the results on your data sheet. 2Consider the different fin shapes that are possible. Apply aerodynamic principles to design a fin shape that helps the rocket reach the highest possible apogee under a constant pressure and fuel volume. 3Draw your fin shapes on graph paper. 30

8 Student Procedure Using an Altimeter To use an altimeter, pace off 500 feet from the launchpad at a right angle to the wind. Hold the altimeter at arm s length while pointing at the rocket. Pull and hold the trigger. While holding down the trigger, follow the path of the rocket through the sight when it is launched. When the rocket reaches its maximum apogee, release the trigger and read the height indicated on the swing arm. This may take practice and you should try it before recording data. altitude = angle tangent x baseline distance =.58 x 500 = 290 feet 30 angle tangent of 30 degrees =.58 baseline distance = 500' Tips When using the altimeter, be sure to measure the altitude from the distance required by the altimeter used. When the rocket is launched, record the altitude measurement given by the altimeter and the time of flight. If additional altimeters and timers are available, have several classmates stand in different positions along a 150-meter radius around the launcher. Average your measurements, excluding any clearly extraneous measurements to increase the accuracy of the measurements. One of your classmates should be selected to announce when the rocket has reached apogee so that all timers and altitude measurers will take their measurements at the same time. 31

9 Water Rocket Data Sheet Student Procedure How do you think changes in air pressure of the rocket s fuel will affect the rocket s apogee? Why? How do you think changes in water volume will affect the rocket s apogee? Why? How do you think variations in fin shape will affect the rocket s apogee? Why? Record the data from each test using the fuel pressure listed. Test number Amount of water (ml) Amount of pressure (psi) Time in the air (sec) Rocket s apogee (m) What was the pressure that helped your rocket to achieve the highest apogee? Record the data from each test using the fuel volume listed. Test number Amount of water (ml) Amount of pressure (psi) Time in the air (sec) Rocket s apogee (m)

10 Student Procedure Water Rocket Data Sheet continued What was the volume that allowed your rocket to achieve the highest apogee? Record your fin shapes and test results. Test number Fin shape (draw the shape) Motion of rocket in flight (sketch the path) Rocket s apogee (m) What was the shape that helped your rocket to achieve the highest apogee? Based on your data, what pressure, volume, and fin shape will give you maximum apogee? If you were correct, your rocket should have gone higher than any of your previous tests. Were you correct? If not, why? 33

11 Puzzle Aerospace Engineering Word Search E A A E C N A T S I S E R R I A N O S E C O N E T E R L D E S I G N D N O A T M C L F O R C E F L S C T I U O S A D G I L T P C U U F I S A R O O C I E D I D U Y C N O A Y A R A T D I S A S C A I S P D U L A L M A E U M N T E N N V N S A S V S A I A O N F C I S T O A V V H S M E T L T E T O A I I A V N I E L M O S E O S I S R M O N S F I G L U N G A E O C R P S L A D R A U U O A L I M I P T T O R N A N A O M O M I J G A R D M D L R P R A I S S R E R D L G C N E S C T T E E U Y Y E O E T T T I A E T N A I C M O C E N G A N T A I P L A E U C O N C L A T C N R T A O A R O I E S U H R M H D E O T O O Y S P E A A I L U I V O H L A D U U C E I M R T T V U G A I S E A T A I S S A T R S E M M Y E R A T Y A S E N S G A R U S I E A E T E T S K A R S I R T C I E U E C G M T O U D M T H T C I I U O S O I E C M F R I I E I N D N E G G O N A R S A N A A N E I A G F A Y C M N R I I R T B H E D E N A C T I D A O I E D A E T L R E N L T A C L I D B A L L A S T D A Y L D F A A I E T C U U A R M O A P O G E E O T C T T T C S A A S C I M A N Y D O R E A A T M A A I D E S I E R R A F N S P N E U M A T I C S S T M E N A T Y T E D N M G T C S N L A U N C H DESCENT FIN TRAJECTORY FORCE BALLAST MOMENTUM FUSELAGE DRAG PROPULSION MASS APOGEE AIR RESISTANCE FLIGHT LAUNCH THRUST AERODYNAMICS GRAVITY ALTITUDE NOSE CONE PRESSURE ASCENT VELOCITY ALTIMETER DIMENSION PARACHUTE DESIGN CONSTRAINT LIFT PNEUMATICS ROCKET MODIFICATION VARIABLE 72