Explorations

Rockets
3 ... 2 ... 1... Blast off!

NASA has announced that it will be returning a manned space flight to the Moon and then on to Mars in the next 15 years.  YOU could be one of the astronauts on these flights! 

In order to make it all the way to Mars, NASA has had to redesign the rockets and spaceships used to get there.  Learn how rockets work, design one of your own and launch it!

The science concepts explored in this unit include:

• Newton's 2nd Law (acceleration = force divided by mass or a =F/m) - Maximize the force and minimize the mass (weight) to get the most acceleration from your rocket.
• Newton's 3rd law (actions and reactions) - In order to launch a rocket upward you will actually push the fuel downward.
• Geometry - Build an inclinometer to measure how high the rockets fly (optional)

Guided Activity
Level 1 - Rockets
Level 2 - Rockets
Build an Inclinometer (optional)

Books
Big Silver Space Shuttle by Ken Wilson-Max
The Best Book of Spaceships by Ian Graham
Roaring Rockets (Amazing Machines) by Tony Mitton
Launch Day by Peter Campbell
Apollo 11:  First Moon Landing by Michael Cole

Movie
October Sky