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Description

Reach for the stars in this space race involving acid-base reaction rockets!
From the Scout Association :: https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/reaction-rockets/

Resources

Clean, empty plastic bottles (two litres)
Paper drinking straws
Sticky tape
Big pieces of card
Pens or pencils
Clean items of recycling
Corks
White vinegar
Bicarbonate of soda
Funnels
Paper towels
Tablespoons

Instructions

Before you begin
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Find an outdoor spot suitable for launching bottle rockets. This activity may be best suited to a countryside or camp setting.

Before the session, encourage everyone to bring along with them any used 2l, 1l or 500ml plastic bottles. These should be rinsed out. They should also bring materials that they would use to design and build a bottle rocket. This might include sweet wrappers, cereal boxes or used packaging.

If using 1l or 500ml bottles, reduce the amount of ingredients used accordingly. These instructions will be written for 2l bottles.

Build your rocket
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Everyone should get into small groups. Give each group a bottle, tape and three straws.

The straws should be taped to the top of the bottle, so they act like a stand for the upside-down bottle.

Wrap tape around the bottle to secure them in place, without bending the straws.

Everyone should get some cardboard and use a pencil to draw four rocket fins and cut them out with scissors. Stick these to the sides of the bottle with tape. [Each group should think carefully about the shape of their fins and how they’ll affect the flight of their rocket. Examples can be found online if anyone needs extra help.]

Groups should then use the remaining cardboard to make a cone to go on the tip of their rocket (the bottom of the bottle). Secure this to the bottle with more tape.

Give each group a cork to fit the neck of their bottle. The cork needs to fit securely, so pressure can build up inside the bottle, but not so tight that it won’t be forced out to launch the rocket. They can use some tape to wrap around the cork to make it fit more securely if they need.

Rocket launch
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Head outside to the launch site. Each group needs to take bicarbonate of soda, paper towels and vinegar with them. [Your launch site needs to be clear of walls, fences and windows, with lots of open space so everyone can keep their distance. Look out for public footpaths, trees and overhead wires – these should all be avoided!]

Each group should pour a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda into a paper towel. Roll up the towel into a sausage shape, making sure the powder doesn’t spill out. The sausage needs to be skinny enough to fit into the bottle through the neck.

Each group needs to fill their bottle halfway with white vinegar. Then, quickly, stuff the parcel of bicarbonate of soda into the bottle, replace the cork securely and turn the bottle upside-down. Stand it on the straws and step back at least two metres. The cork should shoot out and the bottle should fly into the air. [It’s a good idea to do a practice run of this step. Cork the bottle, turn it over and stand it up without the bicarbonate of soda added. Allow everyone to get used to this before they do it for real. The paper towel acts as a time release, so that there’s enough time to step away before the bottle takes off.]

Everyone should come together to discuss their bottle rockets. See if anyone knows why they shot up into the air. [The bicarbonate of soda contains sodium bicarbonate and the vinegar contains acetic acid. When they are mixed, they react together and carbon dioxide forms. The carbon dioxide builds up inside the corked bottle and the pressure forces the cork out and causes the rocket to fly!]

Have each group retrieve their rocket and change one feature about the design. This might be the shape of the nose cone, the shape or position of the fins or the size of bottle they use. Then, they should launch the new rocket. See if anyone’s rocket flew further or was more stable in the air this time around. [If changing the amount of vinegar or bicarbonate of soda used, this should be done with care. Don’t use too much bicarbonate of soda!]

Once everyone has completed the experiment, dismantle the rockets, wash out the bottles and recycle the materials used.

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Badge Links

• Astronautics - Launch
• Creative - Construction
• Experiment - Experiment
• Scientist - Experiment
• Scientist - Rocket