Slide the balloon-straw assembly to the middle of the fishing line span.Inflate a balloon and keep it tightly closed using fingers, a clothespin or a binder clip while carefully taping the balloon to the straw.Pull the chairs apart to stretch the line tightly. Thread the fishing line through the straw, then attach each end of the line to the back of two classroom chairs.Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image Students, just like the astronauts in space and scientists on Earth, will conduct an experiment to gather information. Explain to them that they will be conducting a simple demonstration or science experiment to show how a rocket lifts off the launch pad. Ask students if they know how a rocket works.Note where the engines are and where the flames or fire comes out. Note the direction that the rocket moves. Show students a video of a rocket launch.Launch of the GRACE-FO spacecraft on May 22, 2018. In this activity, the rocket is a balloon propelled by air. The rocket lifts off the launch pad in the opposite direction. The rocket pushes the propellant out, and the propellant then pushes the rocket.
When a rocket expels fuel or propellant out of its engine, the rocket moves in the opposite direction. This law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Long before the development of modern rockets, Sir Isaac Newton described the principles of rocket science in three laws of motion.Ī simplified explanation of his third law of motion helps young students understand how rockets work. NASA rockets are powered by burning solid, liquid or gas rocket fuel. NASA uses rockets to launch satellites and probes into space. Prior to class, cut out (and color, if desired) the rocket figure.Set up the experiment in an area where students can all gather around and see clearly but stand back far enough to not interfere with the balloon travel.Journal or sheet of paper (1 per student) MaterialsĦ-8 meters of nylon monofilament fishing line (any size) Students will predict the motion of a rocket, perform an experiment to verify and repeat the experiment to validate the results. OverviewStudents perform a simple science experiment to learn how a rocket works and demonstrate Newton’s third law of motion.