Rocket's Rocket Launch
Are you ready to become a Guardian of the Galaxy? Hang out with the space adventurers as you push off into the stars and travel to distant planets!
Materials
Alka-seltzer tablet
Water
Scissors
Index card or Construction Paper
Tape
Drawing supplies
GIF image copyright: Marvel’s Avengers Endgame
Procedure
Step 1
Gather your materials.
Step 2
Use your art supplies to decorate the index card or construction paper. This will be the outside of the rocket so let your imagination soar!
Step 3
Wrap and tape the index card or construction around the film canister so that it covers the outside. Cut off the extra paper.
Step 4
Tape your design onto the canister and make sure it is secure so that it will not come off during the launch. Remember, the cap of the canister will end up as the bottom of the rocket.
Step 5
Fill up your film canister ⅓ full with water.
Step 6
Break the alka seltzer tablet into four equal pieces.
Step 7
Drop one piece of the tablet into the film canister and quickly close the lid. Give the canister a small shake and place it on the floor upside down. The cap of the canister should be touching the floor.
Step 8
Step back until you are a few feet away from the canister and watch as it launches into the air! Be careful, it will go very high! This may take a few seconds, so be patient.
Science Explanation
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade . . .
- K-PS2-1
- Have you ever eaten pop rocks? Well if you have, you would know that when you put them in your mouth, they jump around and make your mouth tingle. Do you know why this happens? This is because there is carbon dioxide (what you breathe out when you exhale) hidden inside the rocks. When the rocks are put into your mouth and touch your spit, the candy melts and carbon dioxide is released. This is why the rocks jump around!
- The rocket works in the same way. The pop rocks are like the alka seltzer tablets and your spit is like the water in your rocket! When the tablet touches the water, carbon dioxide gas is released. Gas loves to move around freely and hates being trapped in things. Since we closed the cap super tight on the canister, the gas can not get out and just keeps on building inside the canister until it explodes and launches into the air!
- Once the rocket is safely back on the ground, go look at your rocket and if anything is left inside of it. What do you notice? You may see some bubbles left inside. This is carbon dioxide that was not let out of the canister during the launch.
- Is the rocket being pushed or pulled off of the ground?
3rd Grade - 5th Grade . . .
- In the alka seltzer tablet, there are two main ingredients: citric acid and sodium bicarbonate. When these two ingredients mix with water, they produce carbon dioxide (CO2) which is a gas. The mixing of two or more substances (a fancy word for ingredients!) to form a new substance is called a chemical reaction.
- Even though gases are invisible to the human eye because their particles are so small and spread apart, they are very powerful and can move solid objects such as the film canister.
- When the tablet and water mix inside of the canister and create large amounts of carbon dioxide gas, the gas has nowhere to go because the canister is closed. Since gas particles like to be far apart from each other, this increases the pressure in the canister. Pressure, in this case, is how hard the gas is pushing against the inside of the canister. When there is too much pressure, the cap of the canister pops off and all of the gas is released. Since the cap is facing the floor, the gas will exit near the floor and will push against it, launching the rocket into the air. 5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-4
- Even though water is a liquid and the alka seltzer tablet is a solid, when they mix together they create a gas (carbon dioxide). The water, tablet, and carbon dioxide are all made up of tiny particles that can be close together or far apart. Between water, the tablet, and carbon dioxide gas, which one do you think has particles that are the closest together? What about particles that are the farthest apart? (answer: the tablet has particles that are close together because they are more attracted to one another, and the gas has particles that are far apart because they like to move around freely).
- How long did the rocket take until it launched? Do you think it will take more or less time if we add two pieces of the alka-seltzer tablets instead of one? What about if we had less water? (answer: less time with two pieces of alka seltzer tablets, more time if there is less water)
- Try using other liquids instead of water! You can try using different types of juices, sodas, and other drinks. Did the liquids cause the rocket to launch? Did some liquids cause the rocket to launch faster?
Math Extensions
Kindergarten . . .
What shape is the film canister? Is it three dimensional or two dimensional? CCSS.Math.Content.K.G.A.3
2nd Grade . . .
How high do you think your rocket went? Estimate the height in feet or meters. CCSS.Math.Content.2.MD.A.3
6th - 8th Grade . . .
Use a ruler to measure the film canister. What is the volume of the film canister? If water takes up ⅓ of the canister, what is the volume of the water? CCSS.Math.Content.8.G.C.9
Written by Allyson Liu Inspired by Steve Spangler Science