We Have Liftoff
Building on an introduction to statics, dynamics free-body diagrams, combustion and thermodynamics provided by the associated lesson, students design, construct and test their own rocket engines using sugar and potassium nitrate—an opportunity to apply their knowledge of stoichiometry. This activity helps students understand that the energy required to launch a rocket comes from the chemical energy stored in the rocket fuel. The performance of each engine is tested during a rocket launch, after which students determine the reasons for the success or failure of their rockets.
A rocket launch.Copyright NASA http://pixabay.com/en/rocket-launch-rocket-take-off-nasa-67649/
Engineers apply their understanding of science and math concepts to successfully design and launch rockets into space. Many factors figure into rocket design, including body shape, materials, weight, and fuel type and amount. Additionally, engineers are challenged to design a system based on theoretical measurements, test the design, analyze the test results and then modify the design until the system functions as intended. In this activity, students experience this process as they create and test their own rocket engines.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe the steps of the engineering design process for creating any system or device.
- Build a rocket engine prototype.
- Determine the strengths and weaknesses of a design based on the success or failure of a rocket launch.