Space Week 2015

OUR MISSION:

To launch a rocket a day during space week!

Day 1: Straw rockets

and 

More straw rockets

Day 2: Balloon rockets

Day 3: Foam rockets

Day 4: Air rockets and water rockets

Day 5: Fizzy rockets

A few weeks later:

Toilet roll rockets

Day 5: Fizzy rockets

Today we launched fizzy rockets using fizzy tablets and water.

The tablets dissolved in the water, causing a reaction that made carbon dioxide gas.

This gas built up in the canister, causing pressure in the canister.

The pressure eventually caused the lid canister rocket to explode.

It was very exciting.

Everyone in the class had a turn at launching the rocket after the initial demonstration time.

It was a really exciting time for us.

Here are all the rockets we launched this week:

We also saw a wonderful video about Paxi (the European Space Agency mascot) exploring the solar system.

Have a look, it is really interesting:

Day 4: The big rockets (air and water)

We could do with a little more air pressure!

Ah, that's better!

Filling the water rocket exactly one third full.

Day 3: Foam rockets

Day 3: We made foam rockets in class.
We used cylinders of foam for the main body of the rockets.
We used two triangles (which were originally one square) to make the fins.
The fins slotted together to make sturdy fins. 

We really enjoyed releasing the rockets outside.

These rockets work because when you pull back the elastic band, you store energy in the elastic band.

When you release the elastic band the force is enough to make the rocket fly.

Some of us are extremely good at launching our rockets!

Day 2 of our mission: Balloon rockets

Day 2 of our Space Week mission 

(to launch a rocket each day during science week).

Yesterday we launched straw (air) rockets.

Today we tried the balloon rockets.

First of all we tried to fly a rocket balloon straight to teacher.

This was impossible for us to do!

We had to think of ways in which we might be able to get the rocket to fly straight.

We noticed that the air coming out the back of the rocket pushes the rocket in the opposite direction.

One boy had a marvellous suggestion.

He thought that if you tied the rocket to a straight bottle then the rocket would probably fly straight.

We all thought this was a good idea!

Unfortunately, the rocket just fell to the floor (we think this is because the bottle was too heavy to allow the rocket to fly with it attached).

So next there was another wonderful suggestion.

We could use a string zip line and attach the rocket on to the string line.

We could use more thread to tie the rocket to the string, and then the rocket might fly straight.

This was a great idea, and it worked well at the start.

When the rocket lost some air, the balloon shrank and the rocket then escaped and flew where it wanted to.

In the end we used a straw on the zip line which we attached to the rocket.

This was the best suggestion of all and the rocket flew perfectly.

Now we had more questions:

What would happen if we tried this outside? (we will try this another day)

What would happen if we used two balloons? (we will, during our open day)

Could the rocket travel uphill if we held the two ends at different levels?

We tried this. Have a look at what happened!

Teacher at the European Space Agency

Teacher is just back from her trip to the European Space Agency (at ESERO in Noordwikj).

She learned SO many things about space and satellites.

We will have fun hearing about some of the cool space things that she learned.

...

Here are two videos about the International Space Station that teacher thinks are very cool:

Teacher made certificates for Owliver and Sé because they took part so well in the teacher's conference too.