Rocket Launch

This morning/afternoon my daughter and I had an awesome time building a rocket and launching it a few times.  Model rockets are an excellent way to introduce kids to space science.  There are several companies that sell model rockets at the beginner level, so even if you have no prior experience, it's still easy to do.  My daughter has been waiting for this moment for weeks.  I told her last night we were going to build one the next day and this morning she wouldn't stop talking about it.

I purchased a beginner's rocket from Estes Rockets.  I bought the Tandem-X kit which includes two rockets and a launch pad + controller.  The kit had almost everything we needed.  I also had to purchase a package of wadding to help protect the parachute from burning during launch.  I learned the hard way today that there are few other materials needed.  Five minutes after opening the box we had to head to the local Hobby Lobby for a few supplies.  Wood glue, plastic cement, and an small razor knife were needed.  Once we had those supplies it was easy.  Simply follow the instructions and you can't go wrong.  Once build the rocket looked like this.

We launched it four times today.  We started with a beginner engine.  Although this launch was not nearly as cool as one with a more powerful engine, I'd recommend this route if you haven't launched a rocket before.  It will give you an idea of how the rocket launches and how wind effects its fall.  Afterall, you don't want to go running into a nearby cornfield to retrieve the rocket.  For the second launch we used a middle level engine, and for the third and fourth launches we used the most powerful I could buy in the store (and rated for the rocket).  Here's a video of our launch using a medium level engine.

And here's the video from one of our launches using the more powerful engine.

As I already mentioned, rocket launching is a fun activity for both you and your child.  Start with a beginner kit and make sure to launch from a wide open area such as a soccer field, football field, etc.  Obviously be considerate and make sure others aren't using part of the field.  There's a decent chance that on landing your rocket will travel quite far.

My daughter had a blast and she's already looking forward to building the second rocket.  After the first launch I let her be the one to push the launch button.  She was thrilled to do it each time and even commented later that she pushed the button more than I did!  Our second rocket should be even more exciting.  It has a rated launch height of 1150 feet compared to the rated launch height of 600 feet for today's rocket!