Learn about space travel and the laws of physics by building your own model rocket or spacecraft!
Build Your Own Model Rocket
Building your own model rocket can be as simple or as difficult as you want it to be. You can build your own rocket fairly easily using a few basic supplies from your house or build a more sophisticated rocket by putting together a model rocket ship from a hobby store. Buying a kit from a hobby store can cost a lot more money, but your rocket will also travel a lot higher and go way faster.
- To build your own model rocket using a bottle, a balloon and some seltzer tablets
- For directions on how to build a bottle rocket powered by water.
- Whatever rocket you decide to build, always test them outside! A rocket fired into a light fixture or ceiling fan almost always causes problems with the 'rents.
Flight Test Lab Spacecraft
If you'd like to learn more about space travel, how rockets work and how to build your own rocket, check out the book Flight Test Lab: Spacecraft from Silver Dolphin Books. This book gives you the basics on how rockets make it into space and comes with a model rocket that you can put together yourself to lauch four different spacecraft. The model rocket is a bit cheap but it can launch about 70 feet in the air, so make sure you try it outside.
Model Rockets - Competitions
So you think you've built the ultimate model rocket that would impress even the best scientists at NASA? Well, why not enter a model rocket competition. There are more than one-hundred model rocket clubs across the United States, which hold dozens of different contests and events each year. For more info on model rocket clubs and competitions, head to www.nar.org.
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