February 13, 2025

Freaky forces – rocket science with Jason Sercombe

10 minutes

It’s time to lift off with five fascinating fast facts about rockets, a quick look at some famous rocket launches, an interview with Jason Sercombe, a scientist who knows a lot about building and launching model rockets, and an easy-to-make rocket for you to launch yourself at home.

Written, presented, and produced by Jenny Lynch.

Music by Purple Planet Music. Sound effects by Pixabay.

https://www.creativescience.com.au

Episode content:

00:00 Introduction and fast facts

04:42 Building and launching model rockets

08:42 Straw rocket activity

You will need: a sheet of paper, a drinking straw, scissors, and sticky tape

Use the sheet of paper to make a tube that fits over the drinking straw. Place the straw along one side of the paper and cut a rectangle of paper that is about 3 centimetres shorter than the straw and can wrap around the straw. Wrap the rectangle around the straw to form the tube and use sticky tape to hold the tube together. Make sure the tube can slide easily over the straw to ensure a smooth rocket launch.

Take the rocket tube off the straw and twist the paper at one end to seal off the end of the rocket. This end is the nose cone.

Look at some pictures of rockets and use the paper and scissors to make 3 or 4 fins for the paper rocket. Use sticky tape to attach the fins to one end of the rocket: the end that is closest to the open end of the rocket.

Slide the rocket onto the paper straw, aim it at an open space, away from other people, and blow quickly into the straw to launch the rocket. Experiment with holding the straw at different angles and blowing harder into the straw to get the maximum flight time. You can also try making different fin designs.

...more