Just to give you an idea of what goes on at STARBASE in the AEROBASE program, the students seem to love this experiment. Their teacher, Matt Stakes, (call sign “Neptune”) explains it this way: “Students create and launch a straw rocket that contains a straw, a nose cone made of modeling clay, and paper fins. For the hypothesis, students are testing how the length of a rocket affects its range of flight. Students do this test with a short (10cm) and long (20cm) rocket. Each group also gets a different fin design. After the launch, we also review the data to determine how the fins affected the flight. The experiment ties into Newton’s three laws of motion which is a theme in AEROBASE.”
Everything about the experiment is engaging, from the hands-on learning to the dedicated teachers like Matthew.
Students will create and launch a straw rocket that contains the following materials: a straw, a nose cone made of modeling clay, and paper fins.
Hypothesis: Students are testing how the length of a rocket affects its range of flight. Students do this test with a short (10cm) and long (20cm) rocket. Each group also gets a different fin design. After the launch we also review the data to determine how the fins affected the flight. The experiment ties into Newton’s three laws of motion which is a theme in AEROBASE.
