DiGennaro Family

If you want to make rockets, you can go to a store and pick up a little cardboard tube with a plastic cap, and a little parachute for not much. Then you get some other tubes filled with propellent, and light them, and watch the entire kit fly up into the air, pop out a parachute, and drift back to earth, getting caught in a tree. No big deal, that cardboard tube didn’t cost much—it really is the engine (now used up) that was pricey. Another way, is to make your own.

Here is a website that tells how to make rocket fuel out of common household products:
http://www.jamesyawn.com/rcandy/index.htm
It shows how safe and easy it is, but has a page of warnings that are a must-read:
http://www.jamesyawn.com/rcandy/safety.htm

Now, you are going to need some pointers on how to construct a rocket, and how to make the engine. This will take practice, calculation, and careful planning, but some previous experience from other people can really help things along:
http://www.inverseengineering.com/Pages/2006/1230/1230%20Static.html

And, should you wonder why you are adding water, and the cooking it out again, here is some information about the dangers of trying to do this by melting the mixture:
http://yarchive.net/explosives/rocket/caramel_haz.html

Maybe you too think making rockets could be fun! You are right, but you have to realize that while rocketry is pretty safe, there are some precautions that need to be taken because things do go wrong. Isaac found that out for us, but he seems to be recovering quite well.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 12th, 2007 at 3:57 pm and is filed under Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.