Rockets are not rocket science – a self-taught journey of Acton Academy students on chemical reactions
Rockets may seem like rocket science to some, but at Acton Academy, we learned that it's not as daunting as it seems. As students at Acton Academy, we have always been fascinated by the science behind rockets and space travel. However, we never imagined that we would have the opportunity to build and launch our own rockets.
But that's exactly what happened when we got introduced us to the concept of chemical reactions and how they can be used to create thrust and propulsion.
At first, we were intimidated by the complexity of rocket science. But as we began to dive deeper into the subject, we realized that it's not as daunting as it seems. In fact, it's quite simple once you understand the basic principles.
We started by learning about the different types of chemical reactions that can be used to power a rocket. The most common type is a solid fuel rocket, which uses a mixture of chemicals that are ignited to create hot gases, which are then expelled through a nozzle to create thrust.
Next, we learned about the importance of mass and velocity in determining the amount of thrust that can be generated. We experimented with different amounts of fuel and different sizes of nozzles to see how they affected the thrust of our rockets.
As we gained more confidence in our understanding of chemical reactions and rocket propulsion, we decided to take on a more ambitious project – building and launching our own rockets.
We began by designing and building a small-scale rocket using a cardboard tube and a few simple materials like paper and glue. Once our rocket was complete, we headed outside to test it out.
To our surprise, our homemade rocket soared into the sky, reaching heights we never could have imagined. It was an incredible feeling to see the fruits of our labor take flight.
Through this self-taught journey, we learned that rocket science is not as daunting as it seems. With a little bit of curiosity and a willingness to learn, anyone can understand the basic principles of chemical reactions and rocket propulsion.
We are grateful for the opportunity to explore and learn about rocket science at Acton Academy, and we can't wait to see what other exciting projects and discoveries await us in the future.