Hello everybody, this is my entry for the Pocket-Sized Contest, please rate and subscribe! The 5 Minute Pocket Rocket, which is very easy to build and will give guaranteed maximum fun. It is built of household items and will take abut 5 minutes to make. It will fly HIGH up in the air, and then land on the ground, completely safe! You can name it whatever you want but I called mine THE HORNET! It is designed to be easily transported so you can fire it virtually wherever you want (except space)!

Step 1: Gathering Materials

The items needed are very easy to get, you probably already have them lying around your house!

Tools
1. Pliers
2. Scissors

Supplies
1. Thin Card
2. Electrical Tape
3. A Pen
4. Glue

Step 2: Building the Rocket

It took 2 billion dollars and years to design and build the space shuttle. This rocket will take about 5 minutes to make and will cost nothing provided you have all the parts, so pretty good so far!

1. Use the pliers to remove the black plastic tip of the pen and take the ink barrel out and discard.

Now that was easy!

Step 3: Stabilization

As you can see in the photos of the rocket you need to add stabilizing fins so the rocket will shoot up in the air, and not spiral out of control and come crashing back to earth. You can add a cool looking nose cone to spice things up!

For The Stabilizing Fins

1. Cut 6 triangles out of the card for the fins, you can download the templates and print it off on card and cut it out.
2. Stick the triangles to each side of the pen about 1cm from the bottom of the rocket.
3. Wait until the glue has fully dried (preferably overnight) before firing the rocket off.
Optional: You can create a wired and wonderful design on the fins to make it look cool!

For The Nose Cone

1. Cut a circle out of paper and make a slit to the middle of the circle.
2. Pull the corners of the circle together to make a nose cone shape.
3. Glue the sides together so the nose cone stays in place.
Optional: As above let your imagination run wild and create a great design for the nose cone.

Step 4: Rocket Fuel

Right, the stuff you'll need to send this rocket sky high!

1. Vinegar
2. Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda)

Thats It

Step 5: Lighting the Candle

Right time to send this rocket sky high, you will have to experiment to find the best ratios of Sodium Bicarbonate and Vinegar. I used a medical syringe (without the needle of course) to inject the vinegar as it is quicker and provides the most accurate measurement.

1. Put a small amount of Sodium Bicarbonate in the pen (experiment to see what ratios work best).
2. Push the pen nib onto the body of the pen (this is the exhaust nozzle).
3. Inject a small amount of vinegar into the exhaust nozzle with the syringe and then quickly place the rocket on a flat surface and retreat to a safe distance and watch your rocket fly!

Step 6: Safety

This project was designed with safety foremost in mind. This is a very safe project but the rocket does have a pointy end so don't be stupid and fire this rocket at anything except the sky. As long as you exercise caution and common sence then the possibility of danger is left to a minimum.
NOTE: I can't accept any liability for damage to people or property. The aim of this project is to have fun, so don't be silly and do anything stupid.

Step 7: The Science Bit

This project illustrates Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion. The black plastic nib will act as an exhaust nozzle so when the chemical reaction takes place between the Sodium Bicarbinate and the Vinegar it will force the mixture out of the small hole in a controlled direction thus proplelling the rocket upwards. Newton's third law explains why, any action has an equal and opposite reaction. In your rocket if the mixture of Sodium Bicarbinate and Vinegar is exerting a downward force, the equal and opposite reaction will cause the rocket to take off.