Operation MKS Rocket

The MKS Bottle Rocket is not only an incredible masterpiece, but loads of fun to make! Once you have followed the detailed steps explained here, you will have your own MKS Bottle Rocket.   

Step 1: Drink Up Those Bottles! You're Going to Need Them.

First, find a 2 liter bottle. Empty the components inside and clean the bottle. PLEASE, i repeat, PLEASE make sure the the neck of the bottle will fit your launcher! If it does not fit i promise you it will NOT work. 

Step 2: Get Out the Scissors! Be Careful!

Find another 2 liter bottle, clean it, and cut it half. Then cut 1/3 of the upper half of the bottle so that the neck is completely gone. AS SHOWN BELOW vvv

Step 3: Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire!

After cutting 1/2 inch high, 1 inch apart fringes at the bottom of the bottle. Give the bottle to your teacher. The teacher will burn the bottom of the bottle to make it circular. The circular bottom will make the bottle shoot up faster. It will go from a bumpy bottle to a bottle as smooth as a baby! 

Step 4: Kirsten Got Burned During This One!

After making sure that the top of the bottle is smooth, put the two other bottle cuttings on by a hot glue gun. You must attach the bottles together, making it bigger and giving the parachute a place to sit in. Before using, make sure that the hot glue gun is hot and ready to go after plugging it in. Make sure not to burn yourself! It could be scary! After the two bottles are attached, you're good to move on! 

Step 5: Get That Cardboard Out of the Garage!

After attaching the two bottles, make three fins out of the usual cardboard. The three fins should be about eight inches to a foot long. These will give an easy way to shoot up the rocket and give it more air time before the parachute deploys. 

Step 6: Swirl Em Up!

After cutting the three cardboard pieces, put little twists in the cardboard to make the rocket swirl through the air, once again, giving it more air time. This is very essential to the success of this project. 

Step 7: Don't Get Hurt Again, Kirsten! We Have to Bring Out the Hot Glue!

After you've cut the three pieces of cardboard and put swirls in the middle of the pieces, attach the cardboard fins to the bottom bottle. The flat side should be towards the end of the bottle rather than closer to the top. Attach the cardboard by a hot glue gun. This will make sure the cardboard is stuck for good! 

Step 8: It Is Time to Make a Parachute!

After the bottle is done, it is time to make a parachute! Measure the parachute 80 inches in diameter so it is big, but also small enough to deploy from the bottle. Also, it needs to be big enough to hold the weight of the tennis ball that is going to be put in the middle of the plastic. Make sure, when you get the parachute, buy or find in your house a "tarp." This object gives you enough length and width of hold it up in the air as long as possible. Make the tarp circular. 

Step 9: Bring Out That Masking Tape!

After you've cut the parachute as big as you want to, put 6-8 pieces of masking tape around the parachute to put holes in without making holes in the other parts of the parachute. The masking tape is necessary to put the string in to hold the tennis ball. Make sure the masking tape is strong! Also, make sure you put masking tape on the front and the back of the tarp in the places that you wanted. 

Step 10: Punch Them Holes!

After you have put masking tape in the places you wanted, as I said, put holes in the center of the masking tape you ripped off and put a small hole in it. MAKE SURE THE HOLE GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE TWO pieces of masking tape you put on the front and back on your tarp. These are very necessary for the strings to be put in. 

Step 11: You're Done With the Parachute!

Now that the parachute is complete, put fishing wire through the holes that you made in the tarp on the masking tape. This is essential because it will hold the ball in place. To tie them on, rap the strings around the tarp through the holes so that it is easy to make 5-6 knots after it is made on each hole. Have someone sit in the middle of the circular tarp and make sure that the pieces of string are long enough to hold the tennis ball. After you have all of the strings, you are ready to attach on the tennis ball! Make sure the tennis ball is in the middle. Attach the pieces of string with masking tape to the tennis ball. 

Step 12: Time to Go Back to That Circular Top Piece!

Take the circular top that your teacher burned and put flaps on the bottom of them. Cut them as big or as small as you want to. Make sure the top comes off the bottle easily. We need the bottle to attach to other side of the bottle to hold the other part of the parachute. The flaps are essential to taking off the top. 

Step 13: These Are What the Flaps Should Look Like

... Like so. 

Step 14: You're Finished!

Make sure that you attach on the top of the rocket carefully, making sure that it comes off. Put the parachute in the body of the rocket. The tennis ball must be at the bottom part and the parachute at the top. Before launching, put A LOT of baby powder in before it releases because it makes the parachute come out easier. With your final project, you are bound to receive an A!