Water rockets are used in school/scouting/4-H presentations to help students understand the principles of aeronautics. This project is geared towards middle school aged students. However, the project has been given to high school students and they enjoy it as well. Everyone is happy to get out of class and play with water.

Five rocket stations should cover a typical class (divide the kids equally). The stations are pretty easy to build and relatively safe since the PVC reducer locks the rocket in the vertical position. Fins and nose cones were not added since this setup needs to be durable to cover multiple classes per year.

Note that the rocket release is not controlled. The rocket launches when the pressure inside the bottle forces the stopper from the nozzle. For this reason, the kids should stand back when applying pressure to the bottle. Depending on the stopper seal, rockets can fly as high as 50 feet.

This project was built for an intro to engineering program called DiscoverE. For more information on the program, see this link: http://www.discovere.org/

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

Wood - 16” x 16” x .25”
Wood - 2.5” x 2.5” x .75”
PVC Pipe 3 3/8” diameter
PVC Reducer - 5” x 4”
Waterproof glue
Bicycle pump
PVC Clear Vinyl Tubing (3/8” diameter) – 10 feet long
Hose clamps
Rubber stopper
Inflating needle
Tape
2 Liter Bottles
Water jugs
Water

Tools:

Saw
Ruler
Screw driver

Step 2: Cut Baseplate

Cut sheet of wood 16” x 16”. Optional – cut 3 3/8” diameter hole in center of board.

Step 3: Add Baseplate Blocks

Add baseplate blocks to the four corners of baseplate.

Step 4: PVC Pipe

Cut pipe 3 3/8" diameter PVC pipe to 9”. Cut slot as shown

Step 5: Attach Pipe to Base

Glue pipe to center of board. If hole was placed in board, slide pipe through hole and glue both sides. This will give a stronger setup.

Step 6: Add Reducing Fitting

Place reducing ring on top of PVC pipe. This completes the rocket launcher setup.

Step 7: Extend Hose

Extend the length of bicycle pump hose by cutting it in half and adding in the clear tubing. Use hose clamps to seal the ends.

Step 8: Stopper (cork)

Drill a small hole through the rubber stopper – just enough to fit the needle through the hole (needs to be a tight fit).

Feed the needle through the stopper so the threaded side is on the wide end of the stopper. Clamp the stopper to the pump. If needed, add tape for additional support.

This completes the pump assembly.