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Micro Rocket Launch

A STEM experiment EXPLODING with excitement! 

Supplies

Supplies

  • Baking Soda

  • Vinegar

  • Micro Rocket

Rockets are the force behind a successful space launch!

Rockets use fuel to create enough gas to push them up through the atmosphere! Just like a real rocket, your rocket is also creating a gas (carbon dioxide) that will build up until it launches your rocket into the air!

Instructions:

1. Fill your clear beaker with 2 mL of vinegar (Seriously! Just 2 mL!) Experiment with warm and cold vinegar to see if it impacts the results of your chemical reaction!)

2. Fill your red rocket with baking soda.

3. Carefully combine your beaker and rocket (stick them together very. firmly!), and give 3 shakes. Set it down and watch the pressure build-up launch your rocket into the sky!

On our first time doing this, our rocket launch was fast and small, but we found a few tips to be helpful:

1. Push the red rocket firmly back into the beaker. This allows the carbon dioxide to build up more forcefully, causing a more impressive launch.

2. Don’t use too much vinegar! 2mL is plenty for the reaction to occur, and dit allows you time to safely and effectively reconnect the red rocket onto the beaker.

3. Experiment with different temperatures of vinegar. This reaction is endothermic, meaning it requires heat rather than produces heat. Hypothesize with your child what you think might happen with warmer or cooler vinegar

This experiment took us about 5 tries before we figured it out…

It was all worth it when my 5 year olds jaw literally dropped at the rocket launch!!

Astronauts spend a lot of time experimenting and studying the scientific reactions in their lives. You’ve got a good start now! Keep experimenting!

 

Can’t wait to see your rockets launch!  Share your adventures with us on instagram @canny.packs