Explore rocket science through Water Rocketry NASA style

Learning Water Rocketry NASA way has been made possible through an innovation that creates opportunity for students and enthusiasts to gain experiential knowledge of rocketry through experimentation. Water rockets have been used in schools to help students understand the principles of aeronautics for years. Model rockets powered by air pressure and water are a relatively safe and inexpensive STEM medium through which the basics about rocket science can be learnt and taught with convenience. Teaching Water Rocketry NASA

way works with similar principles as that of a compressed air rocket. The difference in NASA water rocket simulator is in the mass of the bottle which varies during flight due to the expulsion of water. This simulator helps study the flight of the water rocket in real time through live data collection and analysis.

The two main parts of the NASA style HydroLaunch water rocket simulator is the launcher and the rocket itself which are coupled with the Bottle-rocket Engine Thrust Acquisition (BETA) System, which uses a force sensor coupled with signal conditioning and sophisticated programming to collect data from the rocket's engine, and the altimeter which records the live data.

The launcher of NASA style HydroLaunch water rocket simulator supports the water rocket, decides trajectory and provides the air pressure required for launch of the water rocket. A hollow launch tube mounted to the base of the launcher connects to the rocket through its base. The launch tube is connected to an air pump which pressurizes the body tube and creates the required thrust for the rocket in a manner that is similar to air rockets. The rocket itself is usually made from 2 liter soda bottles. Placing the soda bottle rocket on the launch tube turns the body tube into a closed pressure vessel. The pressure contained in the body tube becomes equal to the pressure produced by the air pump. In the water rocket simulator, the bottle is filled with water instead of air, which acts as the propellant for the launch. As water is heavier than air, the expulsion produces greater thrust in comparison to compressed air alone. Accessories like fins are attached to the rocket to provide stability during the flight.

Experimenting with the NASA water rocket simulator helps the students observe the four forces involved in flight; weight, thrust, and aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. Water Rocketry is an excellent pathway to reviewing different concepts of STEM like Newton’s laws of motion. It helps deliver the excitement of Rocketry in a controlled environment, with the complete experience of being a NASA engineer through the construction, experimentation and data analysis. Rocket science is made fun with Water Rocketry while also developing creativity and problem-solving attitude.

Experimenting with the NASA water rocket simulator helps the students observe the four forces involved in flight; weight, thrust, and aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. Water Rocketry is an excellent pathway to reviewing different concepts of STEM like Newton’s laws of motion. It helps deliver the excitement of Rocketry in a controlled environment, with the complete experience of being a NASA engineer through the construction, experimentation and data analysis. Rocket science is made fun with Water Rocketry while also developing creativity and problem-solving attitude.