Item #3730
Adult Supervision Required
Ages 6 and up
Created By
This is Rocket Science
3…2…1…BLAST OFF! All it takes to launch your miniature rocket is adding some water. Before you know it, you’ll be sending all
kinds of rockets into the air. The coolest part? The entire launch process occurs because of a chemical reaction inside of the
canister! Experimenting with these rockets is fun and easy. Try different mixtures of the water and fizzing tablets to create the
best fuel mixture. Now all you have to do is attach the foam rocket to your canister and you’re ready for lift off. This really IS
rocket science.
The experiments, over 20 in all, are guided by this instruction manual. Get your young scientists headed in the right, rocketing
direction with the This is Rocket Science kit!
From The Kit:
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You Get It:
Instruction book
5 Plastic Pop Top Rocket canisters and caps
2 Latex balloons
1 Giant Plastic Test Tube with lid
10 Flat Fizzers™ Tablets
1Plastic Canister Launching Tube
1 Blue Plastic measuring scoop
1 Plastic canister with hole in bottom
1 Foam Fizz Blaster Rocket with plastic sleeve
1 Set plastic safety glasses
50g(1.75oz) Baking Soda
50g(1.75oz) Citric Acid
1 plastic launch pad
• Water
• Timer/stopwatch
WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD-Children under eight yrs. can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required
Keep uninflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once
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Quick Start to a Pop!
What You’ll need:
Safety glasses, Flat Fizzers, Pop Top Rocket canisters and caps, Water
1. Put on the safety glasses and, with dry hands, break a Fizzer tablet in half or thirds and set the pieces on a paper towel. (A pair of pliers might help with this step.)
2. Fill the canister with water so it’s half-full. (Dipping it might be the easiest way.)
3. Set the filled canister on a hard, level surface. Hold a piece of Fizzer tablet in one dry hand and the canister lid in the other.
4. Drop the piece of Fizzer tablet into the canister and quickly snap the lid onto it in one motion. (This might take some practice, and it might be easier to practice before the water is in the canister.) Remember to back up after you snap the lid onto the canister!
5. If the piece of Fizzer tablet is large enough, in a few seconds the canister lid will pop and shoot straight up! (If it doesn’t pop after two minutes, keep your safety glasses on, knock the canister on its side, point the lid away from you, and pull it off with your fingers. Now you know you need to test a larger piece of Fizzer tablet. Oh, darn... you have to do it again!)
PERFECTING A POWERFUL POP
Looking for a science fair project? Here are some ways to control just one variable at a time to discover how it affects the outcome.
Remember that a variable is any part of the activity that might change the outcome of the activity. Decide which one variable to test
and then keep all the others the same so you can explain how changing that one variable may have affected the results. Since you’ll
be presenting at the science fair, you know what the scientific method is and how following its simple steps makes your research and
presentation much easier. Using the scientific method helps other scientists test and either confirm or challenge the results. Hey, it’s how
science builds on itself! Besides, it’s required of all science fair participants to use it Follow the scientific method for each of the tests
below and then use it to complete the write-up for your science fair project. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
Variable #1: Water Volume – Each test uses half of a Fizzer tablet in the same canister and lid with the same temperature of tap
water, but the water level changes for each test. Start at 1⁄4-full, then 1⁄2-full, 3⁄4-full, and full. Which level produces the highest pop?
Variable #2: Fizzer Size – Each test uses the same volume of water at the same temperature in the same canister, but the size of the
Fizzer tablet changes with each test: 1⁄4-tablet first, then 1⁄2-tablet, 3⁄4-tablet, and finally a full tablet. What’s the magic tablet size?
Variable #3: Water Temperature – Each test uses the same volume of tap water, the same canister, and half of a Fizzer tablet, but
there’s a different water temperature for each test: cold, room temperature, and hot. Which temperature makes the highest pop?
The results of these tests determine the “perfect” combination to create the highest pop. Use your data to write a conclusion your friends
can test on their own. You’ll use these results in the activities that follow, too. You’ll need to test all the canisters to find ones that really
pop. It’s important that the lids have a tight fit or you may not get a good pop from the canister.
(Adult Helper: Using a simple kitchen scale that weighs ounces or grams will help ensure the amount
of Fizzer tablet used is the same every time.)
A “Too Full” Quick Start
Here’s What You’ll Need:
Balloon, Giant Test Tube and lid, Safety glasses, Flat Fizzers, Water, Timer or stopwatch
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1. Put on the safety glasses and blow up the balloon to grapefruit size. Let the air out completely and stretch the opening of the deflated balloon over the opening of the Giant Test Tube. The balloon may stand up straight, but it’s better if it falls over. This trial is for
practice, so now remove the balloon from the tube.
2. Fill the tube one-fourth full with water and have your helper hold it over the sink. Break a Fizzer tablet in half and slide a piece into the balloon. It’s okay to break the piece some more. Stretch the opening of the deflated balloon over the opening of the Giant Test
Tube again, but don’t let the piece of Fizzer tablet fall into the water... yet.
3. Get ready to time the reaction of the Fizzer tablet and then lift the balloon so the piece falls into the water. Start timing as the tablet hits the water; stop timing when the fizzing stops.
4. Watch what happens to the balloon as the reaction occurs. What’s causing the balloon to expand? What does that tell you about the chemical reaction in the Giant Test Tube? How might you affect the reaction: more or less water? different temperature water? bigger or smaller Fizzer piece?
5. Observe the reaction and record the time. How long does the chemical reaction last, i.e., how long does the fizzing continue? Why do you think the fizzing stops? Remove the balloon from the Giant Test Tube, dump the liquid into the sink, and then rinse and dry everything.
THAT “TOO FULL” FEELING
The gas in these activities is nothing more than good old carbon dioxide (CO2) like the one you exhale, and its quick release is nothing
short of great fun and great science!
The fizzing you see when you drop a Fizzer tablet into water is the same kind of fizzing you see when you mix baking soda and vinegar.
Look at the ingredients label on the package of Fizzer tablets and you’ll find citric acid (the same found in oranges and lemons) and
sodium bicarbonate (plain old baking soda). When you drop a Fizzer tablet into water, the citric acid and the baking soda dissolve and
react with each other to produce bubbles of CO2 – lots of bubbles of CO2.
The CO2 builds up so much pressure inside the closed container that it fills the balloon or pops off the lid of the canister. The lid is easier
to pop off than bursting the sides or popping the bottom off of the canister. It’s the easy way out, so to speak.
“WAIT...THERE’S MORE.”
Look at the extension activity suggestions in “Perfecting a Powerful Pop” and modify them to fit the balloon and Giant Test Tube set up.
You may be surprised by what you see in the tube!
Quick Start to a Blast Wave!
1. You’ll need the same items you used in “Quick Start to a Pop!” Be sure to wear the safety goggles! This time, set up all the canisters and lids and use the water volume, water temperature, and Fizzer tablet size you discovered to be ideal in the first activity.
2. Follow Steps 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the “Quick Start” activity, but there’s a twist... literally. As you snap the lid on the canister, flip the set- up over so the lid is on the ground when you set it down. Be sure to step back, too! You really should practice this entire motion before you actually do it with the water and Fizzer tablet so it’s an easy, no-brainer step for you.
3. This time the lid stays on the ground and the canister blasts into the air! If it doesn’t, you know what to do after a two-minute wait. Safety glasses on? Great, get to it.
4. Now fill each canister with the ideal water volume at the ideal temperature and have the ideal size of Fizzer tablet ready for each 3
one, too. Set the canisters in a line with about two feet (60 cm) in between each one. In a smooth succession, load, cap, rotate, and set each one in order and enjoy the timed display you’ve created. Have a camera? You’re amazing!
BLAST WAVE VARIATIONS
Timing is everything, but coordination plays a role in this activity, too. You’ll need to practice the set-up and performance of this activity
to make it work smoothly. Remember that a loose-fitting lid can work against you, so you might need to use some tape on the inside of
the canister to increase friction between the lid and the canister. Tests will be needed. Darn!
A single blast at a time can come out of the Canister Launching Tube. Have your helper hold the tube at a slight angle pointed up and
away from everyone. Using the ideal values you discovered, load, cap, rotate, and slide the canister into the tube with the lid side down.
The blast height may surprise you! Practice so you can hold and load the tube at the same time.
Water will give your canister launch a different effect than blasting off of a table. Try putting some water in a dish or saucer to see how a
thin layer of water affects your rocket. Experiment with different amounts of water to find how much is the perfect amount.
Now that you’ve tried water in a dish, do tests with a small amount of water in the bottom of the Canister Launching Tube. How does this
affect the blast? Is the blast from the water in the launcher different from the blast out of a dish of water?
It’s a nice artistic touch to add a few drops of a different food color to the water in each canister. It lets everyone know how art is really
science in disguise.
Add weight to the outside of the bottom of the canister (which becomes the top when you turn it over for launch) before loading it and
sliding it lid-first into the Launching Tube. Things like pennies or other coins, washers, and gram weights can be taped to the canister.
Pieces of clay of known weight can be pressed onto the bottom to test the lift you’re getting with the Fizzer tablets. Read further to see
what Isaac Newton had to say about force and mass and acceleration and fun stuff like that. This is serious physics now!
Quick Start to No-Permit Rocket Fuel
Normally, if you plan to concoct your own rocket fuel and test it, then you need a huge factory out in the middle of nowhere with
scientists, nosy people, and lots of government agencies watching to make sure you do it safely. Of course, you’re mixing some pretty safe
ingredients this time so working in your kitchen will be fine. Check with your adult helper first. Also, for all tests you make using your
own fuel combinations, be sure to write down all the different amounts and combinations you try. You’ll never remember them. Write
them down!
No doubt you’ll use up your supply of Fizzer tablets at some point. Are you out of business? Not by a long shot! There are a number of
fizzing tablet products (e.g. Alka-Seltzer®) available at a store or pharmacy near you. They’re often used for headaches or colds, and
since they’re usually a medicine, have your adult helper give you a hand using them in your tests.
As mentioned earlier, baking soda and vinegar (4%-acidity white vinegar works best) is a great duo for CO2 production on an industrial
scale like you need. Granted, it stinks and can be hard to manage in this application, but there are ways to work around those issues. Try
wrapping the baking soda in a square of 1-ply toilet paper and dropping it into the vinegar before snapping the lid onto the canister. You
need to know how much of each to use... tests, tests, and more tests!
In your kit you’ll find a small blue scoop and two packets of chemicals: sodium bicarbonate (“baking soda”) and citric acid (as in citrus,
like oranges, lemons, limes, etc.).
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Both are totally safe and not considered to be dangerous or toxic if used as directed.
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Be sure to keep both chemicals completely dry until you’re ready to mix them together in a canister with water to produce CO2.
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Use the blue scoop and/or a kitchen scale to test the same amount every time.
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Start with small quantities to find the right mixture that makes the most gas. Scale up as you need larger quantities for a launch. •
Try the folded 1-ply toilet paper sheet idea as the powder delivery system into the water.
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Test several combinations of the powders but start with equal quantities of both and change the amounts of both as needed. Write down the quantities as you test them!
Use the balloons and the Giant Test Tube to capture the gas so you can compare and record the amounts of gas •
produced. See “A ‘Too Full’ Quick Start” above for ideas.
Again, write down the proportions of every combination before you test one. You won’t remember them all! Besides, it’s •
good science and you’re a good scientist. These are science fair research projects at their finest!
A CO2 Sandwich
Here’s What You’ll Need...
Safety glasses, Measuring cup and spoons, Vinegar, Baking soda, Re-sealable bags (quart-size zipper-lock bags and snack size zipper-lock
bags), Toilet paper
Zipper-Lock Bag Variation
1. Start by putting on your safety glasses.
2. Fill three quart-size zipper-lock bags with approximately 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
3. Fill three snack-size zipper-lock bags with varying amounts of vinegar. For example, fill one bag with 60 mL (1/4 cup) of vinegar, the next bag with 80 mL (1/3 cup) of vinegar and the last bag with 120 mL (1/2 cup) of vinegar.
4. Seal the vinegar bags and place them in the bags with the baking soda. When you seal the outside bags, make sure to remove as much of the air as possible.
5. Put the bags on a table where it’s okay for things to get a little wet and messy (outside tables would be good).
6. Now get ready for the fun... Punch the vinegar bags inside the baking soda bags to break them open and then shake the baking soda bags to make sure the substances mix.
7. Make observations about how large each bag gets and how long it takes before you hear the giant POP!
Toilet Paper Variation
1. Tear off a square of toilet paper.
2. Place 1 tablespoon of baking soda in the middle of the toilet paper square.
3. Twist or fold the toilet paper around the pile of baking soda making a small packet.
4. It’s best to have someone help you with the next few steps. Open the quart-size zipper-lock bag and measure 1/4 cup of vinegar into the bag. Add 1/4 cup of warm water to the bag.
5. Zip the bag closed, but not all the way. You want a small opening just large enough to sneak in the wrapped up baking soda.
6. IT’S TIME FOR A FIELD TRIP. Move the experiment to the sink, or better yet, OUTSIDE! Remember, it’s all about teamwork. Drop the baking soda bundle into the bag and quickly seal the bag closed. Place the bag on the ground (or in the sink if you’re indoors) and get out of the way. Watch closely as the bag begins to puff up… it gets bigger and bigger until… BAM! Pop goes the sandwich bag.
How Does It Work?
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Sure, bubbling liquids and popping bags are fun, but what’s the science behind the exploding lunch bag? When you mix vinegar and
baking soda, a chemical reaction takes place producing a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2). If you really want to impress your friends,
use the chemical names for each of the ingredients. Acetic acid (that’s vinegar) plus sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) produces carbon
dioxide gas and water. The bag puffs up because the carbon dioxide gas takes up lots of space, eventually filling the bag. If there’s more
gas than the bag can hold… KABOOM! If you’re lucky, the zipper-lock seal will bust open, but the bag will not break. Now you can reuse
the bag to make another CO2 sandwich. Wrapping the baking soda in tissue paper or separating the substances in bags is a clever way of
slowing down the reaction.
A More Powerful Pop?
Try making these changes to get the most powerful pop...
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Change the amount of vinegar you use, but be sure to keep the amount of baking soda (one tablespoon) and the size of the zipper-lock bags the same.
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Change the amount of baking soda but keep the amount of vinegar and the size of the zipper-lock bags the same.
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What would happen if you diluted the vinegar with a little water? How would this affect the expanding gas?
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Examine how the temperature of the water affects the pop.
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Wrap the baking soda in two or three pieces of tissue. How will this affect the reaction?
Pop Top Rocket Quick Start
Before you can countdown to liftoff, you have to understand the ins and outs of your Fizz Blaster Rocket, its fuel source, and the launch
pad. Once you’re familiar with the rocket, we’ll take you to the launch pad for “3...2...1...” you get the idea.
Learn the Parts of Your Rocket
Rocket Flyer
Your rocket is specially designed to be ouch free play. It’s foam material is durable enough for a bunch of launches, but it’s not
indestructible. It’s got a special air tight chamber inside to maximize height.
Booster Canister
This is where the fuel sits and generates the gas that will propel your rocket.
Launch Pad
Your entire rocket assembly sits on the launch pad for each blast off. When you are done playing with the rocket, gently place the rocket
on top of the booster canister and place it on your dresser or a special place to keep safe.
3... Prepping the Launch Pad
1. Grab your launch pad. It has a square base and cylindrical upper portion with four extensions at the top.
2. The four extensions work as a locking mechanism for the booster canister. Unlike NASA’s and SpaceX’s rockets, the booster remains on the launch pad during takeoff. Examine how the locking mechanism works by pressing the canister, lid (closed) side down, onto the pad. The canister should be firmly in place, but easily able to be removed.
2... Fueling Up
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1. The Fizz Blaster Rocket is fueled by two components: Fizzer tablets and Water. Seems simple enough, right?
2. Be sure that the canister’s lid is attached tightly and push it onto the launch pad.
3. Carefully pour water into the canister until it is even with the “1/2” graduation line. (You are, of course, allowed to modify the amount of water you use, but we’re going to start right in the middle.)
4. The final step, once you’re ready for launch, will be to drop a piece of a Fizzer tablet into the water.
1... Lift Off!
1. Now that you’ve gained understanding about what it takes to launch a Fizz Blaster Rocket, let’s put it to the test.
2. You should already have the booster canister filled to the “1/2” mark. If not, do so now.
3. Make sure the launch sleeve is securely inside the flyer.
The next steps should be done rather quickly, but don’t rush!
4. Break a Fizzer tablet in half.
5. Drop one of the Fizzer pieces into the opening on top of the canister. You’ll immediately begin to see fizzing within the canister.
6. Quickly, but carefully, push the flyer onto the canister and stand back.
7. Before you know it... there goes the Fizz Blaster Rocket!
8. Pushing the rocket onto the booster canister a bit harder will make the rocket launch higher. Be careful you don’t push it too hard or it won’t launch at all.
As long as you still see fizzing inside the canister, you can keep launching the rocket! See how many launches you can get!
Taking Your Rocket Further
Launch more rockets while testing variables, and who knows... you might be the next owner of SpaceX!
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Test different amounts of the following to see what combination launches the highest:
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Water
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Fizzers
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Try changing the temperature of the water.
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Push the rocket harder onto the canister for an even higher launch.
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Try using different amounts of baking soda and vinegar as the fuel booster canister.
Wait... how are you going to measure the height of your Fizz Blaster Rocket Launch? Easy! Find measuring tape and make marks with
tape, washable markers, or chalk to gauge your rocket’s flight. You might need adult help and a ladder because, let’s be honest, this little
rocket can really fly!
How Does It Work?
Rockets... how do they work? Well rockets, in the literal sense of the word, actually require a rocket engine. Since we can’t provide you
with miniature canisters of rocket fuel, we include a modified, safe-for-the-home alternative: Fizzers and water.
Fizzers are tablets of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate (aka baking soda). When the tablet is dropped in water, the citric acid and
baking soda react to create carbon dioxide gas. This reaction might remind you of a common demonstration that many scientists have
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done. That’s right, it’s the same thing that happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda, At it’s base (pun intended), both reactions are
a simple acid-base reaction in which carbon dioxide gas is produced. The gas continues to collect within the area contained between the
flyer and booster canister until... POP!
Why does the rocket pop its top? As the carbon dioxide builds within the flyer-booster container, pressure is mounting on all sides, far
exceeding the air pressure outside of the container. The gas needs to find a way out, and the seal between the canister and sleeve offers
the least resistance. The bottom and the walls of the canister offer much more resistance, forcing the carbon dioxide to exit through the
top with force.
From there, you can thank Sir Isaac Newton... well, you can thank him for explaining it. Once the carbon dioxide buildup pops the rocket
off of the canister, Newton’s Third Law explains why the rocket takes off. Newton explains that for every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction. While the canister and launch pad appear to remain stationary, there is actually force pushing them downward, against
the surface where they sit. This force is matched, in the opposite direction, by the gas launching the Fizz Blaster Rocket into the air!
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