Launch Manual 1
Air-Powered Rocket
April 12th 1961……Yuri Gagarin made the first human flight into space
April 12th 2011……You can celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his success
YuriGagarin50 challenges YOU to build and launch your own rocket
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Rockets for Yuri
Yuri Gagarin
On 9th March 1934 Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin was born in a village called Klushino,
near Gzhatsk (renamed Gagarin in 1968) in Russia.
He lived with his father, Alexei
Ivanovich; mother, Anna Timofeyana;
brothers, Valentin and Boris and a sister,
Zoya.
1949 He went to Moscow train as a
foundry man (metal-worker) and joined
the Saratov Flying Club in his spare time.
1960 Gagarin was accepted onto the
cosmonaut training scheme in January
and posted at Star Town (Star City) in
Moscow.
1965 Gagarin re-entered mission
training as a back-up cosmonaut.
1941 The Second World War reached
Russia and his village was captured.
His school was closed down.
1955 he was drafted into the Soviet
Military School in Orenburg in 1956.
On 12th April 1961 Major Yuri
Alexeyevich Gagarin became the
first human in space and the first
person to orbit the Earth.
1967 began training for the first Soyuz
flight.
Colonel Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin died on 27th March 1968. On a routine test flight in a
MiG-15 when it crashed killing him and his co-pilot Colonel Vladimir Serëgin.
Date:
12th April 1961
Speed:
27,400 km per hr
Time:
06:07 UTC
Height:
327 km above earth
Spacecraft: VOSTOK-1
Cosmonaut: Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin
Launch Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome
Age:
27
Duration of flight: 108 mins
www.vixsouthgate.co.uk
YURI GAGARIN FLIGHT CARD
Photographs supplied by RIA Novosti. www.visualrian.com [email protected]
Air-Powered Rocket
A paper rocket, launched by blowing down a cardboard tube.
What you will need

1 cm diameter tube (to blow through)
The tubes from rolls of Kitchen Foil are perfect .
OR use a sheet of A4 thin card to roll your own tube.
Make sure the tube is clean!

1 piece coloured A4 paper

1 piece coloured A5 paper

Scissors

Sticky Tape

Poster Putty (Blu-Tack,Plasticine)
Using different coloured
paper will make the
rocket more interesting
STEP 1: MAKING THE MANDREL (Blow-tube)
(only needed if you do not have a ready-made tube)
Materials required: A4 sheet of thin card
A)
Roll the cardboard (long-ways) into a tube shape and tape it into position. The tube
you make should be approx. 1cm in diameter, and as round as possible.
B)
Make sure it is stuck well all the way along otherwise the card will stick out and air
might leak out when launching.
STEP 2: MAKING THE ROCKET BODY
Materials required: A4 sheet of paper
A)
Place the paper in front of you.
B)
Tape a short edge (top) of the paper to the
table.
C)
Using the tape like a hinge, Turn the paper over.
D)
Place your mandrel (tube) at the unstuck end (bottom) of the paper and roll up.
E)
Test it by sliding the paper up and down on the mandrel (tube).
They should slide smoothly but tightly against each other.
NB: Make sure you tape the paper to the table first, then roll up!
STEP 3: MAKING THE NOSE-CONE
Materials required: Poster Putty (Blu-Tac/Plasticine)
A)
Slide about 2 cm of the paper body-tube off the end of the mandrel and twist it into
a point.
B)
Roll out the poster putty and form a pointy nosecone with it.
A
B
STEP 4: MAKING THE FINS
Fig. 2
Materials required: A5 Sheet of paper
Fig. 3
A)
B)
Decide if you want 3 or 4 fins (Fig.3).
Stand your rocket upright onto the circle
with your chosen number of fins and mark
out the positions at 90° OR 120°.
C)
Fold the A5 piece of paper into four.
D)
Draw the shape of the fin on the paper
or use the template below.
E)
Cut out the fins and tape them onto bottom of ROCKET BODY (Not the mandrel)
Why not try DIFFERENT fin shapes - which work best?
NB: Make sure you include a ‘tab’ (flap to fold over) on the straight edge
– this will make sticking it to the rocket body easier.
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
FOLD TAB
Basic fin shape (DO NOT CUT FROM THIS SHEET): Cut along the SOLID lines only.
STEP 5: PREFLIGHT CHECKS
You should have:
A ROCKET with:
A weighted tip at the top
3 or 4 fins at the bottom.
A MANDREL (tube to blow through)
Decorate or name
your rocket to make
it easy to identify.
YOU ARE NOW READY FOR LAUNCH!
Make sure your rocket is on the mandrel
Find a safe, open space
Place mandrel to lips and ...
The UK in space
Yuri Gagarin’s legacy lives on today in the men and women
that work in space research and industry. Since the earliest
days of the Space Race, UK scientists and engineers have
been part of the adventure of space exploration.
Helen Sharman became the first Briton in Space in 1991
and Major Tim Peake was selected as the UK’s first official
astronaut in 2009.
The UK Space Agency coordinates and promotes the UK’s
space activities. Today around 20,000 people work in the UK’s space industry. The space
sector contributes more than £7.5 billion to the UK’s economy and involves more than 200
companies across the UK. As well as the people who work directly on space projects, almost
70 000 jobs are indirectly linked to space. More than 45 UK universities offer space-related
courses, including astronomy, space-science and aerospace engineering.
UK technology is carried by spacecraft currently orbiting Mars, Venus and Saturn.
A UK-built instrument was the first part of the European
Space Agency’s Huygens probe to touch down on Saturn’s
moon Titan in 2005, a record-breaking feat at 1.2 billion
kilometres from Earth. The UK is a world leader in building
small satellites and has expertise in the practical applications
of space technology, such as satellite navigation,
telecommunications, weather forecasting and disaster
management.
During his flight, Gagarin commented on the beauty and fragility of planet Earth. UK
scientists are continuing Gagarin’s legacy of looking at the Earth from space in order to
understand and protect our home planet.
UK space innovations are also having Earth-based spin-offs e.g. technology developed for
detecting life on Mars is being developed to diagnose Tuberculosis in Africa.
To find out about careers in space, see:
http://www.ukspaceagency.bis.gov.uk/Learning-Zone/Careers-Resources/8422.aspx
Useful links
UK Space Agency Home Page: http://www.ukspaceagency.bis.gov.uk/Default.aspx
The Size and Health of the UK Space Industry report 2010: http://www.ukspaceagency.bis.gov.uk/10180.aspx
European Space Education Resource Office ESERO: http://www.esero.org.uk/space-in-the-uk
Teachers Page
Curriculum Links
Collated by Hannah Shute
Key Stage 3 Science - Range and Content
3.1 Energy, electricity and forces
Energy can be transferred usefully, stored, or dissipated, but cannot be created or
destroyed.
Forces are interactions between objects and can affect their shape and motion.
The environment, Earth and universe
Astronomy and space science provide insight into the nature and observed motions
of the sun, moon, stars, planets and other celestial bodies.
Rockets for Yuri could be incorporated into an extended How
Science Works investigation using any of the above topic areas.
Links to Key Stage 3 Key Concepts and Processes
1.1 Scientific thinking
Using scientific ideas and models to explain
phenomena and developing them creatively to
generate and test theories.
Critically analysing and evaluating evidence from
observations and experiments.
1.3 Cultural understanding
Recognising that modern science has its roots in many
different societies and cultures, and draws on a variety
of valid approaches to scientific practice
2.1 Practical and enquiry skills
use a range of scientific methods and techniques to
develop and test ideas and explanations
plan and carry out practical and investigative activities,
both individually and in groups
Critical understanding of evidence
obtain, record and analyse data from a wide range of
primary and secondary sources, including ICT sources,
and use their findings to provide evidence for scientific
explanations
evaluate scientific evidence and working methods.
2.3 Communication
Use appropriate methods, including ICT, to
communicate scientific information and contribute to
presentations and discussions about scientific issues
Pupils could investigate variables such as
mass of rocket, shape of fins, length of
rocket etc in relation to energy transfers,
forces and motion.
Pupils could research the history and
cultural background of Yuri Gagarin and
how this influenced his career.
Pupils could research how the Space
industry has developed in different
countries worldwide and the UK’s space
activities.
Pupils could work in teams to design the
‘best’ rocket. They could use ICT to
research the design of real life rockets
and apply these to their model.
Pupils could discuss the possible variables
(dependent, independent, control).
Pupils could use a range of equipment to
test their theories (stopwatch, data
logger, ticker timers etc).
Pupils could discuss their results and
evaluate their methods (precision,
accuracy, reliability).
Pupils can use the links provided on the
front page of the manual to share their
designs.
Pupils could design their own webpage or
posters to celebrate the event.
Teachers Page
Key Stage 4 Science – Breadth of Study
2.2 Chemical and material behaviour
The properties of a material determine its uses
2.3 Energy, electricity and radiations
Energy transfers can be measured and their efficiency calculated, which is important
in considering the economic costs and environmental effects of energy use.
2.4 Environment, Earth and universe
The solar system is part of the universe, which has changed since its origin and continues
to show long-term changes.
Rockets for Yuri could be incorporated into an extended How Science
Works investigation using any of the above topic areas.
Key stage 4 – How Science Works
1.1 Data, evidence, theories and explanations
How scientific data can be collected and analysed.
How interpretation of data, using creative thought, provides
evidence to test ideas and develop theories
How explanations of many phenomena can be developed using
scientific theories, models and ideas
That there are some questions that science cannot currently answer,
and some that science cannot address.
1.2 Practical and enquiry skills
Plan to test a scientific idea, answer a scientific question, or solve a
scientific problem
Collect data from primary or secondary sources, including using ICT
sources and tools
Work accurately and safely, individually and with others, when
collecting first-hand data
Evaluate methods of collection of data and consider their validity and
reliability as evidence.
1.3 Communication skills
Recall, analyse, interpret, apply and question scientific information or
ideas
Use both qualitative and quantitative approaches present
information, develop an argument and draw a conclusion, using
scientific, technical and mathematical language, conventions and
symbols and ICT tools.
1.4 Applications and implications of science
About the use of contemporary scientific and technological
developments and their benefits, drawbacks and risks
To consider how and why decisions about science and technology are
made, including those that raise ethical issues, and about the social,
economic and environmental effects of such decisions
How uncertainties in scientific knowledge and scientific ideas change
over time and about the role of the scientific community in validating
these changes.
Pupils could develop their own
hypothesis related to the rocket
design (related to energy transfer,
properties of materials or motion)
and use the data they collect to
prove/ disprove their theory.
Pupils could discuss why life exists
on Earth and debate the possibility
of life existing elsewhere.
Pupils should consider the types of
variable
involved
in
their
investigation. They should plan an
investigation
that
considers
accuracy, precision and reliability.
Pupils should consider the various
possibilities for data collection
(stopwatch, data logger, etc).
Pupils could use the data they
collect to perform calculations
(efficiency, acceleration etc) and
present their data in the appropriate
format (line graphs etc).
Pupils could research the history of
Space travel and how developments
were communicated to the public.
Pupils could produce their own
article/ documentary of their own
rocket launch.
Pupils could debate the validity of
evidence for The Big Bang Theory
and alternative theories.
Pupils could create a career profile
for Yuri Gagarin or another key
figure.
Teachers Page
How to build and launch
an Air-Powered Rocket
TEACHER’S COPY
The rocket itself is relatively easy to construct.
It is a paper rocket, launched by blowing down a cardboard tube.
Surprisingly effective given how simple it is!
Kit List
(Per Pupil)
1 cm diameter tube or a sheet of thin card.
It needs to be longer than the width of a piece of A4 paper.
The best tube to use is 'overflow pipe' - a cheap, white plastic pipe available at
any large DIY shop or builders' merchants, however, any pipe that is around
1cm in diameter will do. The tubes from rolls of Kitchen Foil are perfect .
This tube will be blown through - so make sure it is hygienic
1 piece A4 paper, 1 piece A5 paper
(using different colours, will make the rockets unique)
Scissors
Sticky Tape
Poster Putty (e.g. Blu-Tac, plasticine, playdoh)
Some form of malleable substance - You can make your own
out of water and flour.
STEP 1: MAKING THE MANDREL (BLOW-TUBE)
(only required if you do not have a ready-made tube)
Materials required: A4 sheet of thin card
A Mandrel is an engineering word for the tool used to make things by wrapping around it.
Therefore, the cardboard middle of a toilet roll is technically a mandrel.
A)
B)
Roll the cardboard long-ways into a tube shape and tape it into position. The tube you
make should be approx. 1cm in diameter, and as round as possible.
Ensure it is stuck well along the entire length otherwise the end of the card will stick
out and cause problems when launching.
Teachers Page
STEP 2: MAKING THE ROCKET BODY
Materials required: A4 sheet of paper
Rolling the paper around the mandrel to make a 2nd tube that fits around the first. This
2nd tube is the body-tube of the rocket.
A)
Your pupils need to tape one of the short
ends of the paper to the desk.
B)
Using the sticky tape like a hinge, Turn
paper over.
C)
Place your mandrel (tube) at the bottom of the paper and roll up.
D)
Each pupil will need to test it by sliding the paper over the tube. They should slide
smoothly but tightly against each other.
NB: If you roll up the paper around first and then look for tape, the paper will slip
and be loose, this will cause the air to leak when you launch and the rocket will not
have enough thrust (won’t blow as far) so make sure your pupils follow the steps as
above!
STEP 3: MAKING THE NOSE-CONE
Materials required: Poster Putty (Blu-Tac/plasticine)
A)
B)
Slip about 2 cm of the paper body-tube over the end of the mandrel (tube) and twist
it into a point.
Roll out the poster putty and form a pointy nosecone with it.
A
B
Teachers Page
STEP 4: MAKING THE FINS
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Materials required: A5 Sheet of paper
The fins help the rocket to flight straight.
Before they start the pupils need to decided
whether to have 3 or 4 fins (fig.3)
A) Fold the A5 piece of paper into quarters.
B) Draw the shape of the fin on the paper.
This could be any shape, as long as it has one
straight edge.
REMEMBER to include a ‘tab’ (flap to fold
over) on the straight edge - it will make sticking easier.
NB: The pupils need to choose either 4 fins at 90° or 3 fins at 120° (fig. 3)
Draw two circles on the board you can show the difference between 3 and 4 fin rockets by
using an aerial view of the rocket. It may help the pupils to correctly draw the positions of the
fins on at 90° and 120° before they stick them on.
Fig.2 shows some examples of fin shapes. Get the pupils to experiment - which work
best? Have a competition for most effective/least effective/best made etc.
NB: BASIC FIN Sheet - the tabs have a dotted line which can be cut if desired - by
snipping this and bending the fins in opposite directions and then sticking them to the
rocket will create a more secure fixing. Get pupils to experiment.
C) Cut out the fins
D) Tape fins onto bottom of ROCKET BODY (Not the mandrel!)
STEP 5: PREFLIGHT CHECKS
They should have:
A ROCKET consisting of:
A weighted tip at the top
3 or 4 fins at the bottom.
A MANDREL (tube to blow through)
Get your pupils to decorate or
name the rockets to make
them easily identifiable.
THEY ARE NOW READY FOR LAUNCH!
Index
Section 1: Yuri Gagarin
Section 2: How to build and launch an Air-Powered Rocket
Section 3: The UK in Space
Section 4: Teachers Pages
With thanks to:
Space Education Trust – YuriGagarin50 facilitators
http://www.space-education.org.uk
Vix Southgate - for her design skills
and Yuri Gagarin information.
OWL - for writing the
rocket instructions.
www.vixsouthgate.co.uk
www.out-world.co.uk
YuriGagarin50 gratefully acknowledges the support of the
UK Space Agency in the production of this Launch Manual
YuriGagarin 50 would also like to thank Canterbury Christ Church University for their help.