SUMMER SCIENCE SERIES
Mission: Backyard Blast-Off !
This week’s Summer Science Series launches your 4th of July fun with a patriotic pop — by building a pressure-powered rocket using a plastic bottle and a little backyard engineering. It’s safe, simple, and loud enough to get your neighbors talking.
MISSION OBJECTIVE:
Build and launch a homemade soda-bottle rocket using water and air pressure. No fire, no flames — just a little physics and a lot of splash.
ROCKET MATERIALS CHECKLIST:
1 empty plastic soda bottle (16–20 oz works best) 1 cork (fits snug in bottle mouth) Bicycle pump with needle adapter (like for sports balls) Duct tape Cardboard or foam (for fins and nose cone — optional but cool) Water Safety goggles Outdoor launch space (driveway or yard)
ASSEMBLY PROTOCOL:
Decorate your bottle like a rocket — optional fins taped on the sides and a paper cone taped to the bottom (which becomes the “top” after launch).
Fill the bottle about 1/3 full of water. Plug the cork into the bottle mouth tightly. Push the needle from the bike pump through the cork so it goes inside the bottle.
Flip the whole setup upside down and rest it on a launch pad — a brick or crate works fine.
Put on goggles, start pumping… and step back! As pressure builds, the cork will pop out and the water will blast down — launching the rocket up!
MISSION SCIENCE NOTE:
This is backyard physics in action. As air from the pump builds pressure inside the bottle, it compresses the water. When the cork pops, all that pressurized water rushes out — launching the bottle skyward using Newton’s Third Law More air = more pressure = higher rocket.
WHAT KIDS LEARN:
How pressure builds inside a sealed container Basic propulsion and Newton’s Third Law Engineering and creativity through rocket design Why water makes a better propellant than just air alone SAFETY TIPS:
Only launch outside.
Wear safety goggles and stand back once pumping begins.
Never aim at people, pets, or power lines.
Supervise younger kids at all times.
BONUS ROUND:
Hold a family rocket contest. Who can launch the highest? Who has the best design? Try different amounts of water, or different bottle sizes. Have fun — and prepare to get a little wet.
Happy 4th of July, Beckham County — and keep reaching for the sky.
