Day 1: Launch Lab-Newton’s Rocket Rules
STEP 1: Before you start building your rockets, it’s important to understand how things move. Rockets don’t just fly by chance—they follow rules called Newton’s Laws of Motion. These laws explain how forces affect movement, and they’re the same rules that guide real engineers when designing for space. The videos below explore how Newton’s laws work in space, not just for rockets. As you watch, think about how each law might also apply to rockets—how they launch, how they’re built, and how they move through the air. For each law, reflect in your own words on what it means and how you think it connects to rockets. Understanding these laws will help you think like a rocket engineer and build something that really flies.
STEP 2: Now that you’ve watched the videos and learned about how things move in space, here’s a quick summary of how Newton’s Laws apply to building rockets. Please keep these in mind throughout this entire class as you design, build, and test your rockets. Newton’s Laws explain how rockets move:
- The first law says a rocket will stay still or keep moving unless a force acts on it.
- The second law shows that more force (like more air pressure) makes a rocket speed up more.
- The third law—for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction—is what launches your rocket: the air pushes out one way, and the rocket goes the other.
Understanding Newton’s Laws will help you design rockets that actually work. Watch the video below of a stomp rocket in action—this is the same type of rocket you’ll be building and testing. Watch it a few times so you can observe the details closely. Then, with a partner, discuss the rocket’s launch, flight, and landing three times—each time using a different law of motion: the first, second, and third. All three laws are always at work. The better you can describe how the rocket moves using each one, the smarter your design choices will be later. This is how rockets move.
STEP 3: After talking with your partner about how Newton’s laws relate to the stomp rocket flight, write a one-paragraph summary of your conversation. Share it using the QR code below. In the “Subject” area, include your first name and/or your team members’ names. Click here to see all uploaded summaries.
STEP 4: Before we build our stomp rockets tomorrow, you will explore how objects move when launched at an angle using an online simulation. This activity will help you apply what you’ve already learned about Newton’s Laws to the kind of motion your rocket will experience. Follow the PDF guide linked and embedded below. It will walk you step-by-step through the simulation as you adjust variables like launch angle, speed, height, mass, and air resistance. As you go, use a piece of paper to write down your predictions, observations, and reflections. These notes will help you make better design decisions during the rocket lab. The simulation is also linked and embedded below for ease of access.
- Simulation Instructions
- Simulation Link (Embed below)