A Little Match Rocket

by AlbertoS105 in Outside > Rockets

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A Little Match Rocket

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This is a small project to be done with the little ones in the house, but that the big ones can also enjoy.

A small and simple rocket that will take us with practice less than 5 min to build and that can be used for entertaining competitions, of height, distance or objective.

To build your little rocket you need:

Supplies

  • 4 Matches (wax paper toothpick matches are better)
  • 1 little pice Tinfoil
  • Open space

Step1 the Rocket Fuel

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The first thing to do is select three matches that have approximately the same length and the same head size, it is not really bad that they are not identical, but it will greatly facilitate the construction work and the launch if they are similar.

With the three selected matches, place them together stacked one next to the other, so that the heads of the three matches are in contact.

The Rocket Body

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With the small piece of aluminum foil make a fold on the longest side, so that we have a completely straight edge.

Place the three matches on the straight edge of the paper, taking care not to place the match heads too much "inside" the aluminum foil, the heads should be approximately 2mm inside the paper.

Wrap the matches with the aluminum foil, always be careful to keep the match heads in the correct position, if the matches are too far out, the rocket will be insetable at launch and it will be difficult to place it standing. on the other hand, if the matches are left deep inside the aluminum foil, it will be difficult to ignite the fuel, and it is likely that the rocket will burn before takeoff

Rocket Form

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Once the matches are completely wrapped with the paper, the aluminum paper will have to be shaped into a point, which we can achieve by twisting the paper until it forms a pointed shape. if the shape is not very pointed, it is not serious, you just have to be careful not to leave a flat surface that is too large, as this can result in a chaotic flight

Rocket Base

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Before the flight, the last thing to do is place the matchsticks in position to support the rocket, for this you must form a tripod with the three matches, as seen in the photo. It is important that when we open the matchsticks not to do it with too much force, as the sticks could break, damaging our rocket.

When open the matches, we should be able to see the heads of the matches, not completely but clearly.

Preparation for the Flight

We are ready for the flight; for which we will need to go outside, please I beg of you, do not fly inside an efficiency or near things that can burn, even though the amount of fire / energy that the small rocket has is not great, it is always important to maintain precautions when working with fire.
If you are a minor, please always ask an adult for help.

In any case it is always advisable to have some extinguishing medium at hand.

Lunch

To start the flight, simply use the remaining match to place it between the base of our rocket, ensuring that the fire reaches the matches of our rocket.

For the launch we recommend the use of glasses to prevent the rocket from flying directly into your eyes.

As soon as our rocket fuel ignites, the energy released will cause the rocket to shoot through the air. So you must be careful not to get hit in the eye.