Rocket’s to the Rescue

It was Rocket’s to the Rescue this week as Burt County students took part in the National 4-H Science Experiment. Students in Tekamah’s 4^th grades, Herman’s 3^rd & 4^th grades, Lyons-Decatur’s 4^th grade and Oakland-Craig’s 5^th grade had the opportunity to become aerospace engineers. I equated them to the geniuses collected to solve the world’s problems on the new TV show “Scorpion.” They each had different areas where their genius skills could shine, and together they could solve the problem in the experiment’s scenario.

The Challenge presented to the students was a severe storm hitting several islands in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in damage of historic proportions. Bridges are gone. Harbors are destroyed, roads have disappeared. Communications systems have been uprooted. Entire towns have been wiped out as a result of storm surges and tsunamis.

The inhabitants of a small island names Ceres have been completely cut off from all food deliveries. After nearly a week, they are close to starvation.
Traditional transportation methods will not work to get food to them.

It was up to each team of aspiring aerospace engineer geniuses to create a rocket propulsion system to launch and deliver a payload of food to this island. The food needed to arrive intact so the people of Ceres can survive long enough until normal transportation options have been restored. Our student teams did not have much time.

Each team of 2-4 students set about designing a rocket out of heavyweight paper that could carry the food payload (four raisins) to the island. They fastened a rubber cork in the end to provide a little weight and to allow the rocket to be launched by closing off the paper tube.

Discussions included what the term “aerodynamic” meant and how that could apply to their rockets. After this discussion most groups decided to make a nose cone for their rocket, and many designed fins to stabilize its flight. Of course some got even more creative and decorated their rockets, or gave it wings like the space shuttle, or wings to produce a spin while in flight. We even had the appearance of “flames” coming from the rocket!

Then it was time to test their designs by launching them. Using PVC pipe and an empty plastic 2 liter pop bottle they took aim at the island (a hula hoop target) with their rocket and launched it by stomping on the air filled bottle.

Every launch was a success of some sort with two teams hitting the target! Some fell short, others flew WAY past it and even hit the wall in the gym! Some needed a minor redesign after the first launch. A few payloads ended up scattered across the “ocean” so the residents of the island would have to swim to get the food, but each launch gave opportunities to discuss modifications they could make and what variables they could change and/or control.

This activity really got the students working together solving a problem and their creativity was very evident. Only the excitement of the launch surpassed their imaginative rockets!

Look out world…these scientific geniuses are going to amaze us all just like they did with their National 4-H Science Experiment – Rockets to the Rescue!

One last item on a totally different topic…Medicare recipients…make sure you call your local UNL Extension Office to make an appointment to compare your Medicare Prescription Drug plans. Open Enrollment begins next Wednesday, October 15. You’ll never know how much you could save unless you compare!

Mary Loftis,

Extension Assistant
UNL Extension – Burt County
111 North 13th Street, Suite 6
Tekamah, NE 68061
Phone: (402) 374-2929

Fax: (402) 374-2930

Internet: mloftis2@unl.edu