Propulsion With the

Space Launch System 

Educator Guide 

Educator Guide 

Educators and Students Grades 6 to 8 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Contents 

Preface ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1 

STEM Education Standards............................................................................................................................................................... 1 

Engineering Design Process............................................................................................................................................................. 2 

Introduction and Background ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 

Rocket Configurations................................................................................................................................................................... 3 

Rocket Technologies..................................................................................................................................................................... 4 

Activity One: Design a Foam Rocket With Stabilizing Fins............................................................................................................ 8 

Educator Notes.............................................................................................................................................................................. 8 

Student Handout ......................................................................................................................................................................... 14 

Activity Two: Track the Altitude of a Rocket.................................................................................................................................. 18 

Educator Notes............................................................................................................................................................................ 18 

Student Handout ......................................................................................................................................................................... 25 

Activity Three: Build a Multistage Balloon Rocket........................................................................................................................ 27 

Educator Notes............................................................................................................................................................................ 27 

Student Handout ......................................................................................................................................................................... 30 

Activity Four: Optimize a Water Rocket Engine ............................................................................................................................ 31 

Educator Notes............................................................................................................................................................................ 31 

Student Handout ......................................................................................................................................................................... 36 

Appendix: STEM Standards and Practices .................................................................................................................................... 39 

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).............................................................................................................................. 39 

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices.................................................................................................................................. 40 

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students ..................................................................... 40 

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics........................................................................................................... 41 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Preface 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System was published by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement as part of a series of educator 

guides to help middle school students reach their potential to join the next-generation STEM workforce. The activities can be used in 

both formal and informal education settings as well as by families for individual use. Each of these activities is aligned to national 

standards for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and the NASA messaging is current as of September 

2019. 

STEM Education Standards 

The STEM disciplines matrix shown below aligns each activity in this module to standards for teaching STEM according to four 

primary focus areas within each discipline. The four focus areas for science were adapted from the Next Generation Science 

Standards (NGSS) middle school disciplinary core ideas. The four focus areas for technology were adapted from the International 

Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students. The four focus areas for engineering were adapted from the 

National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and NGSS science and engineering practices. The four focus areas for mathematics 

were adapted from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Math middle school content standards by domain. Find additional 

matrices in the Appendix: STEM Standards and Practices. 

Activity 

STEM Disciplines 

Science Technology Engineering Math 

NGSS Disciplinary 

Core Ideas 

ISTE Standards 

for Students 

NSTA and NGSS 

Practices 

CCSS Content Standards by 

Domain 

Physical SciencesLife SciencesEarth and Space SciencesEngineering, Technology,and the Application ofSciencesKnowledge ConstructorInnovative DesignerComputational ThinkerGlobal CollaboratorAsk Questions and Define ProblemsDevelop and Use ModelsPlan and Carry OutInvestigationsConstruct Explanations and Design SolutionsRatios and ProportionalRelationshipsThe Number SystemStatistics and ProbabilityGeometry 

Design a Foam Rocket With 

Stabilizing Fins        

Track the Altitude of a 

Rocket    

Build a Multistage Balloon 

Rocket          

Optimize a Water Rocket 

Engine        

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Engineering Design Process 

The engineering design process (EDP) is crucial to mission success at NASA. The EDP is an iterative process involving a series of 

steps that engineers use to guide them as they solve problems. The steps outlined below can be used by student teams to solve the 

challenges in this activity guide. Learn more about the EDP with NASA’s Educator Professional Development Collaborative at 

https://www.txstate-epdc.net/models-of-the-engineering-design-process/. 

1. ASK: Identify the problem, requirements that must be met, and the constraints that must be considered. 

2. IMAGINE: Brainstorm solutions and research what others have done in the past. 

3. PLAN: Select and sketch a design. 

4. CREATE: Build a model or a prototype. 

5. TEST: Evaluate solutions by testing and collecting data. 

6. IMPROVE: Refine the design. 

7. SHARE: Communicate and discuss the process and solutions as a group. 

Tip: In order to manage the dynamics within each team, it may be helpful to assign each student within the group a specific task, such 

as materials manager, design engineer, fabrication engineer, communications specialist, or team manager. Having each team 

member in charge of a different element of the task may reduce internal conflict within teams. 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Introduction and Background 

NASA’s Space Launch System, or SLS, is an advanced 

launch vehicle that provides the foundation for human 

exploration beyond low Earth orbit. With its unprecedented 

power and capabilities, the SLS is the only rocket that can 

send the Orion spacecraft, astronauts, and large cargo to the 

Moon on a single mission. The SLS team is producing 

NASA’s first exploration-class rocket built since the Saturn V. 

To fill NASA’s future needs for deep space missions, the 

SLS is designed to evolve into increasingly more powerful 

configurations and offer more payload mass, volume 

capability, and energy to speed missions through space 

than any current launch vehicle. This flexible design will 

open new possibilities for payloads, including robotic 

scientific missions to places like Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. 

This evolvable design concept allows NASA to provide the 

Nation with a rocket able to pioneer new human spaceflight 

missions and revolutionary scientific missions in the 

shortest time possible, while continuing to develop 

configurations that are more powerful. The next wave of 

human exploration will take explorers farther into the solar 

system—developing new technologies, inspiring future 

generations, and expanding our knowledge about our place 

in the universe. 

Rocket Configurations 

The first SLS vehicle configuration is called Block 1. It 

weighs 2.6 million kg (5.75 million lb) when fueled and 

stands 98 m (322 ft) tall. That is taller than the Statue of 

Liberty. The SLS will produce 39.1 million newtons 

(8.8 million lb) of thrust at liftoff, equivalent to more than 

160,000 Corvette engines. The initial Block 1 configuration 

of the SLS can send more than 26 metric tons, or 57,000 lb, 

to orbits beyond the Moon. It will be powered by twin fivesegment solid rocket boosters and four RS–25 liquid 

propellant engines. After reaching space, the Interim 

Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is capable of sending 

Orion on to the Moon. Using the Block 1 configuration, the 

first SLS mission, Artemis I, will launch an uncrewed Orion 

spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the Moon and bring it 

back to Earth. This mission will demonstrate the integrated 

system performance of the SLS rocket, the Orion 

spacecraft, and ground support teams prior to a crewed 

flight. The second SLS mission is Artemis II, and it will launch Orion with a crew of up to four astronauts to a distance near the Moon 

that is farther than humans have ever ventured. 

Artist’s rendering of NASA’s Space Launch System. (NASA) 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Space Launch System (SLS) configurations. (NASA) 

The next planned evolution of the SLS, the Block 1B crew vehicle, will use a new, more powerful Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) to 

enable more ambitious missions to the proving ground of space near and beyond the Moon, where NASA will test systems needed 

for future missions to Mars. In a single launch, the Block 1B vehicle can carry the Orion spacecraft along with exploration systems 

such as a small deep space habitat module, or it can fly dedicated missions carrying larger exploration systems or science spacecraft 

under a payload fairing. The Block 1B crewed configuration will be approximately 111 m (364 ft) tall, which is taller than the Saturn V 

rocket that took astronauts to the Moon. 

A later evolution, Block 2, will provide 52.9 newtons (11.9 million lb) of thrust and will be the workhorse vehicle for assembling a 

human mission to Mars and sending cargo to the Moon, Mars, and other deep space destinations. SLS Block 2 will be designed to 

lift more than 45 metric tons (99,000 lb) to deep space. 

Rocket Technologies 

The Boeing Company in Huntsville, Alabama, is developing the SLS core stage, including the avionics that will control the vehicle 

during flight. Towering more than 60 m (200 ft) tall with a diameter of 8.41 m (27.6 ft), the core stage will store 2.76 million L (730,000 

gal) of super-cooled liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen that will fuel the RS–25 engines for the SLS. The core stage is being built at 

NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans using state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, including a friction stir welding 

tool that is the largest of its kind in the world. At the same time, the rocket’s avionics computer software is being developed at NASA’s 

Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Initial Block 1 Configuration Concept for the Space Launch System. (NASA) 

In each configuration, the SLS will continue to use the same core stage design with 

four RS–25 engines for propulsion. Aerojet Rocketdyne of Sacramento, California, is 

upgrading an existing inventory of 16 RS–25 space shuttle engines to SLS 

performance requirements, including a new engine controller, nozzle insulation, and 

required operation at 1.8 million newtons (418,000 lb) of thrust, instead of the 1.76 

million newtons (395,000 lb) of thrust used for the space shuttle. 

Two shuttle-derived solid rocket boosters will be used for the initial flights of the SLS. 

Each one provides 16 million newtons (3.6 million lb) of thrust. Northrop Grumman 

is a company headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, and the prime contractor for the 

boosters. To provide the additional power needed for the rocket, they had to modify 

the boosters from the shuttle’s configuration, which used four propellant segments, 

to a five-segment version. The design also includes new avionics, propellant design, 

case insulation, and elimination of the recovery parachutes. Northrop Grumman has 

successfully completed a full-duration booster qualification ground test. 

The initial capability to propel Orion out of Earth’s orbit for Artemis I will come from 

an ICPS, which was modified from the successful second stage of the United Launch 

Alliance’s Delta IV family of rockets. Cryogenic propellants are fluids chilled to 

extremely cold temperatures and condensed to form liquids that can be used 

to provide high-energy propulsion. The ICPS will generate 110,093 newtons 

(24,750 lb) of thrust. The big in-space push comes from one RL–10 engine, which 

was the Nation's first liquid hydrogen-oxygen engine used in the upper stages of the 

Apollo-Saturn program. 

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RS–25 engine undergoing a hot-fire test. (NASA) 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Four RS–25 engines that will power the Space Launch System. (Aerojet Rocketdyne/NASA) 

While work progresses on the initial Block 

1 SLS, an advanced development team is 

investing in new systems and technologies 

that will make the SLS even more 

powerful, while improving affordability and 

increasing reliability. This evolved, flexible 

approach lets the SLS carry out a wide 

variety of missions sooner, while 

incrementally increasing the power of the 

vehicle. 

Future configurations of the SLS will 

include the larger EUS for more capable 

human and robotic missions to deep 

space. The EUS will replace the Block 1 

ICPS and utilize an 8.4-m- (27.6-ft-) 

diameter forward liquid hydrogen tank and 

a smaller diameter liquid oxygen tank. 

Reaching the SLS’s full potential will 

require many advanced technologies, 

including boosters with a significant 

increase in performance over existing 

boosters. NASA has engaged with 

industry teams to research benefits, new 

technologies, and strategies for liquid and 

solid advanced boosters that reduce risks 

while enhancing affordability, improving 

reliability, and meeting performance goals 

of the future. 

Infographic showing Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Artist’s rendering of Space Launch System liftoff. (NASA) 

Infographic summarizing features of the Space Launch System’s solid rocket boosters. 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity One: Design a Foam Rocket With Stabilizing Fins 

Educator Notes 

Challenge Suggested Time 

Students will work together in pairs or small teams to design fins for a foam rocket to increase its 60 to 90 minutes 

stability. 

Learning Objectives 

Students will 

• Apply the steps of the engineering design process to successfully complete a team challenge. 

• Design, build, and test their own foam rocket. 

• Collect data for comparison with other groups. 

• Improve their fin design to increase rocket stability. 

• Understand the relationship between a rocket’s stability and its trajectory. 

Curriculum Connection 

Science and Engineering (NGSS) 

Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts 

• MS-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions: Plan an investigation to provide • Cause and Effect: Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. Deciphering 

evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object causal relationships, and the mechanisms by which they are mediated, is a major activity of 

and the mass of the object. science and engineering. 

PS2.A: Forces and Motion: The motion of an object is determined by the sum of the forces • System and System Models: A system is an organized group of related objects or components; 

acting on it; if the total force on the object is not zero, its motion will change. The greater the models can be used for understanding and predicting the behavior of systems. 

mass of the object, the greater the force needed to achieve the same change in motion. For • Structure and Function: The way an object is shaped or structured determines many of its 

any given object, a larger force causes a larger change in motion. properties and functions. 

• MS-ETS1-1 Engineering Design: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with • Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology: Engineering advances have led to 

sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have led to the 

and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions. development of entire industries and engineered systems. 

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems: The more precisely a design task’s 

criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed solution will be 

successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific principles and other 

relevant knowledge that are likely to limit possible solutions. 

• MS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and 

differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can 

be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success. 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: There are systematic processes for evaluating 

solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. 

Sometimes parts of different solutions can be combined to create a solution that is better than 

any of its predecessors.

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: Although one design may not perform the best across 

all tests, identifying the characteristics of the design that performed the best in each test can 

provide useful information for the redesign process—that is, some of those characteristics may 

be incorporated into the new design. 

• MS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design: Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and 

modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved. 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: A solution needs to be tested, and then modified on 

the basis of the test results, in order to improve it. Models of all kinds are important for testing 

solutions. 

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: The iterative process of testing the most promising 

solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads to greater 

Science and Engineering Practices 

• Asking Questions and Defining Problems: A practice of science is to ask and refine questions 

that lead to descriptions and explanations of how the natural and designed world works and 

which can be empirically tested. 

• Developing and Using Models: A practice of both science and engineering is to use and 

construct models as helpful tools for representing ideas and explanations. These tools include 

diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, mathematical representations, analogies, and computer 

simulations. 

• Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Scientific investigations produce data that must be analyzed 

in order to derive meaning. Because data patterns and trends are not always obvious, scientists 

use a range of tools—including tabulation, graphical interpretation, visualization, and statistical 

analysis—to identify the significant features and patterns in the data. Scientists identify sources 

of error in the investigations and calculate the degree of certainty in the results. Modern 

technology makes the collection of large data sets much easier, providing secondary sources 

for analysis. 

• Using Math and Computational Thinking: In both science and engineering, mathematics and 

computation are fundamental tools for representing physical variables and their relationships. 

They are used for a range of tasks such as constructing simulations; statistically analyzing data; 

and recognizing, expressing, and applying quantitative relationships. 

• Construct Explanations and Design Solutions: The products of science are explanations and 

the products of engineering are solutions. 

refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution. 

Technology (ISTE) 

Standards for Students Standards for Students (continued) 

• Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to 4c: Students develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process. 

construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts, and make meaningful learning experiences for • Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their 

themselves and others. learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. 3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing 

ideas and theories, and pursuing answers and solutions. 

• Innovative Designer: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and 

7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and 

responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal. 

solve problems by creating new, useful, or imaginative solutions. 

Mathematics (CCSS) 

Mathematical Practices 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 

Mathematical Practices (continued) 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 

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Preparation Time 

30 minutes 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

• Read the Introduction and Background, Educator Notes, and Student Handout to become familiar with the activity. 

• Gather and prepare all supplies listed on the materials list. 

• If presenting videos or web-based resources, test the links and the classroom technology ahead of time. 

• Prepare an area for launching the rockets with little to no wind. A gymnasium or wide hallway with a high ceiling is ideal. The 

activity can be performed outside, but the trajectory of the rocket is affected by wind. 

• Prepare the horizontal range. Secure a long tape measure, or a string or rope with markings, along the ground in a straight line 

to indicate the planned path of travel for the rocket trajectory. Teams will launch from the start of the range and try to land their 

rocket downrange as close to this line as possible. 

• Make the launcher ahead of time using the following directions: 

1. Print the launcher quadrant template on cardstock paper. (The template is provided at the end of the Educator Notes.) 

2. Cut out the template and fold it on the dashed line. 

 

3. Tape the quadrant to the meterstick with the black dot directly over the 60-cm mark on the stick. 

4. Press a push tack into the black dot. 

5. Tie a string to the push tack and hang a small weight (e.g., a nut or a washer) on the string. The weight 

should swing freely. Depending on the size of your class, you may want to make more than one launcher. 

6. Refer to the diagram below for launch instructions. 

Using the Launcher 

1. Loop the rubberband over the launcher end at 

the 0-cm mark. 

2. Pull on the fin end of the rocket until the nose 

cone is aligned with the 30-cm mark. 

3. Tilt the launcher up at the chosen angle as 

indicated by the string and weight on the 

quadrant. 

4. Align the launcher with the horizontal range. 

5. Release and launch the rocket! 

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Foam rocket on launcher aligned for a 45° launch. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Materials 

 Polyethylene foam pipe insulation for 1/2-in.-size pipe (one 30-cm piece per group) 

 Rubberbands (size 64) 

 Foam food trays, cardboard, or stiff posterboard 

 Duct tape 

 Scissors 

 Copies of Student Handout and blank paper 

 Meterstick 

 Masking tape 

 Press tack 

 Washer or nut 

 Long tape measures and/or rolling measuring wheel (used to indicate the horizontal 

rocket range and to measure distances to where the rocket landed) 

 Safety glasses 

 Launcher quadrant template printed on cardstock 

Introduce the Challenge 

• Provide context for this activity using the Introduction and Background information in this 

guide. Discuss what it means for rockets to be stable versus unstable, and how rocket 

stability will affect its planned trajectory. Explain that well-designed fins will increase the 

stability of a rocket while creating minimal aerodynamic drag. 

• Explain the role of engineers in designing technology to solve problems. Share the NASA 

for Kids video Intro to Engineering and introduce the engineering design process. 

• Introduce any new terminology (e.g., aerodynamics, drag, range, stability, and trajectory). 

• Remind students of lab safety (e.g., wear eye protection and do not stand downrange 

during launch). 

• Distribute the Student Handout and blank paper and explain the challenge and any design 

constraints. 

Design Constraints 

1. Each team will receive the same materials and instructions to construct a foam rocket 

and fins. Each team is to design its own fins, choosing the size, shape, and profile. 

2. Each team must follow instructions for launching a foam rocket that will land downrange 

as close as possible to the planned path of travel. 

The planned path of travel is the horizontal range indicated by the long tape measure. 

The actual path of travel is the straight-line distance from the end of the launcher to 

where the rocket landed. The more stable the rocket, the less it will deviate from its 

planned trajectory and the closer it will land to the tape measure. 

Facilitate the Challenge 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• What problems or obstacles do you anticipate during this challenge? 

• What are some ideas you have for your fin designs? 

• What physical forces will come into play during this challenge? 

• What is the means of propulsion for the foam rocket? 

Share With Students 

Brain Booster 

Launching the SLS relies on 

Newton’s third law of motion, 

which states that for every 

action there is an equal and 

opposite reaction. The RS–25 

rocket engines produce thrust 

with liquid hydrogen-oxygen 

propellants. When the 

propellants burn, hot gases flow 

through a nozzle and accelerate 

out of the engine. In reaction, a 

thrusting force is produced in 

the opposite direction of the 

escaping gases, launching the 

SLS into space. 

Learn more: 

https://blogs.nasa.gov/Rocketol 

ogy/tag/newtons-third-law/ 

On Location 

A pair of huge machines called 

crawler-transporters have 

carried rockets and spacecraft 

to the launch pad at NASA’s 

Kennedy Space Center in 

Florida for more than 50 years. 

Each is the size of a baseball 

infield. Powered by locomotive 

and large electrical power 

generator engines, these 

crawler-transporters stand 

ready to keep up the work for 

the next generation of launch 

vehicles to lift astronauts into 

space. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/content/ 

the-crawlers 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Create 

• Each team will build a foam rocket using the instructions on the Student Handout. 

• Students may need assistance with making “nesting” fin pairs. Explain how the notches are on opposite ends of the fin (top and 

bottom) and demonstrate how the two pieces slide together to make four fins. 

Test 

1. Demonstrate proper launch technique. 

Each team will launch their rocket three times at three different angles (30°, 45°, and 60°). 

When launching the foam rocket, pull the rocket back until the nose cone is at the 30-cm mark, tilt the launcher to the 

correct angle for each test, and make sure the launcher is aligned with the horizontal range or the straight line indicating 

the planned path of travel for the rocket trajectory. Teams will launch from the start of the range and try to land their rocket 

downrange as close to this line as possible. 

For consistency, consider placing the bottom edge of the launcher on a table to ensure that the vertical launch height 

remains constant. 

2. Demonstrate proper measuring technique. 

Teams will measure and record two distances. 

First, they will find the downrange distance (Line segment F), or how far the rocket traveled horizontally from the front of 

the launcher to the point where the rocket first hit the ground before sliding or bouncing. 

Second, they will find the distance off course (Line segment H), or how far off the rocket was from the planned trajectory. 

This is also measured from where the rocket first hit the ground before sliding or bouncing. Remind students that to measure 

the distance between a point and a line, they must find the perpendicular line segment joining the two. 

Overhead view 

11  Next Gen STEM 

A Launchsite 

B Ideal or planned trajectory 

C End point of planned trajectory 

D Actual trajectory of launched rocket 

E Point where rocket landed 

F Downrange distance traveled 

G Straight line from launchsite to point where rocket landed 

H Distance off course 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Improve 

• Give each team additional supplies to redesign and build another set of fins. Ask them to consider the stability and trajectory of 

their first set of launches and think of what improvements could be made to their fin design. 

• Discuss different variables that may impact their results, including the elasticity of the rubberband. 

• The goal is to increase the stability of their rocket, which is measured by how close they are to landing near the tape measure or 

meterstick without a significant decrease in the range of their rocket or how far the rocket traveled from the launchsite. 

• Teams will repeat steps 4 to 6 of the rocket building procedure, conduct three launches, and then compare the results of their 

redesigned fins with the results of their original design. 

Share 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• Why was it important to launch from different angles in the tests? 

• Did your redesigned fins improve the stability of your rocket in all three test launches? If not, why? 

• What were some tradeoffs or compromises that you had to make in your fin design? 

• What was the most innovative solution in the class? 

Extensions 

• Allow time for additional iterations of the engineering design process. 

• Ask students to consider center of mass and investigate how it impacts rocket stability. 

• Measure the dimensions of each fin and use geometry to find the area. Gather data from the entire class. Plot a graph comparing 

area of a fin with horizontal distance traveled by each rocket. 

• For advanced students, apply the rules of sine, cosine, or tangent to find angle CAE (in degrees) between the planned path of 

travel and the actual path of travel for the rocket. By finding angle CAE, teams can compare results across different fin designs, 

launch angles, and so forth. 

• For advanced students, capture video of the launch and use the open-source Tracker Video Analysis and Modeling Tool 

(https://physlets.org/tracker) to collect data about position, velocity, or acceleration. 

Reference 

Modified from Rocket Activity: Foam Rocket. https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/295787main_Rockets_Foam_Rocket.pdf 

Additional Resources 

• Video: The Hardware for NASA’s Artemis 1 Mission Comes Together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdu1ROHLDrk 

• 3,2,1 ... Lift-Off of the Artemis 1 Mission to the Moon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VvozsSG23w 

• Digital Badging: Online NASA STEM Learning. https://www.txstate-epdc.net/digital-badging/ 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Launcher Quadrant Template 

(Actual Size) 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity One: Design a Foam Rocket With 

Stabilizing Fins 

Student Handout 

Your Challenge 

Design fins for a foam rocket to increase its stability. 

Design Constraints 

1. You are only allowed to use the supplies provided by your teacher. You must follow 

instructions for constructing the foam rocket. However, your team is to design your 

own fins, choosing the size, shape, and profile. 

2. Your team must follow instructions for launching a foam rocket that will land 

downrange as close as possible to the planned path of travel. 

The planned path of travel is the horizontal range indicated by the long tape measure. 

The actual path of travel is the straight-line distance from the end of the launcher to 

where the rocket landed. The more stable the rocket, the less it will deviate from its 

planned trajectory and the closer it will land to the tape measure. 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

• How do you think the size, shape, weight, or location of the fins on a rocket can affect its 

stability? 

• How does rocket stability affect trajectory? 

• What questions do you have about today’s challenge? 

Create 

Your team will build a foam rocket using the following procedures. You must follow the 

procedures carefully, along with any additional instructions from your teacher. 

1. Cut four equally spaced slits at one end of the foam tube. The slits should be about 

12 cm long. The fins will be mounted through these slits. 

2. Cut approximately 12 cm of duct tape down the middle to make two 12-cm-long pieces. 

Place one piece over the other, sticky side to shiny side, to make the tape doubly strong. 

Fun Fact 

American college professor and 

scientist Robert Goddard built 

and flew the world’s first liquid 

propellant rocket on March 16, 

1926. Although its flight was 

unimpressive, climbing only 

12.5 m, it was the forerunner of 

the Saturn V Moon rocket 

43 years later. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ 

goddard/about/history/dr_god 

dard.html 

Career Corner 

We are NASA! It is the power of 

team spirit at NASA that moves 

us forward. NASA’s people 

have a wide variety of 

knowledge and skills. Every 

SLS team member brings an 

essential piece of the puzzle to 

ensure mission success. We 

invite you to explore several 

career profiles that will help 

launch the SLS to a whole new 

era of lunar exploration and 

help us learn what we need to 

send astronauts safely to Mars. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/ 

systems/sls/profiles.html 

14  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

3. Slip a rubberband over the tape and press the tape around the nose end of the rocket (opposite the end with the fins). Press 

the tape tightly and reinforce it with another length of tape wrapped around the foam tube. 

4. Design fin pairs by drawing them on your own sheet of paper. 

5. Create the fin pairs using a foam food tray, stiff cardboard, posterboard, or other materials provided by 

your teacher. Both fin pairs should be notched so that they can “nest,” or slide together, as shown here. 

Different fin shapes can be used, but they should still nest together. 

6. Carefully nest your fin pairs together and adjust them until they are even and at right angles to each 

other. Then slide the nested fins into the slits cut in the rear end of the rocket. 

7. Wrap a piece of duct tape around the end of the foam tube to secure the fins. The rocket is finished and ready to launch. 

Test 

1. On a sheet of paper, make a Fin Design Launch Tests table like the one that follows here to record your test results. 

2. Follow your teacher’s instructions for how to properly launch the rocket at the correct angle. This will be Trial 1. 

3. Try to launch your rocket straight down the tape measure or meterstick. This is the planned path of travel along the horizontal 

range. Refer to the launch diagram to help determine your measurements. 

4. After each launch, record the downrange distance (Line segment F), or how far your rocket traveled horizontally from the front of 

the launcher (Point A) to the farthest point along the planned trajectory (Point C). This point will be straight across from where 

the rocket first hit the ground (Point E) before sliding or bouncing. 

5. Next, measure the distance off course (Line segment H), or how far off the rocket was from the planned trajectory. This is the 

shortest distance between the tape measure (Point C) and the point where your rocket first hit the ground (Point E) before sliding 

or bouncing. 

6. Make notes in your table of anything you observed about your rocket’s stability and trajectory. 

15  Next Gen STEM 
Overhead view 

A Launchsite 

B Ideal or planned trajectory 

C End point of planned trajectory 

D Actual trajectory of launched rocket 

E Point where rocket landed 

F Downrange distance traveled 

G Straight line from launchsite to point where rocket landed 

H Distance off course 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Fin Design Launch Tests 

Launch angle, 

deg 

Downrange distance 

traveled 

(Line segment F) 

Distance off 

course 

(Line segment H) 

Notes 

Trial 1 

(First fin design) 

30 

45 

60 

30 

Trial 2 

(Redesigned fins) 45 

60 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Improve 

The purpose of fins on a rocket is to increase the rocket’s stability and keep its trajectory on course. However, fins can also create 

aerodynamic drag that can slow down the rocket and affect its range. Your goal is to redesign your fins to improve your rocket’s 

performance, indicated by its ability to stay on course with little or no impact on the distance traveled. 

1. Sketch your redesigned fins on the paper provided by your teacher. Indicate how to make the notches so your fin pairs will nest 

together. 

2. Remove the original fins and repeat steps 5 to 7 from the Create section. 

3. After installing the redesigned fins, repeat the test launches. This will be Trial 2. 

4. Record your Trial 2 results in your Launch Tests table. 

5. Create a Launch Tests Comparison table like the one below and use it to compare the results of your two sets of launches. 

Launch Tests Comparison 

Launch 

angle, 

deg 

Which rocket 

(Trial 1 or 2) had a greater 

downrange distance? 

By how 

much? 

Which rocket 

went farther off 

course? 

By how 

much? 

Were the redesigned fins an overall 

improvement for this launch angle? 

Why or why not? 

30 

45 

60 

Share 

• Why was it important to launch from different angles in the tests? 

• Did your redesigned fins improve the stability of your rocket in all three test launches? If not, why? 

• What were some tradeoffs or compromises that you had to make in your fin design? 

• What was the most innovative solution in the class? 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity Two: Track the Altitude of a Rocket 

Educator Notes 

Challenge Suggested Time 

Students will construct and use an altitude tracker and altitude calculator to estimate the height of a 120 minutes 

rocket at apogee (the highest point of the trajectory of the rocket). 

Learning Objectives 

Students will 

• Construct and use an altitude tracker to collect and analyze data from the flight of a rocket. 

• Construct and use an altitude calculator to estimate the height of a rocket at apogee. 

• Use a tangent table to estimate the height of the rocket at apogee and compare the result to that of the altitude calculator. 

Curriculum Connection 

Science and Engineering (NGSS) 

Crosscutting Concepts 

• Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology: Engineering advances have 

led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have 

led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems. 

Science and Engineering Practices 

• Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Scientific investigations produce data that must be 

analyzed in order to derive meaning. Because data patterns and trends are not always 

obvious, scientists use a range of tools—including tabulation, graphical interpretation, 

visualization, and statistical analysis—to identify the significant features and patterns in the 

Science and Engineering Practices (continued) 

• Using Math and Computational Thinking: In both science and engineering, mathematics 

and computation are fundamental tools for representing physical variables and their 

relationships. They are used for a range of tasks such as constructing simulations; 

statistically analyzing data; and recognizing, expressing, and applying quantitative 

relationships. 

• Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information: Scientists and engineers must be 

able to communicate clearly and persuasively the ideas and methods they generate. 

Critiquing and communicating ideas individually and in groups is a critical professional 

data. Scientists identify sources of error in the investigations and calculate the degree of 

certainty in the results. Modern technology makes the collection of large data sets much 

easier, providing secondary sources for analysis. 

activity. 

Technology (ISTE) 

Standards for Students 

• Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools 

to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning 

experiences for themselves and others. 

3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, 

developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions. 

• Computational Thinker: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and 

solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and 

test solutions. 

Standards for Students (continued) 

5c: Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop 

descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem solving. 

• Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their 

learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. 

7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and 

responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal. 

Mathematics (CCSS) 

Content Standards by Domain 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.B.3: Fluently add, subtract, multiply, and divide multidigit 

decimals using the standard algorithm for each operation. 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.NS.A.2: Apply and extend previous understandings of 

multiplication and division and of fractions to multiply and divide rational numbers. 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.NS.A.2.C: Apply properties of operations as strategies to 

multiply and divide rational numbers. 

Content Standards by Domain (continued) 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.NS.A.3: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving 

the four operations with rational numbers. 

Mathematical Practices 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4: Model with mathematics. 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6: Attend to precision. 

Preparation Time 

15 minutes 

• Read the Introduction and Background, Educator Notes, and Student Handout to become familiar with the activity. 

• Gather and prepare all supplies listed on the materials list. 

• Print the two templates for the altitude calculator onto heavyweight paper or glue the templates onto lightweight posterboard for 

each team. (Templates can be found at the end of the Educator Notes.) 

• A teacher aide or older student should place the front template for the altitude calculator on a cutting surface and cut out the 

three oval windows. A sharp knife or razor works best. 

• Students will be constructing the altitude trackers for this activity, so no preparation work is needed for this item. 

18  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

• Determine which rocket activity you would like to pair with this challenge (e.g., Activity 

One foam rocket, Activity Four water rocket, or NASA’s online Pop! Rocket activity). 

• Set up tracking station locations at 5-m intervals from the launchsite. The more powerful 

the rocket, the farther away each station should be from the launchsite. Depending upon 

the expected altitude of the rocket, the tracking station should be 5, 15, or 30 m away. 

(Generally, a 5-m distance is sufficient for foam or Pop! Rockets, a 15-m distance is 

sufficient for water rockets, and a 30-m distance is sufficient for model rockets.) 

Materials 

 Altitude tracker template 

 Altitude calculator template 

 Copy of tangent table 

 Copies of Student Handout and blank paper 

 Thread or lightweight string 

 Cardboard or posterboard 

 Glue 

 Clear tape 

 Small washers 

 Milkshake straws 

 Brass paper fasteners 

 Scissors 

 Razor blade knife and cutting surface 

 Meterstick or metric tape measure 

 Rocket and launcher (e.g., water rocket, foam rocket, or Pop! Rocket) 

Introduce the Challenge 

• Introduce any new terminology (e.g., altitude, angle of elevation, apogee, baseline 

tangent, and trajectory). 

• Discuss different methods for determining the height of a rocket during launch. 

• Explain that determining the altitude of a rocket is a team activity. While part of the team 

prepares and launches the rocket, the other team members will measure the angle of 

elevation of the rocket at the highest point of its trajectory from a tracking station. The 

angle measurement is then used with an altitude calculator and/or tangent table to 

determine the height at apogee. Roles should be reversed so everyone gets a chance at 

both activities. 

• Distribute the Student Handout and blank paper and explain the challenge. 

Facilitate the Challenge 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• At what angle should you launch your rocket for maximum altitude? 

• What would happen if you changed the launch angle? 

• Besides launch angle, what other factors will impact the trajectory of your rocket? 

• What are some possible sources of error in this activity? How could your team eliminate 

or reduce them? (One recommendation is to set up multiple tracking stations and average 

the results from those measurements.) 

Share With Students 

Brain Booster 

The markings on the outside of 

the SLS’s solid rocket boosters 

look like black-and-white 

checkerboards and serve as 

“targets” for cameras located in 

strategic locations on and 

around the vehicle. These 

markings will be used for 

photogrammetry, the science of 

using photography to help 

measure distances between 

objects. These targets will 

enable photogrammetrists to 

measure critical distances 

during spaceflight, including 

booster separation from the 

core stage. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/ 

systems/sls/space-launchsystem-solid-rocket-boosters-ontarget-for-first-flight.html 

On Location 

The Boeing Company in 

Huntsville, Alabama, is building 

the SLS core stage, including 

the avionics that will control the 

vehicle during flight. Towering 

more than 60 m (200 ft) with a 

diameter of 8.4 m (27.6 ft), 

the core stage will store 

2,760,000 L (730,000 gal) of 

super-cooled liquid hydrogen 

and liquid oxygen that will fuel 

the RS–25 engines. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/defa 

ult/files/atoms/files/sls_core_sta 

ge_fact_sheet_01072016.pdf 

19  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Create 

• Tip: The altitude tracker is simple enough for everyone to make their own, but they can also be shared. 

Test 

• Ask the teams to determine the maximum altitude that can be measured with their altitude tracker at each of the three tracking 

station locations (5, 15, and 30 m). 

Share 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• What was the greatest challenge for your team today? 

• Were there any differences in the measurement of the altitude of the rocket for each trial using the altitude calculator versus the 

tangent table? Why or why not? 

• What factors affected your team’s ability to determine the rocket’s altitude? How might you adjust this experiment to get more 

accurate results? 

Extensions 

• Challenge your students to demonstrate their proficiency with altitude tracking by sighting on a fixed object of known height and 

comparing their results. 

• Employ two or more tracking stations from different perspectives or different distances. Compare measurements from each 

station and calculate the average. 

• Apply basic trigonometry to calculate the height of the rocket at apogee. Compare the results to those of the altitude calculator 

and tangent table. 

• Experiment with different launch angles and graph angle versus altitude. 

Reference 

Modified from Altitude Tracking: https://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Altitude_Tracking.pdf 

Additional Resource 

• Activity: Pop! Rocket. https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/pop-rockets.html 

• Digital Badging: Online NASA STEM Learning. https://www.txstate-epdc.net/digital-badging/ 

20  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Altitude Tracker Template 

21  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Altitude Calculator Template—Front 

22  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Altitude Calculator Template—Back 

23  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Tangent Table 

Degree Tan Degree Tan Degree Tan 

0 0.0000 

1 0.0174 31 0.6008 61 1.8040 

2 0.0349 32 0.6248 62 1.8807 

3 0.0524 33 0.6494 63 1.9626 

4 0.0699 34 0.6745 64 2.0603 

5 0.0874 35 0.7002 65 2.1445 

6 0.1051 36 0.7265 66 2.2460 

7 0.1227 37 0.7535 67 2.3558 

8 0.1405 38 0.7812 68 2.4750 

9 0.1583 39 0.8097 69 2.6050 

10 0.1763 40 0.8390 70 2.7474 

11 0.1943 41 0.8692 71 2.9042 

12 0.2125 42 0.9004 72 3.0776 

13 0.2308 43 0.9325 73 3.2708 

14 0.2493 44 0.9656 74 3.4874 

15 0.2679 45 1.0000 75 3.7320 

16 0.2867 46 1.0355 76 4.0107 

17 0.3057 47 1.0723 77 4.3314 

18 0.3249 48 1.1106 78 4.7046 

19 0.3443 49 1.1503 79 5.1445 

20 0.3639 50 1.1917 80 5.6712 

21 0.3838 51 1.2348 81 6.3137 

22 0.4040 52 1.2799 82 7.1153 

23 0.4244 53 1.3270 83 8.1443 

24 0.4452 54 1.3763 84 9.5143 

25 0.4663 55 1.4281 85 11.4300 

26 0.4877 56 1.4825 86 14.3006 

27 0.5095 57 1.5398 87 19.0811 

28 0.5317 58 1.6003 88 28.6362 

29 0.5543 59 1.6642 89 57.2899 

30 0.5773 60 1.7320 90 ------------

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity Two: Track the Altitude of a Rocket 

Student Handout 

Your Challenge 

Construct and use an altitude tracker and altitude calculator to estimate the height of a rocket 

at apogee (the highest point of the trajectory of the rocket). 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

• At what angle should you launch your rocket for maximum altitude? 

• What would happen if you changed the launch angle? 

• Besides launch angle, what other factors will impact the trajectory of your rocket? 

• What are some possible sources of error in this activity and how can your team mitigate 

them? 

• Discuss the best location for a tracking station to determine the altitude of your rocket. 

Depending upon the expected altitude of the rocket, the tracking station could be 5, 15, or 

30 m away. What is the maximum altitude that can be measured with the altitude tracker 

at each of the three tracking station locations (5, 15, and 30 m)? What distance will your 

team select for your tracking station and why? 

Create 

Construct both the altitude tracker and the altitude calculator using the following instructions. 

(Some of these steps may have already been completed by your teacher.) 

Constructing the Altitude Tracker 

1. Glue the altitude tracker template onto a piece of cardboard. 

Do not glue the portion of the tracker above the dashed line. 

2. Cut out the template and cardboard along the outside edges. 

3. Roll the part of the template not glued to the cardboard 

(shaded portion) around a milkshake straw and tape it along 

the top edge of the altitude tracker as a scope or sighting 

tube. 

4. Punch a tiny hole in the apex of the protractor quadrant (the 

point at the upper right-hand corner). 

5. Slip a thread or lightweight string through the hole. Knot the 

thread or string and tape it on the backside. 

6. Complete the tracker by hanging a small washer from the 

other end of the thread as shown in the illustration. 

Constructing the Altitude Calculator 

1. Carefully cut out the front and back templates for the altitude calculator. 

2. Join the two templates together where the center marks are located. Use a brass paper 

fastener to hold the pieces together. The pieces should rotate smoothly. 

Test 

Using the Altitude Tracker 

1. Create a data table like the one that follows here on your sheet of paper. 

Fun Fact 

Hot gases exit the nozzle of the 

RS–25 engine at 13 times the 

speed of sound, or fast enough 

to travel from Los Angeles to 

New York in 15 minutes! 

Learn more: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch 

?v=kJo157o_qaw 

Career Corner 

Mechanical engineers design, 

develop, build, and test 

mechanical devices, including 

tools, engines, and machines. 

NASA’s SLS rocket needs 

mechanical engineers to work 

on the many different 

components of the rocket. One 

of the components designed by 

NASA engineers is used to 

steer the rocket. This part 

moves the nozzle of the rocket 

engine to point the SLS in the 

right direction. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/ 

systems/sls/outreach/engineering 

.html 

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Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Trial Baseline distance, 

m 

Angle of elevation, 

deg 

Altitude using 

altitude calculator, 

m 

Tangent of 

the angle 

Altitude using 

tangent table, 

m 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

2. Select a tracking station location a short distance away from the rocket launchsite to measure the maximum height of the rocket 

using the altitude tracker. In your data table, record the baseline distance from the tracking station to the launch pad for each 

trial. 

3. As the rocket launches, the person doing the tracking will hold the tracker at eye level and tilt the tracker upward, following the 

trajectory with the sighting tube. Stop and hold the tracker steady when the rocket reaches apogee, its highest point before falling 

back to Earth. Have another team member read the angle the thread or string makes with the quadrant protractor and record the 

angle of elevation for each trial in the data table. 

4. Use the altitude calculator and/or tangent table to determine the altitude of the rocket in meters. 

Using the Altitude Calculator 

1. Rotate the inner wheel of the calculator so that the nose of the rocket pointer is aimed at the angle measured with the altitude 

tracker for each trial. 

2. Read the altitude of the rocket by looking in the appropriate window associated with the baseline distance from the tracking 

station to the launch pad. The altitude the rocket reached will be in the window beneath the markings for 5, 15, or 30 m. 

3. To achieve a more accurate measure of altitude, add the height from the ground to the eye level of the person holding the tracker. 

4. If the angle falls between two degree marks, average the altitude numbers above and below those marks. 

Using the Tangent Table 

1. Identify the tangent of each launch angle using the tangent table and record it in your data table. 

2. Multiply the tangent of the angle with the baseline distance to determine the altitude of the rocket for each trial. 

Share 

• Compare the values of the altitude of the rocket for each trial using the altitude calculator versus the tangent table. Were there 

any differences? Why or why not? 

• What factors affected your team’s ability to determine the rocket’s altitude? How might you adjust this experiment to get more 

accurate results? 

26  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity Three: Build a Multistage Balloon Rocket 

Educator Notes 

Challenge Suggested Time 

Students will work together as a team to design and build multistage balloon-powered rockets to 120 minutes 

demonstrate how rockets can achieve greater distances using the technology of staging. 

Learning Objectives 

Students will 

• Apply the steps of the engineering design process to successfully complete a team challenge. 

• Design and build their own multistage rocket and successfully launch it across the classroom. 

• Improve their rockets based upon the results of the experiment. 

• Demonstrate an understanding of Newton’s laws of motion and their application in rocket launches. 

Curriculum Connection 

Science and Engineering (NGSS) 

Disciplinary Core Ideas Disciplinary Core Ideas (continued) 

• MS-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions: Plan an investigation to provide ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: The iterative process of testing the most 

evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads 

object and the mass of the object. PS2.A: Forces and Motion. to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution. 

• MS-ETS1-1 Engineering Design: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem Crosscutting Concepts 

with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant 

scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may • Cause and Effect: Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. 

Deciphering causal relationships, and the mechanisms by which they are mediated, is a limit possible solutions. major activity of science and engineering. ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems: The more precisely a design • System and System Models: Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions— task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed such as inputs, processes, and outputs—and energy and matter flows within systems. 

solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific • Energy and Matter: Tracking energy and matter flows, into, out of, and within systems helps 

principles and other relevant knowledge that are likely to limit possible solutions. one understand their system’s behavior. 

• MS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and • Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology: Engineering advances have 

differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have 

can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success. led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems. 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: There are systematic processes for evaluating Science and Engineering Practices solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. 

Sometimes parts of different solutions can be combined to create a solution that is better 

than any of its predecessors. 

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: Although one design may not perform the best 

across all tests, identifying the characteristics of the design that performed the best in 

each test can provide useful information for the redesign process—that is, some of those 

characteristics may be incorporated into the new design. 

• Asking Questions and Defining Problems: A practice of science is to ask and refine 

questions that lead to descriptions and explanations of how the natural and designed world 

works and which can be empirically tested. 

• Developing and Using Models: A practice of both science and engineering is to use and 

construct models as helpful tools for representing ideas and explanations. These tools 

include diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, mathematical representations, analogies, 

and computer simulations. • MS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design: Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations: Scientists and engineers plan and carry out modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be investigations in the field or laboratory, working collaboratively as well as individually. Their 

achieved. investigations are systematic and require clarifying what counts as data and identifying 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: A solution needs to be tested, and then modified variables or parameters. 

on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it. Models of all kinds are important • Construct Explanations and Design Solutions 

for testing solutions. 

Technology (ISTE) 

Standards for Students Standards for Students (continued) 

• Computational Thinker: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and 4a: Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing 

solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and theories, creating innovative artifacts, or solving authentic problems. 

test solutions. 4c: Students develop, test, and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process. 

5c: Students break problems into component parts, extract key information, and develop • Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their 

descriptive models to understand complex systems or facilitate problem solving. learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. 

• Innovative Designer: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to 7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and 

identify and solve problems by creating new, useful, or imaginative solutions. responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal. 

Mathematics (CCSS) 

Content Standards by Domain 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their 

context, such as by: 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5.A: Reporting the number of observations. 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5.B: Describing the nature of the attribute under investigation, 

including how it was measured and its units of measurement. 

Mathematical Practices 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 

• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 

27  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Preparation Time 

30 minutes 

• Read the Introduction and Background, Educator Notes, and Student Handout to become 

familiar with the activity. 

• Gather and prepare all supplies listed on the materials list. 

• Print copies of the Student Handout for each team. 

• If presenting videos or web-based resources, test the links and the classroom technology 

ahead of time. 

• Prepare the classroom by setting up “launch pads” consisting of fishing line running across 

the classroom parallel to the floor but high enough so students are able to walk underneath 

them or near the walls. If you set up two launch pads side by side, students can launch 

simultaneously to race their rockets across the classroom. 

Materials 

 Foam coffee cups 

 Fishing line or smooth string 

 Long balloons (5- by 25-in. balloons work best) 

 Straight drinking straws 

 Scissors 

 Copies of Student Handout and blank paper 

 Masking tape 

 Balloon hand pumps (optional) 

 Wooden spring-type clothespins or

 Paper/pencil for brainstorming 

Introduce the Challenge 

 large binder clips 

• Provide context for this activity using the Introduction and Background information in this 

guide. Discuss how NASA uses rocket stages for deep space exploration. 

• Explain the role of engineers in designing technology to solve problems. Share the NASA 

video Intro to Engineering and introduce the engineering design process. 

• Introduce any new terminology (e.g., first stage, second stage, and thrust). 

• Distribute the Student Handout and blank paper and explain the challenge and constraints. 

Design Constraints 

1. Each team will receive the same materials to construct a multistage balloon-powered 

rocket that can travel across the classroom along fishing line. 

2. The balloon rocket must be securely attached to straws on the fishing line to provide 

guidance, navigation, and flight control during the launch. 

Demonstration 

Use the following instructions to demonstrate how to set up a two-stage rocket using two 

balloons and a foam cup. 

1. Thread the fishing line through the two straws. Stretch the fishing line snugly across a 

room and secure its ends. Make sure the line is just high enough for people to pass safely 

underneath or near a wall to avoid people walking into it. 

2. Cut the coffee cup in half so that the lip of the cup forms a continuous ring. 

3. Stretch the balloons by pre-inflating them. Inflate the first balloon about three-quarters full 

of air and squeeze its nozzle tight. Pull the nozzle through the ring. Twist the nozzle and 

Share With Students 

Brain Booster 

Johann Schmidlap was a 

German fireworks maker and 

rocket pioneer. He invented the 

step rocket, a multistaged 

transport system for lifting 

fireworks to higher altitudes. A 

large skyrocket (first stage) 

carried a smaller skyrocket 

(second stage). When the large 

rocket burned out, the smaller 

one continued to a higher 

altitude before showering the 

sky with glowing cinders. 

Schmidlap's idea is basic to all 

of today’s multistage rockets 

that travel to space. 

Learn more: 

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rock 

ets.html 

On Location 

As NASA’s mission and 

requirements have evolved, the 

Marshall Space Flight Center in 

Huntsville, Alabama, has 

evolved to support them. 

Marshall has developed worldclass capabilities in areas such 

as propulsion, materials, space 

environments, avionics, 

advanced manufacturing, life 

support, testing, and systems 

integration. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ 

marshall/home/index.html 

28  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

hold it shut with a clothespin or binder 

clip. Inflate the second balloon. While 

doing so, make sure the front end of the 

second balloon extends through the 

ring a short distance. As the second 

balloon inflates, it will press against the 

nozzle of the first balloon and take over 

the clip’s job of holding it shut. It may take a bit of practice to achieve this. Clip the nozzle of the second balloon shut also. 

4. Take the balloons to one end of the fishing line and tape each balloon to a straw with masking tape. The length of the balloons 

should be parallel to the fishing line, allowing the thrust to propel the balloons along the string. 

5. Remove the clip from the first balloon and untwist the nozzle. Remove the clip from the nozzle of the second balloon as well, but 

continue holding it shut with your fingers. 

6. Conduct a launch countdown. As you release the balloon you are holding, the escaping gas will propel both balloons along the 

fishing line. As the balloon you released expels air, it will separate from and release the nozzle of the other balloon, which will 

then provide thrust to continue to propel the balloon rocket across the string. 

Facilitate the Challenge 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• What is the benefit of a multistage rocket? 

• What factors could slow your rocket down as it moves across the string? 

• What problems do you anticipate encountering? 

Create, Test, and Improve 

• Each team will build multistage rockets using only the materials supplied. 

• Each team will test their design and make observations for systematic improvements to their rockets throughout the activity. 

Share 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• What problems did your team encounter? How did you solve these problems? 

• What forces prevented the rocket from reaching its destination? 

• What configuration of balloons was the most successful? 

• How do the experiment results compare or contrast to what you know of modern rocketry? 

• What was the most innovative solution in the class? 

Extensions 

• Encourage students to try other launch arrangements, such as side-by-side balloons, three-stage rockets, or multistage heavy 

lift (vertical) rockets. (Resource: Heavy Lifting Rocket Activity. https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/ 

files/sls_heavy_lifting_508.pdf) 

• Brainstorm ideas for flying a two-stage balloon rocket without the fishing line as a guide. How could the balloons be modified to 

make this possible? 

Reference 

Modified from Balloon Staging: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/rocket/TRCRocket/balloon_staging.html 

Additional Resources 

• Rocket Science in 60 Seconds Video Series. 

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/rocket_science_in_60_seconds 

• Digital Badging: Online NASA STEM Learning. https://www.txstate-epdc.net/digital-badging/ 

29  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity Three: Build a Multistage Balloon 

Rocket 

Student Handout 

Your Challenge 

Design and build a multistage balloon-powered rocket to demonstrate how rockets can 

achieve greater distances using the technology of staging. 

Design Constraints 

1. You are only allowed to use the supplies provided by your teacher. 

2. Your balloon rocket must be securely attached to straws on the fishing line to provide 

guidance, navigation, and flight control during the launch. 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

Discuss ways to configure two or more balloons in stages to design a rocket with enough thrust 

to travel across the room. 

• How many balloons will your team use? 

• How and where will the balloons be attached to the straws? 

• What problems do you anticipate encountering? 

• Sketch and label your ideas and design on the paper provided by your teacher. 

Create, Test, and Improve 

1. Assemble your multistage rocket design and attach it to the straws on the fishing line. 

2. On a sheet of paper, create a data table like the example below. 

3. Launch your rocket and record the distance traveled in your data table. 

4. Your team must conduct flight tests during construction and systematically improve the 

design after each test. Record observations during the flight tests that will help you modify 

your design. 

5. Redesign your rocket and balloon configuration to improve the thrust of the rocket and 

increase the distance traveled. 

Share 

Write a summary of your launch vehicle using correct 

science and technology terms. Describe the improvements 

made to your vehicle after each test and the resulting 

change in the rocket’s performance. 

• What was the greatest challenge for your team 

today? 

• What problems did your team encounter? How did 

you solve these problems? 

• What forces prevented the rocket from reaching its 

destination? 

• What configuration of balloons was the most 

successful? 

• How do the experiment results compare or contrast 

with what you know of modern rocketry? 

Flight Distance Traveled 

Test 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Fun Fact 

The power generated by four 

RS–25 engines is equivalent to 

the output of 16 Hoover Dams! 

Learn more: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch 

?v=MLgYJh6OFbY&feature=you 

tu.be 

Career Corner 

Testing 1, 2, 3... Researchers 

use wind tunnels to learn more 

about how an aircraft will fly. 

Aerodynamic testing for the 

SLS is a critical component to 

mission success. Discover a 

career as a research engineer 

and test scale models of aircraft 

and spacecraft of the future. 

Learn more: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch 

?v=_ChkbjRQq28&list=PLBEX 

DPatoWBmX3yrpEObbUoNF5r 

bbNcgX&index=27 

30  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity Four: Optimize a Water Rocket Engine 

Educator Notes 

Challenge Suggested Time 

Students will work together as a team to build an air-powered water rocket from a 2-liter soda bottle 120 minutes 

to find the optimal amount of water volume to air pressure for producing maximum thrust. 

Learning Objectives 

Students will 

• Construct flightworthy water rockets. 

• Find the optimal amount of water to compressed air within their water rockets to reach maximum performance (altitude). 

• Demonstrate an understanding of Newton’s second and third laws of motion and how they apply to rocket launches. 

Curriculum Connection 

Science and Engineering (NGSS) 

Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts (continued) 

• MS-PS2-2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions: Plan an investigation to provide • System and System Models: Models can be used to represent systems and their 

evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the interactions—such as inputs, processes, and outputs—and energy and matter flows within 

object and the mass of the object. PS2.A: Forces and Motion. systems. 

• MS-ETS1-1 Engineering Design: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem • Energy and Matter: Tracking energy and matter flows, into, out of, and within systems helps 

with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant one understand their system’s behavior. 

scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may • Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology: Engineering advances have 

limit possible solutions. led to important discoveries in virtually every field of science, and scientific discoveries have 

ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems: The more precisely a design led to the development of entire industries and engineered systems. 

task’s criteria and constraints can be defined, the more likely it is that the designed 

solution will be successful. Specification of constraints includes consideration of scientific 

principles and other relevant knowledge that are likely to limit possible solutions. 

• MS-ETS1-2 Engineering Design: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic 

process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. 

Science and Engineering Practices 

• Asking Questions and Defining Problems: A practice of science is to ask and refine 

questions that lead to descriptions and explanations of how the natural and designed world 

works and which can be empirically tested. 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: There are systematic processes for evaluating • Developing and Using Models: A practice of both science and engineering is to use and 

solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. construct models as helpful tools for representing ideas and explanations. These tools 

• MS-ETS1-3 Engineering Design: Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and include diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, mathematical representations, analogies, 

differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that and computer simulations. 

can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success. • Planning and Carrying Out Investigations: Scientists and engineers plan and carry out ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: There are systematic processes for evaluating 

solutions with respect to how well they meet the criteria and constraints of a problem. 

Sometimes parts of different solutions can be combined to create a solution that is better 

than any of its predecessors.

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: Although one design may not perform the best 

across all tests, identifying the characteristics of the design that performed the best in 

each test can provide useful information for the redesign process—that is, some of those 

characteristics may be incorporated into the new design. 

• MS-ETS1-4 Engineering Design: Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and 

modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved. 

investigations in the field or laboratory, working collaboratively as well as individually. Their 

investigations are systematic and require clarifying what counts as data and identifying 

variables or parameters. 

• Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Scientific investigations produce data that must be 

analyzed in order to derive meaning. Because data patterns and trends are not always 

obvious, scientists use a range of tools—including tabulation, graphical interpretation, 

visualization, and statistical analysis—to identify the significant features and patterns in the 

data. Scientists identify sources of error in the investigations and calculate the degree of 

certainty in the results. Modern technology makes the collection of large data sets much 

ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions: A solution needs to be tested, and then modified easier, providing secondary sources for analysis. 

on the basis of the test results, in order to improve it. Models of all kinds are important • Using Math and Computational Thinking: In both science and engineering, mathematics and 

for testing solutions. computation are fundamental tools for representing physical variables and their relationships. 

ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution: The iterative process of testing the most They are used for a range of tasks such as constructing simulations; statistically analyzing data; 

promising solutions and modifying what is proposed on the basis of the test results leads 

to greater refinement and ultimately to an optimal solution. and recognizing, expressing, and applying quantitative relationships. 

• Construct Explanations and Design Solutions: The products of science are explanations 

Crosscutting Concepts and the products of engineering are solutions. 

• Cause and Effect: Events have causes, sometimes simple, sometimes multifaceted. • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information: Scientists and engineers must be able 

Deciphering causal relationships, and the mechanisms by which they are mediated, is a to communicate clearly and persuasively the ideas and methods they generate. Critiquing and 

major activity of science and engineering. communicating ideas individually and in groups is a critical professional activity. 

Technology (ISTE) 

Standards for Students 

• Global Collaborator: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their 

learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. 

Standards for Students (continued) 

7c: Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and 

responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal. 

Mathematics (CCSS) 

Content Standards by Domain Mathematical Practices 

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5: Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 

context, such as by: • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5.A: Reporting the number of observations. others. 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5.B: Describing the nature of the attribute under • CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5: Use appropriate tools strategically. 

investigation, including how it was measured and its units of measurement. 

31  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Preparation Time 

2 to 3 hours for setup, but several weeks for collecting bottles 

• Read the Introduction and Background, Educator Notes, and Student Handout to become 

familiar with the activity. 

• Gather and prepare all supplies listed on the materials list. 

• Note: This activity requires a water rocket launcher. This apparatus can be built in a few 

hours using basic tools and materials found at most hardware stores. The Water Rocket 

Launcher Directions in NASA’s Rockets Educator Guide include a detailed supply list and 

building instructions for a water rocket launch stand. Commercial launchers are also 

available from many science education supply companies. 

• Tip: Each team will also need an empty 2-liter soda bottle to complete this activity and 

several spare bottles to replace any with damage. It is recommended that you begin 

collecting 2-liter soda bottles a few weeks before you plan to perform the activity. 

• If using a glue gun, even with cool-melt glue, set up a station for the glue gun to supervise 

safety and oversee proper use. 

• Precut the PVC pipe for the launch lugs (one per team; instructions follow here). 

• Optional: Construct the assembly stands for each team. 

• Review the Water Rocket Introduction below for additional context and ties to the 

curriculum. 

• If presenting videos or web-based resources, test the links and the classroom technology 

ahead of time. 

Water Rocket Introduction 

A water rocket is a chamber, usually a 2-liter soda bottle, partially filled with water. Air is forced 

inside the bottle with a pump. When the rocket is released, the pressurized air forces water out 

of the nozzle (pour spout). The bottle launches itself in the opposite direction. The bottle usually 

has a nose cone to reduce drag and fins for stability. Water rockets are easily capable of 

100-m-high flights, but advanced hobbyists have combined bottles to create staged rockets for 

flights over 300 m high. 

Water bottle rockets are ideal for teaching Newton’s laws of motion. The launch of the rocket 

easily demonstrates Newton’s third law. Students can see the water shooting out of the nozzle 

(action) and see the rocket streak into the sky (reaction). Students will experiment with different 

pressure levels inside the chamber and different amounts of water. The rocket will not fly very 

high if it is filled only with air. The air will quickly rush out during the launch, but its mass is very 

low. Consequently, the thrust produced is also low (Newton’s second law). When there is water 

in the bottle, the air must force the water out first before the air can leave the bottle. The water 

increases the mass expelled by the rocket, thereby increasing its thrust. 

Like all rockets, the flight performance of water bottle rockets is strongly influenced by the 

rocket’s design and the care taken in its construction. Beveling the leading and trailing edges 

of fins allows them to slice through the air more cleanly. Straight-mounted fins produce little 

friction or drag with the air. A small amount of ballast weight inside the nose cone helps to 

balance the rocket. This moves the center of mass of the rocket forward while still leaving a 

large fin surface area at the rear. 

Share With Students 

Brain Booster 

If heat energy from the SLS’s 

solid rocket boosters (SRBs) 

could be converted to electric 

power, two SRBs firing for 

2 minutes would produce 

2.3 million kWh of power, 

enough to supply power to over 

92,000 homes for a full day. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/defa 

ult/files/atoms/files/sls_at_a_gla 

nce_10202015.pdf 

On Location 

The 65-m- (212-ft-) tall core 

stage of the SLS will undergo 

testing on the B–2 test stand at 

NASA’s Stennis Space Center 

near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. 

The B–2 test stand is NASA’s 

largest rocket engine test stand 

and was built in the 1960s to 

test the engines of the Saturn 

V, the first rocket to travel to the 

Moon. These “Green Run” tests 

ensure mission success by 

proving and certifying new 

hardware ready for flight. 

Learn more: 

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ 

new-video-highlights-stennisspace-center-preparations-fornasa-space-launch-systemtesting 

https://www.youtube.com/watch 

?v=6rSsMtRyV70&feature=you 

tu.be 

32  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Launch Lug Construction 

Precut the PVC segments using a saw or PVC cutter. The cuts can be slanted to make them more aerodynamic 

(see picture). The segments act as launch lugs to guide the rocket up the launch rod during the first moments of the 

rocket’s skyward climb. 

Assembly Stand Construction (Optional) 

Construct assembly stands out of small blocks of wood. Attach a bottle cap to the middle of each 

board with a small screw and a washer through the cap. When students begin constructing their 

rockets, they can screw the bottleneck into the cap, and the board below will hold the rocket upright 

for gluing. The blocks are also a convenient way of storing the rockets upright when not being 

worked on. 

Launch lug with 

slanted cuts. 

Materials 

 Safety glasses 

 2-liter soda bottles with caps (one per team plus spare bottles) 

 Foam food trays, posterboard, and/or cardboard 

 Masking tape 

 Clear tape or low-temperature glue gun with cool-melt glue 

 4 oz. of clay 

 Sandpaper or emery boards 

 String, such as kite string 

 Art supplies 

 Copies of Student Handout and blank paper 

 Metric measuring cups (mL) 

 Water 

 Rocket launcher and bicycle pump or air compressor with regulator (see note in Preparation 

Time) 

 Launch lugs: 1/2-in.-diameter PVC pipe cut into pieces 1 to 2 in. long. (One launch lug per 

team) 

 Optional: Altitude tracker (from Activity Two) 

 Optional: Assembly stand 

 Board measuring 4×4×1 in. (one per team) 

 Small screw and washer 

Introduce the Challenge 

• Provide context for this activity using the Introduction and Background information in this guide and discuss how Newton’s laws 

of motion apply to rocketry. 

Optional: A balloon provides a simple example of how a rocket engine works. The air trapped inside the balloon pushes out 

the open end, causing the balloon to move forward. The force of the air escaping is the action; the movement of the balloon 

forward is the reaction. 

Ask students to explain the phenomenon of the balloon rocket launch to assess prior knowledge and identify misconceptions. 

Extend the concepts in the example of the balloon rocket to rockets for space travel. The combustion of fuel in a rocket 

engine produces great amounts of exhaust gas at high temperature and pressure. The hot exhaust passes through a nozzle, 

which accelerates the flow of gas. Thrust is produced according to Newton's third law of motion. 

• Explain the role of engineers in designing technology to solve problems. Share the NASA for Kids video Intro to Engineering and 

introduce the engineering design process. 

• Introduce any new terminology (e.g., pressure, propulsion, and Newton’s laws of motion). 

• Distribute the Student Handout and blank paper and explain the challenge and constraints. Ask students to make a hypothesis 

before starting this investigation. 

Make mounting stand by screwing the 

plastic bottle caps to the board. Use a 

washer for added strength. 

The Assembly Stand supports the 

rocket while it is being constructed. 

33  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Safety 

 Remind students of lab safety (e.g., wear eye protection and do not stand downrange during launch). 

 Only use low-temperature glue guns or tape. High-temperature glue guns can melt and weaken the plastic bottles. 

 Follow all safety instructions that accompany your water rocket launcher. 

 Always wear eye protection when near the launch pad. 

 Pump water rockets to a pressure no higher than 50 psi and NEVER allow a rocket to be pumped higher than 90 psi. 

 Keep the launch area clear and do not stand over the launcher during pressurization and launch. 

 Do not allow students to attempt to catch their falling rockets. 

Design Constraints 

1. Each team will receive the same materials to construct an air-powered water rocket. 

2. Each team must attach a launch lug to the side of the rocket between two fins and midway up the body of the rocket. 

3. After the rocket has been qualified for launch and certified flightworthy, the only variable that teams will change during testing is 

the volume of water added to the rocket. 

Facilitate the Challenge 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• What does it mean for a rocket engine to be efficient? What are the benefits of having an efficient engine? 

• How do you think changing the amount of water and air inside the rocket will change its efficiency? 

• When we test the water rockets, why do you think we keep the pressure constant for each launch? 

Create 

• Describe how fins can be smoothed with sandpaper to slice through the air with little drag. 

• Remind teams to add clay to the inside of their nose cones. Trim fin edges with sandpaper to give them knifeblade shapes to slice through the air. 

• Have teams glue a launch lug to the side of their rocket. The launch lug should be glued midway up the body 

of the rocket and positioned midway between two fins. 

Test and Improve 

• Conduct a preflight inspection before launch to ensure that the nose cone, launch lug, and rocket fins are securely attached. 

• When the rocket construction is complete, teams must qualify their rockets for flight by conducting swing tests. 

• Review launch procedures and safety with the teams. The instructions are outlined in NASA’s Rockets Educator Guide. 

• Set up a tracking station for measuring the altitudes achieved by the rockets. (See Activity Two, Track the Altitude of a Rocket.) 

• Follow all safety procedures and instructions when launching rockets. 

• Each team will launch their rocket several times. After each launch, the team will record the water volume, pressure, and altitude 

attained by their rocket in tables like the example shown on the Student Handout. Based on the altitude achieved by their rocket, 

the team will adjust the volume of water in their rocket (increase or decrease) in an attempt to reach a higher altitude. When they 

can no longer gain an increase in altitude by changing the volume of water in their rocket, they have found the optimum volume 

of water for their rocket engine and have optimized its efficiency. 

34  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Clear an open space for swing tests. 

Note: No matter how much water is in the bottle, increasing the pressure within the bottle will always produce more thrust. The 

challenge in this activity is to find the optimal amount of water volume to pressurized air within the bottle for maximum thrust, not 

merely to increase the pressure. To eliminate variables in the challenge, it is recommended to select a constant pressure (e.g., 40 or 

50 psi) to pressurize the bottles for every launch. 

Share 

Engage the students with the following discussion questions: 

• Did you try having your rocket nearly empty of water or nearly full of water for the launch? What was the result? 

• What was the volume of water that your team found to be most efficient for your rocket? Was this the same or close to other 

teams? Why? 

• If you were to increase the pressure in your rocket by 10 psi, do you think the volume of water you found would still be the most 

efficient? Why? 

Extensions 

• Challenge teams to think of a way to add a parachute to their rockets for soft landings. Plastic grocery bags or lightweight fabric 

scraps can be used to make parachutes, and strings can be used to attach them. The nose cone must remain in place until the 

rocket reaches the top of its flight, then it should open and release the parachute. 

• Collect class data and graph water volume versus altitude. Repeat the experiment for a different air pressure. Look for a 

correlation. 

Reference 

Modified from Water Rocket Construction: https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/water-rocket-construction.html 

Additional Resources 

• Rockets Educator Guide. https://www.nasa.gov/stem-ed-resources/rockets.html 

• Digital Badging: Online NASA STEM Learning. https://www.txstate-epdc.net/digital-badging/ 

35  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Activity Four: Optimize a Water Rocket Engine 

Student Handout 

Your Challenge 

Build an air-powered water rocket from a 2-liter soda bottle to find the optimal amount of water 

volume to air pressure for producing maximum thrust. 

Design Constraints 

1. You are only allowed to use the supplies provided by your teacher. 

2. You must attach a launch lug to the side of the rocket between two fins and midway up the 

body of the rocket. 

3. After your rocket has been qualified for launch and certified flightworthy, the only variable 

that your team will change during testing is the volume of water added to the rocket. 

Ask, Imagine, and Plan 

After receiving instructions from your teacher, ask any questions you may have about today’s 

challenge and then sketch a diagram of the rocket you intend to build on the paper provided by 

your teacher. 

Create 

1. Using the provided materials, construct a nose cone and fins for your rocket. 

2. Add mass to the nose of your rocket to improve stability. 

3. Attach a launch lug to the side of the rocket body. 

Test and Improve 

1. Your teacher must conduct a preflight inspection of the nose cone, launch lug, and rocket 

fins to ensure they are secure. Qualify your rocket for launch by conducting a swing test. 

2. Swing Test: Using several feet of string, tie the rocket around the middle so that it 

balances. Because of the nose cone weight, the balance point will be toward the nose. 

When the rocket hangs level, a small piece of tape should be temporarily fixed to the string 

and bottle to keep the string from slipping. The rocket is then swung in a circle. If the rocket 

tumbles while circling, it is not stable and needs more nose cone weight, bigger fins, or a 

combination of both. If the rocket circles with the nose always pointed forward, it is stable 

and ready for flight. 

Clear an open space for swing tests. 

3. Once your rocket is ready for launch, your team will find the optimum volume of water to 

place in your rocket in order to maximize its performance as measured by its altitude. 

4. Be sure to follow all safety instructions for launch as given by your teacher. 

5. For each launch trial, you must keep track of the volume of water in your rocket (measured 

in mL). Your 2-liter rocket will hold a maximum of 2,000 mL of water. 

Fun Fact 

The RS–25 was the main 

engine of the space shuttle. If 

three RS–25 engines pumped 

water rather than fuel, they 

would drain a family-sized 

swimming pool in 25 seconds. 

The SLS rocket will use four 

RS–25s. 

Learn more: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch 

?v=XP1CQtV8Qk8 

Career Corner 

The lead systems engineer 

works with other engineers and 

analysts to ensure the SLS 

meets the unique requirements 

and constraints for each 

Artemis mission. Systems 

engineering is both an art and a 

science. The systems engineer 

is like the conductor of an 

orchestra, who knows what the 

music should sound like (the 

look and function of a design) 

and has the skills to lead a 

team in achieving the desired 

sound (meeting the system 

requirements). 

Learn more: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch 

?v=VfmHda5e4II&feature=you 

tu.be 

36  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

6. Your teacher will provide the required air pressure (measured in pounds per square inch, or psi), and this will remain constant 

for all of your launches. 

7. You will need to adjust the volume of water for each launch in order to determine the optimum water volume. 

8. You will launch a maximum of five times. 

9. Create a table like the example that follows here and record your data. 

Trial Volume of water in rocket, mL Pressure, psi Altitude, m 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

Share 

• Did you try having your rocket nearly empty of water or nearly full of water for the launch? What was the result? 

• What was the volume of water that your team found to be most efficient for your rocket? Was this the same or close to other 

teams? Why? 

• If you were to increase or decrease the air pressure in your rocket by 10 psi, do you think the volume of water you found would 

still be the most efficient? Why? 

37  Next Gen STEM 

 

 

 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Appendix: STEM Standards and Practices 

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 

https://www.nextgenscience.org/ 

Alignment of Activities With NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas 

Motion and Stability (MS) 

Standard 

Design a Foam Rocket 

With Stabilizing Fins 

Track the Altitude 

of a Rocket 

Build a Multistage 

Balloon Rocket 

Optimize a Water 

Rocket Engine 

Forces and Interactions 

MS-PS2-2   

Engineering Design 

MS-ETS1-1   

MS-ETS1-2 

MS-ETS1-3   

MS-ETS1-4   

Alignment of Activities With NGSS Crosscutting Concepts 

Concept Design a Foam Rocket 

With Stabilizing Fins 

Track the Altitude 

of a Rocket 

Build a Multistage 

Balloon Rocket 

Optimize a Water 

Rocket Engine 

Patterns 

Cause and Effect   

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity 

System and System Models   

Energy and Matter  

Structure and Function 

Stability and Change 

Interdependence of Science, 

Engineering, and Technology     

Influence of Engineering, 

Technology, and Science on 

Society and the Natural World 

39  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 

https://ngss.nsta.org/PracticesFull.aspx 

Alignment of Activities With NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 

Practice Design a Foam Rocket 

With Stabilizing Fins 

Track the Altitude of a 

Rocket 

Build a Multistage 

Balloon Rocket 

Optimize a Water 

Rocket Engine 

Asking Questions and Defining 

Problems   

Developing and Using Models   

Planning and Carrying Out 

Investigations 

 

Analyzing and Interpreting Data   

Using Mathematics and 

Computational Thinking    

Constructing Explanations and 

Designing Solutions 

  

Engaging in Argument From 

Evidence 

Obtaining, Evaluating, and 

Communicating Information 

 

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students 

https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students 

Alignment of Activities With ISTE Standards for Students 

Standard Design a Foam Rocket 

With Stabilizing Fins 

Track the Altitude of a 

Rocket 

Build a Multistage 

Balloon Rocket 

Optimize a Water 

Rocket Engine 

Knowledge Constructor 

3d   

Innovative Designer 

4a 

4c  

4d 

Computational Thinker 

5c  

Global Collaborator 

7c    

40  Next Gen STEM 
 

 

 

-

Propulsion With the Space Launch System 

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics 

http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ 

Alignment of Activities With CCSS Grade Level Content Standards by Domain 

Standard Design a Foam Rocket 

With Stabilizing Fins 

Track the Altitude 

of a Rocket 

Build a Multistage 

Balloon Rocket 

Optimize a Water 

Rocket Engine 

6th Grade 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.B.3 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.SP.B.5  

7th Grade 

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.NS.A.2  

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.7.NS.A.3  

Alignment of Activities With CCSS Standards for Mathematical Practice 

Practice Design a Foam Rocket 

With Stabilizing Fins 

Track the Altitude 

of a Rocket 

Build a Multistage 

Balloon Rocket 

Optimize a Water 

Rocket Engine 

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1   

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP2 

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP3   

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP5    

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6 

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP7 

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP8 

41  Next Gen STEM 

Back cover: Illustration depicting NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) in the Block 1 cargo configuration as it leaves Earth. The solid 

rocket boosters produce 75 percent of the thrust to launch the vehicle and then separate from the SLS rocket after being expended. 

(NASA) 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

NASA Headquarters 

300 E Street Southwest 

Washington DC 20024-3210 

www.nasa.gov 

NP-2020-02-2804-HQ