Stomp Rockets Flight aboard the USS Hornet From the USS Hornet Museum Education Department Sue Renner and Alissa Doyle (rev. May 2018) Alissa.Doyle@uss-hornet.org USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 0
About This Document This curriculum focuses on hands-on engineering and the physics required to launch a paper projectile. This program is designed for grades 3 to 8, but can easily adapted for older students. Alissa Doyle, Lead Education Instructor USS Hornet Museum Education Department PO Box 460, Alameda CA 94501 uss-hornet.org edu@uss-hornet.org facebook.com/usshornetmuseumedu USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 1
Table of Contents Goals... 3 Objectives... 3 Big Questions and Answers... 3 How do engineers problem-solve?... 3 How do airplanes fly?... 3 How does an aircraft s weight and shape affect its performance?... 3 Program Overview... 4 Background Reference Material... 5 Next Generation Science Standards... 7 Appendix 1: Classroom Materials... 8 Links and Credits... 13 USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 2
Goals In this program, students will: Engage in the design process as they build and test a paper rocket Collaborate and share ideas Understand the connections between STEM concepts, the rockets they built, and the history of the aircraft aboard the Hornet Objectives In this program, students will: Understand the forces involved in flight- lift, drag, weight, and thrust Implement the design process- come up with an idea, create that idea, and execute it Understand the concepts of potential energy, kinetic energy, and Newton s 3 rd Law, and see each in action Connect their own designs to those observed in various aircraft on the ship Big Questions and Answers How do engineers problem-solve? Engineers come up with an idea, they create their idea, and test it. This process is repeated to refine and create the best possible solution to a challenge at hand. How do airplanes fly? When an airplane s lift is greater than its weight and thrust is greater than drag, the plane flies. How does an aircraft s weight and shape affect its performance? The lighter the craft, the more aerodynamic it is and the better it will fly. Thus, the less tape utilized in construction of the rocket, the better. The narrower the nose-cone, the better. The less air that can escape, the better. All this leads to a more aerodynamic aircraft. USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 3
Program Overview Program Timeline- 45 minutes total Brief overview of the four forces of flight and the Hornet- 10 minutes Introduction of Activity and Team Naming: 5 minutes Build Time: 15 minutes Competition: 15 minutes Using paper, cardstock, and tape, students will build a rocket. They will then test their rocket using a simple compressed-air launching device. STOMP ROCKET BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS Challenge: Your challenge is to build a rocket which can be launched via a compressed air launching device. Each team will build 1 rocket. Teams must have at least 3 students. Your materials are limited to those listed below and your build time is limited to 15 minutes. Go! Materials: 1 ½ sheet of colored printer paper 1 cardstock fin template 1 pair of scissors 1 roll of masking tape 1 ruler 1 PVC pipe roller 1 pencil 1 sample rocket Rocket Building Instructions: 1. Create the Body of the rocket a. Wrap the colored printer paper lengthwise around the PVC pipe roller and tape the seam. Do not wrap too tightly or USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 4
loosely. The completed tube should be easy to slide off the PVC pipe. b. With paper still on the pipe, write your team name on the middle of the rocket. c. Slip paper tube off of the PVC pipe. 2. Create the Nose Cone for the rocket a. You can use the template of the nose cone or create one yourself. If using the template, cut out the large triangle on the solid lines and shape into a cone which fits the top opening of the rocket. b. Tape the nose cone closed and trim any uneven edge. You may need to put some tape at the top of the cone to close any gaps. c. With tape, attach the nose cone to the inside of the top of the tube with tape. 3. Create the Fins for the rocket a. You can use the template of the fins (small triangles) or create fins yourself. If using the template, cut out the four fins on the solid lines. Fins may be any shape and size, but you will are limited to only the one template card. b. Tape the fins to the bottom of the tube. With your rocket assembled, again check to see that the rocket easily slides on and off the PVC pipe. You may be able to make a few minor adjustments after testing but there will only be a minute or so to do so. There will NOT be any materials for rolling at the Test and Compete area. Background Reference Material On the Hangar Deck and Flight Deck, students will learn about actual plane and helicopters, observe their design, and learn basic aviation concepts from docents. Students will understand how specific aircraft took off, landed, and what role they played in the Hornet s and general military history. What does it take for an aircraft to fly? USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 5
o There are 4 forces of flight: lift, drag, weight, thrust. A fixed-wing aircraft needs to have enough thrust to move forward fast enough to overcome drag and create enough air speed over the wings to generate enough lift to overcome the weight. For a rotary-wing aircraft, the blades are the lifting surfaces and need to move fast enough to create the needed lift. o Bernoulli s Principle states that when a fluid (air) moves faster, the pressure decreases, and vice-versa. A lifting surface causes the air to flow faster over the top to decrease the pressure, so the higher pressure on the bottom pushes up lift! Suggested Questions for docents: What parts of the plane/helicopter do you see? What do you think each does? What do you notice about the shapes of these parts? How did the Hornet s catapult system assist aircraft departure and landing? Artifacts and Displays Item Concept illustrated Propeller creates a pressure Prop plane (e.g., TBM Avenger) differential (just like a wing) to pull the plane forward and create thrust Jet (e.g., FJ-2) Newton s 3 rd Law action/reaction to create thrust Helicopter (e.g., Sea King) Spinning blades create the lift Why does an aircraft carrier need a catapult to launch planes? o In order to create lift, the air must be flowing fast enough over the lifting surfaces (mainly the wings) to create the needed pressure differential (Bernoulli s Principle). On land, or a typical land-based airport, planes have long runways to get up enough speed to take off. On an aircraft carrier, however, the distance is substantially shorter, so the catapult provides additional acceleration to get up to speed. Suggested Questions USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 6
What kind of energy does a moving plane have when launched? How about before? What if you have a heavier plane? How are the catapult and arresting systems similar? Different? Artifacts and Displays Item Concept illustrated F-4 on the port cat track How the catapult launches the plane; PE converted to KE F-14 Jet aircraft; heavier, more thrust, but need a stronger catapult Recovery area; pendants; arresting Kinetic energy converted to cable potential energy Next Generation Science Standards Grade Standards Level 3 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions: 3-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. Engineering Design: 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. 4 Energy: 4-PS3-1. Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object. 5-8 Engineering Design: MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. 6 Energy: MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. 8 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions MS-PS2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object s motion depends on the sum of USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 7
the forces on the object and the mass of the object. Appendix 1: Classroom Materials STOMP ROCKET TEST AND COMPETITION STATION RULES 1. Welcome to the Test and Competition Area. 2. Throw the die to select the order of test and competition launch. Highest to lowest gets to choose position number. Note order on Scorecard and give to judges. 3. Review how to launch using the compressed air device. a. A team member slips the rocket on the PVC pipe of the launcher and aims the PVC pipe at a target. b. A team member steadies the plastic tubing with their foot. c. One team member stomps on the plastic bottle with one foot, while the other is on the ground for stability. Other team members may be needed to steady the stomper. The stomper needs to stomp in the middle of the bottle and not break the bottle. 4. Allow teams to conduct a test launch in the order they have chosen. After all teams have tested have them retrieve their rockets and allow a 3 minute repair time. 5. Conduct Competition as listed below. Goal: To get the most points from a total of launches. 1. If time permits, there will be three rounds. Due to time constraints, it may be necessary to lower the number of rounds. 2. Each team may allow its team members to perform the same function during each of the launches or may allow each member to change duty. 3. All launches must be from the launch line. Below is the listing of Targets, Distances, and Points which will apply. TARGET NO. DISTANCE 1 More than zero but less than 20 feet NAME OF TARGET Safe Field POINT OF LANDING (COMPLETE STOP) Stops before the 20 foot line where Target 2 is located and within the side POINTS 5 points USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 8
2 20 Feet Alan Shepard Suborbital Launch Floating Target 3si At least 20 Feet but less than 40 feet Area Between Targets No.2 and 4 4 40 Feet John Glenn Orbital Launch Floating Target 5 At least 40 but less than 55 Feet Area Between Targets No.4 and 6 boundaries of the Safe Field. If it slides outside the side boundaries it receives zero points Hits Floating Target No. 2. Doesn t matter where it stops No floating target hit but stops at least at 20 foot line of Target 2 but less than 40 foot line of Target 4. Must stop within side boundaries. If it slides outside the side boundaries it receives zero points Hits Floating Target 4. Doesn t matter where it lands No floating target hit but stops at least at 40 foot line of Target 4 but less than 55 foot line of Target 6. Must stop with side boundaries. If it slides outside 20 points 10 points 40 points 20 points USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 9
6 55 Feet Apollo 11 Floating Target 7 At least 55 Feet Infinity and Beyond the side boundaries it receives zero points Hits Floating Target 6. Doesn t matter where it stops No floating target hit but stops at least at 55 foot line of Target 6 and 60 foot line of universe. Must stop with side boundaries and before 60 foot line 60 points 30 points STOMP ROCKET SCORECARD Team Name: Name of Team Members: 1. 2. 3. 4. Round No. No. of Target Reached Points USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 10
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Links and Credits Docent Scott Zirger has created a wiki for the ship containing a wealth of information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/user:szirger/books/uss_hornet_reference_ Material This program is created in conjunction with a grant from the Office for Naval Research. In developing the program, we took inspiration from the following lesson created by the USS Nautilus Museum: http://www.ussnautilus.org/education/pdf/stemlessons/projectilemotionl essons3and4.pdf USS Hornet Museum Education Department May 2018 AD 13