| Are you looking for some topics to present | | | | rocket perform on different planets in our |
| that can add excitement to your science | | | | solar system. |
| classroom? Rocketry and space exploration, | | | | |
| like no other subject, have a way to | | | | 7. Dynamics and harmonic motion with damping. |
| captivate students that makes it easy for | | | | |
| them to learn science. They are having so | | | | 8. Engineering - how parts fit together. |
| much fun, that they don't even realize they | | | | |
| are learning basic science concepts. | | | | 9. Newton's Laws of motion. |
| | | | |
| To leverage the benefits of this area of | | | | 10. Artistic expression - because every |
| study, you can use your school's computer | | | | student can design a different looking |
| to explore a lot of different science | | | | rocket, and change colors of the components |
| topics. In the January 2005 issue of the | | | | to further increase the rocket's uniqueness. |
| education magazine, "Tech Directions" ( | | | | |
| there is an article by Spencer C. Wilson of | | | | 11. Explaining distance, velocity, and |
| J.R. Fugett Middle School in West Chester. | | | | acceleration. |
| In it, he describes how he uses a rocket | | | | |
| design software, called RockSim ( to show | | | | 12. Material properties, like density and |
| students the process of engineering design. | | | | volume. |
| | | | |
| Search Engine Marketing Specialist | | | | 13. The importance of weight and balance (CG |
| | | | position) when designing rockets. |
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| professional "full service" Search Engine | | | | 14. Explaining that Work = Force X Distance. |
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| | | | 15. Explaining the concepts of Kinetic and |
| In this article, I'd like to give you some | | | | Potential Energy. |
| other ideas on how to use the model rocket | | | | |
| design software to demonstrate other basic | | | | 16. Showing free-fall, and terminal velocity. |
| science concepts. Here are some benefits to | | | | |
| using RockSim software: | | | | 17. The importance of units and unit |
| | | | conversion. |
| 1. Allows the student to simulate hundreds of | | | | |
| rocket flights very quickly -- this saves | | | | 18. The importance of following directions. |
| lots of money! Just think of the time saved | | | | |
| too. You don't have to spend hundreds of | | | | 19. Exporting data and using spreadsheet |
| dollar buying motors and hours-and-hours of | | | | programs to perform data reduction and |
| time building different configurations, | | | | manipulation |
| launching, recovering, and repacking rockets | | | | |
| to test one control feature. | | | | 20. To show why multi-stage and cluster motor |
| | | | rockets are used in real rockets. |
| 2. Safety. When you go out to fly rockets, | | | | |
| knowing how they'll behave is an important | | | | 21. Concept of stored chemical energy (in the |
| aspect of safety. Precautions can be made. | | | | rocket propellant) and how it is converted |
| By running the simulations, the students | | | | to mechanical energy. |
| learn what concepts contribute to keeping | | | | |
| the actual launch safe. | | | | 22. Concept of efficiency - getting the most |
| | | | performance from the least exertion of |
| 3. The scientific value is awesome. Each | | | | energy. Can be explained by the different |
| launch simulation generates a mountain of | | | | types of propellant formulations. |
| useful data. Analyzing this data is a | | | | |
| fantastic way to teach the scientific method. | | | | 23. Showing the concept of momentum and how |
| | | | it affects the optimum mass of the rocket. |
| 4. Students love software because it is fun! | | | | |
| It has features like a video game, so the | | | | 24. Finding the optimal launch angle for |
| students may not realize how much they are | | | | breezy conditions. |
| learning at the same time. | | | | |
| | | | 25. Optimal launch angle for distance |
| 5. The RockSim software is the same tool that | | | | (ballistic curves), and how it varies with |
| is used by real rocketry professionals - | | | | the thrust curve of the motor. |
| like NASA, military contractors, and | | | | |
| universities. So you can feel confident in | | | | 26. Show how the distribution of mass affects |
| the results you get back from the program. | | | | the dynamic stability of the rocket. |
| | | | |
| 6. The software allows students to explore | | | | 27. Demonstrating the concept of "Numeric |
| their creativity. They can design vastly | | | | Precision" -- the more iterations |
| different looking models, while learning | | | | performed, the better the accuracy. |
| engineering skills, assembly steps, and | | | | |
| physics. | | | | 28. Show how different shaped components |
| | | | affects the static stability of the rocket. |
| Here are just some of the many topics you can | | | | |
| explore with RockSim: | | | | 29. Compare the thrust curves of different |
| | | | motors. This can show how different |
| 1. Aerodynamics and drag reduction. | | | | geometries (hole size, location, |
| | | | dimensions) affect the thrust produced by the |
| 2. Forces of flight: Lift, Drag, Thrust, and | | | | rocket. |
| Gravity. | | | | |
| | | | 30. Concept of "Impulse:" which is a thrust |
| 3. Projectile motion. | | | | force multiplied by the time duration that |
| | | | thrust is created. The higher the impulse, |
| 4. Rocket propulsion as used for space | | | | the more power the motor has. |
| travel. | | | | |
| | | | As you can see, the RockSim software is a |
| 5. Atmospheric studies: how does temperature | | | | versatile tool. You'll save hundreds of |
| and pressure affect performance? | | | | dollars because it can be used in a variety |
| | | | of ways. |
| 6. Planetary differences: how does the same | | | | |