| Are you looking for some topics to present | | | | |
| that can add | | | | to test one control feature.2. Safety. When |
| | | | you go out to fly rockets, knowing how |
| excitement to your science classroom? | | | | |
| Rocketry and space | | | | they'll behave is an important aspect of |
| | | | safety. Precautions |
| exploration, like no other subject, have a | | | | |
| way to captivate | | | | can be made. By running the simulations, the |
| | | | students learn |
| students that makes it easy for them to | | | | |
| learn science. They | | | | what concepts contribute to keeping the |
| | | | actual launch safe.3. The scientific value is |
| are having so much fun, that they don't even | | | | awesome. Each launch simulation |
| realize they | | | | |
| | | | generates a mountain of useful data. |
| are learning basic science concepts.To | | | | Analyzing this data is |
| leverage the benefits of this area of study, | | | | |
| you can use | | | | a fantastic way to teach the scientific |
| | | | method.4. Students love software because it |
| your school's computer to explore a lot of | | | | is fun! It has features |
| different science | | | | |
| | | | like a video game, so the students may not |
| topics. In the January 2005 issue of the | | | | realize how much |
| education magazine, | | | | |
| | | | they are learning at the same time.5. The |
| "Tech Directions" ( there is | | | | RockSim software is the same tool that is |
| | | | used by |
| an article by Spencer C. Wilson of J.R. | | | | |
| Fugett Middle School | | | | real rocketry professionals - like NASA, |
| | | | military |
| in West Chester. In it, he describes how he | | | | |
| uses a rocket | | | | contractors, and universities. So you can |
| | | | feel confident in |
| design software, called RockSim ( to | | | | |
| | | | the results you get back from the program.6. |
| show students the process of engineering | | | | The software allows students to explore their |
| design.In this article, I'd like to give you | | | | creativity. |
| some other ideas on | | | | |
| | | | They can design vastly different looking |
| how to use the model rocket design software | | | | models, while |
| to demonstrate | | | | |
| | | | learning engineering skills, assembly steps, |
| other basic science concepts. Here are some | | | | and physics.Here are just some of the many |
| benefits to | | | | topics you can explore with |
| | | | |
| using RockSim software:1. Allows the student | | | | RockSim:1. Aerodynamics and drag |
| to simulate hundreds of rocket flights | | | | reduction.2. Forces of flight: Lift, Drag, |
| | | | Thrust, and Gravity.3. Projectile motion.4. |
| very quickly -- this saves lots of money! | | | | Rocket propulsion as used for space travel.5. |
| Just think of the | | | | Atmospheric studies: how does temperature and |
| | | | pressure |
| time saved too. You don't have to spend | | | | |
| hundreds of dollar | | | | affect performance?6. Planetary differences: |
| | | | how does the same rocket perform |
| buying motors and hours-and-hours of time | | | | |
| building different | | | | on different planets in our solar system.7. |
| | | | Dynamics and harmonic motion with damping.8. |
| configurations, launching, recovering, and | | | | Engineering - how parts fit together.9. |
| repacking rockets | | | | Newton's Laws of motion.10. |