Go for Launch? We'll Find Out

Knight Lights campers have had a blast this summer so it’s fitting they’ll be able to say goodbye with a rocket launch.

Campers spent today designing their rockets, fitting two-liter soda bottles with fins, cones and even streams of paper that will serve as a rocket’s hair.

“I gave it hair because it looks pretty,” said incoming 5th grader Harmony Golden.

But what about the rocket’s performance? How high will it fly?

“It depends on how much stuff we put on it,” said Golden.

It will also depend on the science of liquid and vapor. Some bottle rockets will be powered by Aquapods, which use water and a pump to trigger a launch. Other rockets will use a vinegar-based solution to fill a soda bottle with enough vapor and pressure to make it launch. Students will also compare the performance of both kinds of rockets.

“They already seem to understand how water vapor takes up more space than liquid water. That’s what makes them launch,” said Binghamton University biomedical engineering student Jacqueline Haugen. “It’s pressure versus volume. A lot of them already seem to understand.”

That’s because Knight Lights veterans are no strangers to building rockets.

“I’ve build different kinds of rockets. Last year I used a pool noodle, toothpick and rubber band,” said incoming 5th grader Lindsey Darling.

Thursday’s rocket launch isn’t the only event to celebrate the end of Knight Lights. There will also be inflatable games and a special thank you to Visions Federal Credit Union for its support of Knight Lights this summer.


Child working on bottle rocket at desk

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