The students from the 6th class of a primary school in Mytilene, Greece plan to take a trip to Europlanet aboard their spaceship. They conduct a science experiment using a film canister, antacid tablet, and water to launch a model rocket and demonstrate how chemical reactions can propel rockets, showing their understanding of Newton's laws of motion. The document discusses the steps of the experiment and explores questions about controlling the rocket's flight path through additional experiments.

1. TRIP TO EUROPLANET
The Scientific way
6th Class
5th Primary School of Mytilene, Greece

2. We are the students of the 6th Class of
the Primary Schools of Mytilene. We
are ready to travel to Europlanet. We
know all about EU travellers’ rights,
rules and regulations.
I’m the Captain
of the Astro-
team. You can
call me Captain
Nick!

3. After studying the laws of Physics and
Chemistry carefully, we reached the conclusion
that we can launch a spaceship and reach
Europlanet in no time!
We conducted a science experiment
demonstrating how a chemical reaction can
launch a rocket, to make sure it will work !

4. •One empty 35mm plastic film canister and lid (the type whose lid fits
INSIDE the canister, rather than snaps on the outside of the rim).
•One fizzing antacid tablet
•Water
•Safety goggles

5. And a paper-rocket, of course, designed
scientifically! Paper, tape, scissors, crayons to
make your ‘rocket’ !

7. 1. Put on the safety goggles . You’d better try this outside because
when this works, that film canister really flies! If you want to try the
indoor version, do not turn the canister upside down in step 5.
2. Break the antacid tablet in half.
3. Remove the lid from the film canister and put a teaspoon (5 ml) of
water into the canister.

8. DO THE NEXT 2 STEPS QUICKLY
 4. Drop the tablet half into the canister and snap the
cap onto the canister (make sure that it snaps on
tightly.)
 5. Quickly put the canister on level ground CAP
SIDE DOWN and STEP BACK at least 2 meters.
 6. About 10 seconds later, you will hear a POP! and
the film canister will launch into the air!
 Caution: If it does not launch, wait at least 30
second before examining the canister. Usually the
cap is not on tight enough and the build up of gas
leaked out.

10. When you add the water it starts to dissolve the tablet. This creates a
gas call carbon dioxide. As the carbon dioxide is being released, it
creates pressure inside the film canister. The more gas that is made, the
more pressure builds up until the cap it blasted down and the rocket is
blasted up. This system of thrust is how a real rocket works whether it is
in outer space or here in the earth's atmosphere. Of course, real rockets
use rocket fuel.
You can experiment controlling the rocket's path by adding fins and a
nose cone that you can make out of paper.

11. Final Countdown ! And off we go!! Rocket
launched!

12. LET’S TALK SCIENCE NOW.
How does this simple demonstration show all THREE of
Newton’s laws?
 Newton’s first law tells us that an object at rest stays at rest,
and an object in motion stays in motion, unless something
acts on it. This “unbalanced force” causes it to either move or
stop moving {or change direction}. The unbalanced forced in this
resting rocket is created when the gas builds up inside and
pushes the lid of the film canister off.
 Newton’s second law tells us that the acceleration of an
object is directly related to the magnitude and direction of
the force and the mass of the object. In this case, the
acceleration of the rocket is proportional to the force and speed
of the water and gas being expelled from the canister.
 Newton’s third law tells us that for every action {or force}
there is an equal and opposite reaction. The force of the
canister lid being pushed downward, causes the equal and
opposite force of the rocket being pushed upward.

13. Food for thought…..
1. Does water temperature affect how fast
the rocket launches?
2. Does the size of the tablet piece affect
how long it takes for the rocket to launch?
3. Can the flight path be controlled by
adding fins or a nosecone to the canister?
4. How much water in the canister will give
the highest flight?
5. How much water will give the quickest
launch?

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 http://www.raisinglifelonglearners.com/2012/10/its-
rocket-science.html
 http://www.sciencebob.com/experiments/filmrocket.
php
 Φυσικά ΣΤ’ Δημοτικού, Ερευνώ και ανακαλύπτω,
Βιβλίο Μαθητή, Παιδαγωγικό Ινστιτούτο