In Dynamic Design: Launch and Propulsion, students become familiar with how rockets are launched. Students will also learn how and why specific rockets are chosen for varying payloads. In this middle school module (grades 5-9), students learn about the history of rocketry and work with variables that might affect the performance of a launch vehicle.

Students work in teams to investigate one variable, in detail, by performing tests. By completing these tests they will learn the various aspects of launching a rocket. In the assessment, students engage in a competition whereby they apply what they have learned about rockets to build a launch vehicle that flies as high as possible.

Student Mission
Students will work in teams to learn about various aspects of launching a water rocket. Students work in expert groups to learn more about variables related to propulsion, the shape, size, number and placement of fins and the nosecone shape. Students then take the information learned in the expert groups back to their design group to design and build a water rocket that will fly as high as possible.

The Student Text "Variables and Operational Definitions" provides students with background on these process skills, while "I Can't Believe I Ate the Whole Thing" provides background information on antacid and heartburn.

Use the student activities in "Launching Genesis" to create interest in learning more about the launch and propulsion of the Genesis spacecraft. In "Choosing a Launch Vehicle," students look at the launch vehicle requirements for the Genesis spacecraft. They then decide which rocket should be chosen from a list of several Delta rockets. Through a simulation, students learn about the propulsion system on the Genesis spacecraft. "Genesis Launch Vehicle: The Delta Rocket" is a text that explains the history of the Delta rocket from its inception in the late 1950's to its use today in launching satellites with information specific to the launch of Genesis. Students calculate the success rate of the Delta rocket in the Student Activity "How Do You Spell Success?" The "Propulsion" teacher text describes various propulsion systems ranging from what is used by the squid to the hydrazine system on Genesis. Future advanced propulsion systems are also explored in this text.

In this phase of the learning cycle, student/peer interactions are emphasized. These activities contain work to be done in expert groups, with the whole class participating in the safety rules found in the Appendices. Once students have had time to explore the rocket variables in these activities, they return to their original design groups to build and test their water rockets.

What a Drag		Flying Straight
	Student Activity		Student Activity
Altitude vs. Water Volume		Investigating Fin Shape or Size
	Student Activity		Student Activity
Altitude vs. Water Pressure		Investigating Fin Number and Placement
	Student Activity		Student Activity
Fly Like an Eagle		Weather or Not
	Student Activity		Student Activity