http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/educate/scimodule/Launch_Propulsion.html
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.
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.
