Create a Baking Soda-Powered Rocket!

Project Overview:
Want to launch your very own mini rocket using nothing but baking soda, vinegar, and a plastic film canister? This project allows you to do just that and uses a fast chemical reaction to build up pressure until it's powerful enough to launch the canister into the air. It's an exciting way to explore how gases take up space since they want to expand, which causes a pressure build-up! IMPORTANT: Always point the canister away from your face and other people before it launches, and wear safety glasses!

Materials:

1. 1 Plastic Film Canister with a Snap-On Lid (the kind that snaps INSIDE the container, not on top)

2. Baking Soda

3. White Vinegar

4. A Small Piece of Tissue Paper or Paper Towel

5. Safety Glasses

6. An Outdoor, Open Space

Instructions:

1. Take your project outside to an open space away from people, windows, and buildings in order to avoid damage or creating a mess

2. Pour about 1 tablespoon of vinegar into the film canister

3. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into the center of the small piece of tissue paper and fold it up into a tiny packet

4. Quickly drop the baking soda packet into the canister with the vinegar

5. Immediately snap the lid on tightly and set the canister down on the ground, lid-side down

6. Step back several feet and wait

7. Watch as the canister suddenly launches into the air with a pop

8. Try adjusting the amount of baking soda or vinegar to see how it changes the height and timing of the launch

Explanation:
When baking soda and vinegar mix together, they react chemically and produce carbon dioxide gas, the same gas found in soda pop. Wrapping the baking soda in tissue paper delays the reaction just long enough for you to snap the lid on before the gas starts building up. As more and more carbon dioxide gas fills the small, sealed canister, the pressure inside keeps increasing because the gas has nowhere to escape. Gas wants to expand, and when the pressure builds up and becomes strong, the gas expands to the point where the whole lid pops off! When the lid comes off, a stream of gas is released, and the sudden release of gas pushes the canister upward into the air, similar to the idea that powers real rockets, just on a much smaller and safer scale!