Mass launch of rockets powered by puff.
This year all of year 8 had a day of rocket science. We started the day by watching an episode of the series 'From the Earth to the Moon' about Apollo 12, starring the largest rocket ever built - the Saturn V. We then found out about the forces acting on a rocket before making our own rockets and launching them using the force of our own lungs.
After break we found out about the three
different chemical reactions that power the space shuttle. Mr Cripps
showed a presentation including photos he took on his NASA course at Kennedy
Space Centre. We also watched exploding hydrogen balloons and the flash and
smoke from the reaction between zinc and sulphur. We then built our
own chemical 
rockets,
making a motor out of a film canister and a mixture of indigestion tablets and
vinegar as reactants. They had a habit of exploding before you put
them on the ground, falling over in the wind or sitting there doing nothing.
We all felt much better about our efforts when we finished the day by watching
the film 'October Sky'. The film is an inspiring story about the
efforts of four high school students in the 1950s designing and building
rockets. They had lots of disasters but ended up launching a rocket
to 6 vertical miles, winning the National Science Prize and scholarships to
college. Their leader, Homer Hickham, became a NASA engineer who
worked on the space shuttle.
Student comments
"It was different and better, in a way, than normal lessons, and I think that we should do this more often and in the same style with different lessons" Jamie E.
"I really enjoyed making the rockets and found the day very interesting. I would really like to join the Astronomy Club to learn more about space." Ashley M.
"I liked the rockets which had a chemical reaction involved in them." Stephen B.
"Thanks for a wonderful day Sir!" - said by a student leaving the class