If you havent built and launched water rockets with your kid, youre missing out on an awesome project.

How Water Rockets Work

Water rockets work exactly like their big brothers at NASA.

A reaction mass is forced out of a vessel with pressurized gas, sending the payload into the air.

Just verify its asodabottle.

You dont want that.

The Nose Cone

We went with the tip of foam football for our rockets nose.

Personally, I didnt find parachutes to be worth the effort.

R.I.P.,Zeus II.

Decoration

Once your rocket is built, decorate it!

Add glitter or a scary face, or keep it NASA-appropriate with a gleaming white paint job.

The only necessary marking is a fill line for your water.

To get the best flight possible, keep the weight as low as possible.

attempt to steer your kid away from decorating it with too many strips of tape or anything else heavy.

The Launcher

Now that youve built your rocket, you gotta build a launch pad.

This is the most complicated part of your water rocket journey.

Our launcher is fairly simple.

Its close toMakes water rocket launcher, but with a different base and without the vinyl tubing.

This is called a Clark Cable Tie Release Mechanism.

Its a simple, elegant design and an incredibly nerdy fact for me to know.

I wont tell anyone.)

Launch Day!

Other than the rocket and launcher, youll need water as fuel and a bicycle pump.

ensure its a pump with a pressure gauge.

You wont be able to estimate without one, and its important to avoid over-inflating your rocket.

Do not launch from your backyard, unless its huge.

Dont aim them at anyone.

Dont stand over them while adding air.

Dont shoot them near electrical wires.

verify everyone stands clear of the craft during launch.

Dont over-inflate your rocket.

When pumping your rocket, keep an eye on the PSI gauge.

A rocket launched at 50 PSI is still spectacular, and you shouldnt ever push it over 90 PSI.

Oh, and dont forget the countdown before you pull the string and take flight.

Building suspense is the best part of any rocket flight.

And dont forget to film it!

I mean, check this out: