How to Build Matchstick Rockets
Rockets have a special place in the minds of science geeks everywhere, from the Fourth of July fireworks all the way up to the Saturn V . Luckily, you can enjoy some of the simple thrills of rocket launching using some of the most basic materials found around your home.
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Instructions
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Get Started
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1
Hold a straight pin alongside the body of a single match. The pin tip should go only so far as the match head, but not past it.
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2
Wrap a small bit of aluminum foil - one inch by two inches - as tightly as possible around the match head. Keep the pin in place, and ensure that it doesn't puncture the foil. Wrap any excess foil away from the pin, to the other side of the match.
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3
Crease the foil along the body of the pin - this is most easily done with your fingernails. When this is complete, remove the pin without disturbing its channel. This channel will serve to funnel the 'exhaust' during the rocket's launch.
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4
Position your match as if it were a rocket or missile about to be fired. This can be done quite easily by bending a paper clip into shape. Let one half of the paper clip serve as the base of your launching pad, and curl up the other half so that your match can rest at about a 45-60 degree angle,
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5
Light a second match, and hold it underneath the head of the first. When the combustion temperature is reached, the exhaust will escape through the channel created in Step 3. This will serve as propulsion, launching the 'rocket.'
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1
Tips & Warnings
You may have to practice creating your rocket a few times until you get the hang of it.
Obviously, do not launch matchstick rockets at people, pets, or other flammable objects.
