A Rocket Scientist Visited STEAM!

Yes! A rocket scientist visited STEAM on Wednesday. Zoe Morozko, a 2001 graduate of Mustard Seed, who currently works for Lockheed Martin, has two masters degrees--Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and has worked for the Kennedy Space Center as well. She knows rockets!

After a brief discussion of center of gravity and center of pressure, as well as a quick overview of Newton's three laws, Zoe directed the students through the production of an air rocket. Students rolled paper and taped it tightly shut so no air could drag it down. They then added fins and a nose cone, again taping it tightly.

Students took special care to balance the rocket so it would fly true.

A lot of students took notes knowing Zoe would be a primary source for the study on flight and rocketry.

Then we headed outside to shoot off our rockets. Using a rocket launcher Zoe built from PVC pipe, tape, and a soda bottle, students loaded their rockets, counted down the launch, and sent the rockets soaring over the field and some into the trees.

Many students had ideas of how to make their rocket better. That's the EDP! Don't know the EDP? Ask your fourth grader.