On this page, you'll learn a quick and easy way for building a basic water rocket!
And remember; safety first, so always wear safety goggles.

Tools:

• a pair of combination pliers
• a measuring cup (and a funnel)
• a (junior) hacksaw
• a pair of safety goggles
• an electric drill with an 8mm (1/4") drill bit.

Materials:

• a cork, preferably a plastic one
• a valve
• a bicycle pump
• water
• a soft drinkbottle

Step 1:
With your hack saw, saw your cork into 2 pieces.
You only need one of them for a lanch system, and it's length depends on the length of your valve.
Make it about 5mm (1/5") shorther than your valve.

Step 2:
Now, by using an electric drill with an 8mm (1/4") drill bit, you drill a hole through the cork.
Make shure you're not drilling on a valuable surface (or on Ruben), so drill e.g. on a disposable wooden plank.
With drilling, secure the cork by holding it with a pair of pliers.



Step 3:
By using your hands, screw the valve al the way through the cork.



Step 4:
In case your using a european type bicycle tire valve, srew the actual valve back on again.



Step 5:
Now fill the bottle for 1/3 with water, and to make it a bit neater you could use a funnel.

Step 6:
The launch system itself is done!
You can now push the launch system into the nozzle of the bottle.
If you've done evertything correctly, it should look a bit like this:


Step 7:
But to launch it, you needa sturdy platform so that it won't topple over while pressurizing.
To do that, take a piece of PVC tube which is just a bit larger in diameter than the bottle, and cut a piece out of it of about 1 square centimetre (1/6 of a square inch) where the hose of your bicycle pump will fit through.

Get ready for the launch! Now put your rocket and launch system in the tube, connect the valve with the pump and start pumping! When your start pumping, the rocket can launch at any time, so never put a body part above the rocket. Also make shure to check out our safety tips. The rocket will reach an altitude of 10-40 metres, that depends on how tight the cork you used is stuck in the bottle. So have fun, stay safe!