Rocketry Investigate the science and technology of rockets and ballistics

With clear explanations of the Newtonian and other physical principles involved, Mooney provides a history of rocketry, from steam-driven contraptions in ancient Greece to today's (OK, tomorrow's) SpaceShipTwo and NASA's next-generation SLS. The seven chapters are supplemented by instructions for making 25 low-tech models and launchers useful for demonstrating how rockets work and behave in flight. The projects, which properly include both systematic safety provisions and suggestions for further experimentation, are illustrated with diagrammatic cartoons and use materials like paper, string, balloons, and, occasionally, PVC pipe to make a variety of air- or CO2-driven models, including a balloon-powered boat and car, a skateboard propelled by the ever-popular soda-Mentos reaction, a soda-bottle stomp launcher, and a potato shooter. Aside from one project that entails testing rockets with different types of fins but provides no examples, both the hands-on portions and the relatively extensive background information will give would-be rocketeers a strong liftoff.--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist