Water Rockets

[Fireball]

How many of us have had the simple pleasure of launching these, as children?

Water Rockets

[pattylt]

How many of us have had the simple pleasure of launching these, as children?

Water Rockets

Sorry, never had the pleasure.  I guess it wasn’t very Jewish? 

[Dānu]

Polish cannons, yes. Water rockets, no.

[Aliza]

How many of us have had the simple pleasure of launching these, as children?

Water Rockets

Sorry, never had the pleasure.  I guess it wasn’t very Jewish? 

I have never done this either, but this looks like something you could even do on Shabbos. Maybe it's like mustard and mayonnaise. Both of them are kosher, but only one of them is Jewish

[brewerb]

How many of us have had the simple pleasure of launching these, as children?

Water Rockets

Did it as an adult also, diet coke + Mentos. Just had to try it for myself.

[brewerb]

Polish cannons, yes.  Water rockets, no.

Had to looks that one up. Us hicks called them spud guns.

[Cavebear]

How many of us have had the simple pleasure of launching these, as children?

Water Rockets

I received a Christmas gift of a water rocket as a child. I'm not sure it was the same you are describing though.  Mine was an actual rocket-shaped thing.  It had a luachpad.  You filled it up the rocket halfway with water and attached it to the launchpad.  Then you pressed a pump on the side to add air pressure.  When you launched (I forget exactly how), the rocket went a few hundred feet in the air.  

This before the first astronauts.  Guessing around 1960 when the idea was announced by President Kennedy.  So I would have been about 10 then.  I got a 2nd rocket (different shape) from a grandparent.  So I had 2.  Water was cheap and I didn't need much, but those water rockets sure gave me a lot of fun back in the day...

My parents were sure that I would go into space someday. Sadly, no. Not qualified. I get dizzy easily.

Nice memory though.

[rocinantexyz]

I received a Christmas gift of a water rocket as a child. I'm not sure it was the same you are describing though.  Mine was an actual rocket-shaped thing.  It had a luachpad.  You filled it up the rocket halfway with water and attached it to the launchpad.  Then you pressed a pump on the side to add air pressure.

I recently bought one of these for the kids in the family that uses standard 2 liter soda bottles for rockets. It is a lot of fun in the summer!

[Cavebear]

Childhood ideas that went wrong...

I once bought a huge balloon and attached it to the garden hose. I expected it to blow up grandly. Instead, it finally just broke and sagged onto the ground.

I once came into possession of a minor "cherry bomb". I hung it from a string on a pole. I expected it to go around the pole like a tetherball. It didn't. It just "popped".

Which is a way to say that science is more about testing ideas and accepting the results more than reaching an expected conclusion. Fairy tales show us you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a Prince. Science shows us you have to try some things and see what happens. What provides evidence in support of an idea is valid. What does not, is not.

[brewerb]

Take note: Not to be confused with high pressure colonics..

[mordant]

How many of us have had the simple pleasure of launching these, as children?

Water Rockets

I received a Christmas gift of a water rocket as a child. I'm not sure it was the same you are describing though.  Mine was an actual rocket-shaped thing.  It had a luachpad.  You filled it up the rocket halfway with water and attached it to the launchpad.  Then you pressed a pump on the side to add air pressure.  When you launched (I forget exactly how), the rocket went a few hundred feet in the air.  

This before the first astronauts.  Guessing around 1960 when the idea was announced by President Kennedy.  So I would have been about 10 then.  I got a 2nd rocket (different shape) from a grandparent.  So I had 2.  Water was cheap and I didn't need much, but those water rockets sure gave me a lot of fun back in the day...

My parents were sure that I would go into space someday.  Sadly, no.  Not qualified.  I get dizzy easily.

Nice memory though.

I had one of that style of water rocket myself. I think I managed to break it right away though.

[Cavebear]

I received a Christmas gift of a water rocket as a child. I'm not sure it was the same you are describing though.  Mine was an actual rocket-shaped thing.  It had a luachpad.  You filled it up the rocket halfway with water and attached it to the launchpad.  Then you pressed a pump on the side to add air pressure.  When you launched (I forget exactly how), the rocket went a few hundred feet in the air.  

This before the first astronauts.  Guessing around 1960 when the idea was announced by President Kennedy.  So I would have been about 10 then.  I got a 2nd rocket (different shape) from a grandparent.  So I had 2.  Water was cheap and I didn't need much, but those water rockets sure gave me a lot of fun back in the day...

My parents were sure that I would go into space someday.  Sadly, no.  Not qualified.  I get dizzy easily.

Nice memory though.

I had one of that style of water rocket myself. I think I managed to break it right away though.

Sorry to hear that. Mine lasted several years. And it may have just been that I was getting bored with them. There are only so many times you can launch a water rocket and be amazed about it. Probably, my parents passed them on to some younger family or neighbor kid. Recycling toys is good.

I went on to more complicated things like HO trains, archery, camping.

[Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz]

I tried making one, but never had much luck. I had a lot more fun with these https://sciencetoymaker.org/air-rockets/ and made a setup with a PVC frame and ball valve with a bike pump that I could get up to about 120 psi.