Jump to main content

Rocketology: Baking Soda + Vinegar = Lift Off!

1
2
3
4
5
3,360 reviews

Abstract

Watching a spacecraft launch is an amazing experience. It is thrilling to see it lift off and escape Earth's gravity. Did you know that it takes a chemical reaction to get a spacecraft into space? Every time you see a one blast off, you are watching chemistry at work. In this chemistry science fair project, you will also get to blast an object into the air. You will not be using the same fuel that NASA uses for the rockets that launch their spacecrafts; instead, you will use two simple ingredients—baking soda and vinegar. How much do you need of each to get the highest launch height? If you are interested in becoming a rocket scientist in the future, you should definitely try this science fair project.

Summary

Areas of Science
Difficulty
 
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Wear safety goggles to prevent eye injury during launch.
Credits

Michelle Maranowski, PhD, Science Buddies
Teisha Rowland, PhD, Science Buddies

This science fair project is based on the following:

  • Fuji® is a registered trademark of Fuji Photo Film, Inc.
  • Kodak® is a registered trademark of Eastman Kodak Company.

Objective

To determine the correct ratio of baking soda to vinegar that will result in the highest launch of a plastic canister.

Introduction

Have you ever watched a spacecraft launch on television or seen one live? One question that may have crossed your mind when watching this awesome spectacle is, "How does a spacecraft lift off and get into space?" The simple answer to this question is that the spacecraft has engines that lift it into space. All rockets depend on combustion to provide the thrust that is required for a vessel to overcome the force of gravity and climb into space.

One well-known spacecraft that you may have seen launch is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Space Shuttle, shown in Figure 1 below. The Space Shuttle did operational flights for 30 years, from 1981 to 2011. It had three major components: the orbiter (a winged "space-plane" which held the astronauts and different kinds of payload), the large, dark orange-colored external fuel tank, and two solid rocket boosters. At launch, the two solid rocket boosters, along with the orbiter's three main engines, would power the liftoff.

Photo of a NASA space shuttle on a launch pad
Figure 1. Rocket engines on spacecrafts, like NASA's Space Shuttle (shown here), use a type of chemical reaction called combustion to launch the spacecraft. On the right in this picture you can see the Space Shuttle and its three main components: the orbiter (the white winged plane in the middle), the large external fuel tank (behind the orbiter), and two solid rocket boosters (also behind the orbiter, on the left and right sides).

Contrary to popular belief, it does not take an explosion to get a spacecraft off of the earth. Rocket engines function on the principle of combustion. Combustion is a fast chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidizer (such as oxygen) where the fuel is burned or oxidized. Usually the fuel is an organic compound (containing hydrogen and/or carbon, and sometimes even metals). For example, on the Space Shuttle the orbiter's three main engines used liquid hydrogen as the fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. However, the Space Shuttle's two solid rocket boosters used aluminum powder as the fuel and ammonium perchlorate as the oxidizer.

During combustion, new compounds are made and these are called the exhaust. At the same time, a great amount of heat is produced because combustion is an exothermic reaction (it makes energy, in the form of heat and/or light). Altogether, the combustion in the spacecraft's rockets produces great amounts of exhaust gas at high temperatures and pressure. The pressurized hot gases are pushed out from the bottom of the rocket and thus, the spacecraft is thrust upward. This is an example of Isaac Newton's third law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Mixing the fuel and oxidizer together correctly is complicated and something that real rocket scientists work hard to perfect. In this chemistry science fair project, you will become a rocket scientist, but instead of using rocket fuel and oxidizers, you will use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, or NaHCO3) and vinegar (acetic acid, or CH3COOH) to make a different kind of chemical reaction that can launch a small-scale rocket. This reaction is shown in Equation 1 below. Based on acid/base chemistry, the reaction produces water (H2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2). (You do not need to know acid/base chemistry to do this science project, but if you want to learn more about it, you can check out the Science Buddies resource Acids, Bases, & the pH Scale.) Carbon dioxide is what makes soda fizzy and bubbly, which is why you see lots of bubbling and foaming when you mix baking soda and vinegar together. You will mix baking soda and vinegar in a capped film canister and take advantage of the pressure the carbon dioxide gas creates in the canister to launch your own small-scale rocket. When the pressure (or push being exerted against the inside of the canister by the carbon dioxide gas) is great enough, the canister's lid will pop open and the rocket will launch. How will different amounts of baking soda and vinegar affect the launch height? While trying to answer this question you might not be launching the Space Shuttle, but you will still have messy fun escaping the force of gravity for a few seconds with your own rocket!

Equation 1:

Terms and Concepts

Questions

Bibliography

The following NASA website has information on everything you have ever wanted to know about rockets. Of particular interest may be the webpages on "Rocket Thrust" and "Combustion."

For help creating graphs, try this website:

  • National Center for Education Statistics, (n.d.). Create a Graph. Retrieved June 25, 2020.

Materials and Equipment

Disclaimer: Science Buddies participates in affiliate programs with Home Science Tools, Amazon.com, Carolina Biological, and Jameco Electronics. Proceeds from the affiliate programs help support Science Buddies, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and keep our resources free for everyone. Our top priority is student learning. If you have any comments (positive or negative) related to purchases you've made for science projects from recommendations on our site, please let us know. Write to us at scibuddy@sciencebuddies.org.

Experimental Procedure

Note: Since this science fair project can be messy, you should perform all tests outside. Your location should be along a tall wall and free from debris.

Preparing Your Test Area

  1. If you want, you may decorate your film canister, which will be the body of your rocket.
    1. You could take a piece of construction paper and wrap it around the film canister. Make sure to wrap along the short side of the paper, about 2 millimeters below the lip of the canister, and make sure that the lid is not enclosed or covered by the tube of paper. Wrap the paper neatly and evenly along the canister and use the scissors to remove the excess paper from the bottom. Secure the paper with a few pieces of transparent tape.
    2. Make sure it is still easy to put the lid on the canister.
  2. Now go outside to your test site, which should be an open area next to a tall exterior wall, with nothing above it. Prepare the test site so you will be able to measure how high the rocket goes.
    1. Put a long piece of masking tape or painter's tape on the wall, just 15 centimeters (cm) from the ground. The piece of tape should be about 50 cm long.
    2. Then put a long piece of tape every 15 cm up after that until you reach the top of the wall (or about 4 meters [m] high). Ask an adult to help put up the higher pieces of tape (possibly using a ladder may be needed).
    3. Use the permanent marker to label each piece of tape. For example, the first piece should be labeled "15 cm," the next should be "30 cm," and so on.
  3. Create a data table in your lab notebook so that you can keep track of the data that you collect. It should look like Table 1 below.
Amount of Baking Soda
(tsp.)
Amount of Vinegar
(tsp.)
Trial Launch Height
(cm)
Average Launch Height
(cm)
    1    
2 
3 
    1    
2 
3 
    1    
2 
3 
Table 1. In your lab notebook, create a data table like this one to record your data.

Preparing the Rocket

  1. Now prepare the baking soda for the rocket.
    1. Place 1 teaspoon (tsp.) of baking soda in the bowl. Carefully add 1/8 tsp. of water to the baking soda and mix it in using the spoon. This should wet the baking soda enough so that you can pack it into the depression on the inside of the canister lid.
    2. Turn the film canister lid over and tightly pack the inside of the depression with the damp baking soda, as shown in Figure 2 below.
    3. Briefly turn the lid upside-down and make sure that the baking soda does not fall out. If the baking soda all falls out, then add a little bit more water to the baking soda and mix it in. Try to add only a minimal amount of water to the baking soda in order to make it stick together inside the lid.
    4. If 1 tsp of baking soda is too much (you cannot pack it into the lid without some falling out), start over and try 1/2 tsp of baking soda instead. Make sure you keep this amount constant throughout your experiment.
    5. Record the amount of baking soda that you used in the data table in your lab notebook.
Baking soda packed into the inside of a film canister lid
Figure 2. Tightly pack the damp baking soda in the depression in the lid. Try not to let the baking side go outside of the depression or it make be difficult to snap the lid on the canister.
  1. Now prepare the vinegar for the rocket.
    1. Add 1 tsp. of vinegar to the canister at a time, filling it almost to the top. You need to add as much vinegar to the canister as possible without the vinegar and the baking soda coming into contact when you eventually snap the lid onto the canister, as shown in Figure 3 below. (Tip: Depending on the exact canister, this may be around 5 tsp. of vinegar.) This might take a little trial and error, but be patient and keep trying.
    2. Keep careful track of and record the amount of vinegar in the data table in your lab notebook.
Baking soda packed into the inside of a film canister lid next to a film canister filled with vinegar
Figure 3. Fill the film canister with as much vinegar as you can (1 tsp. at a time) without it coming into contact with the baking soda when the lid is put on the canister. (Tip: This may be around 5 tsp. of vinegar.)
  1. Go over to the outdoor area where you put tape strips on the wall and prepare to have your experiments videotaped or watched by a volunteer.
    1. If you want to videotape your experiments, set up a camera or phone on a tripod and make sure the entire wall is in the camera's field of view. Have the camera start recording at the beginning of step 4, and stop recording at the end of step 6. If the rocket goes out of the top of the frame after your first launch, move the tripod back farther.
    2. If you do not have a video camera, you can alternatively ask a volunteer to watch the reactions to help you figure out how high the canisters go.
  2. Launch your rocket.
    1. Put on your safety goggles. Stoop down near the ground on a flat, hard spot and quickly snap the lid onto the canister to seal it. Immediately turn the canister over so the lid is on the ground, and quickly move away.
    2. Wait for the chemical reaction to occur (the time depends on the amount of baking soda and vinegar you are using).
    3. When the lid finally pops off, the rocket should overcome gravity and launch. You and your volunteer should watch to see how high it goes and record the launch height in the data table in your lab notebook.
  3. Carefully rinse out the lid and canister with water.
    1. If your canister is decorated, make sure that the construction paper does not get too wet.
  4. Repeat steps 1–5 two more times, always recording the launch height in the data table in your lab notebook.
    1. It is a good idea to perform at least three trials of each experiment so that you know your results are accurate and reproducible.
  5. Decrease the amount of vinegar in the canister by 1 tsp. and repeat steps 1–6. Record all of the data in the data table in your lab notebook.
  6. Once again, reduce the amount of vinegar by 1 more tsp. and repeat steps 1–6. Always record all of the data in your lab notebook.

Analyzing the Data

  1. If you know how, average the launch height data for each set of trials that you recorded in your data table. Write the averages in the far right column of your data table. Ask an adult if you need help.
  2. Make a bar graph with the amount of vinegar on the horizontal axis and the launch height on the vertical axis. You can make your plots by hand on graph paper, or if you would like to make your plots online, try the following website: Create a Graph.
  3. Analyze your graphs and try to explain your results.
    1. Based on your results, what is the ideal amount of vinegar to use?
    2. Do you see any trends in your data? If so, can you explain them? Do your trends correlate with other observations you made, such as whether it took a longer or shorter amount of time for a rocket to launch? Hint: You may want to re-read the Introduction in the Background tab and think about how pressure (from carbon dioxide gas) played a role in causing your rockets to launch.
icon scientific method

Ask an Expert

Do you have specific questions about your science project? Our team of volunteer scientists can help. Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot.

Global Connections

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) are a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

This project explores topics key to Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Variations

  • Try changing the amount of baking soda while keeping the amount of vinegar constant. Does the amount of baking soda affect the launch height?
  • Use a stopwatch to measure the amount of time from when you flip the film canister over to when the rocket launches. Does this depend on the amount of vinegar, the amount of baking soda, or the ratio between the two ingredients?
  • Do you think that adding a cone and fins to your rocket will help it have a greater launch height? Add a cone and see how that affects the launch height using the amount of baking soda and vinegar that previously produced the highest launch. Then design and make fins for your rocket out of construction paper and repeat the experiment using the amount of baking soda and vinegar that previously produced the highest launch. Tape the cone on the opposite end from the canister and the fins on the same end. Do the cone and fins help increase the launch height?
  • Try using different containers instead of plastic film canisters. Are there other types of containers that work well for making a small-scale rocket? For example, try using an empty plastic bottle and plugging the opening with a cork or rubber stopper. You can tape straws to the side of the bottle to make "legs" for your rocket.

Careers

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers:

Career Profile
Humans have always longed to fly and to make other things fly, both through the air and into outer space—aerospace engineers are the people that make those dreams come true. They design, build, and test vehicles like airplanes, helicopters, balloons, rockets, missiles, satellites, and spacecraft. Read more
Career Profile
Chemical engineers solve the problems that affect our everyday lives by applying the principles of chemistry. If you enjoy working in a chemistry laboratory and are interested in developing useful products for people, then a career as a chemical engineer might be in your future. Read more
Career Profile
The role that the chemical technician plays is the backbone of every chemical, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical manufacturing operation. Chemical technicians conduct experiments, record data, and help to implement new processes and procedures in the laboratory. If you enjoy hands-on work, then you might be interested in the career of a chemical technician. Read more

News Feed on This Topic

 
, ,

Cite This Page

General citation information is provided here. Be sure to check the formatting, including capitalization, for the method you are using and update your citation, as needed.

MLA Style

Science Buddies Staff. "Rocketology: Baking Soda + Vinegar = Lift Off!" Science Buddies, 5 July 2023, https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Chem_p086/chemistry/rocketology-baking-soda-vinegar-lift-off. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

APA Style

Science Buddies Staff. (2023, July 5). Rocketology: Baking Soda + Vinegar = Lift Off! Retrieved from https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Chem_p086/chemistry/rocketology-baking-soda-vinegar-lift-off


Last edit date: 2023-07-05
Top
We use cookies and those of third party providers to deliver the best possible web experience and to compile statistics.
By continuing and using the site, including the landing page, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
OK, got it
Free science fair projects.