Enhancement Activities

1. Listen to/watch video

a. What 2 elements are stored in the external tank?

b. Why are the pipes for the liquid hydrogen system “vacuum jacketed?”

2. Learn More Section –

a. click on types of propellants

1. What is the gauge of efficiency for rocket propellants?

2. Provide a definition for specific impulse.

3. Compare and contrast the properties of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen.

4. Why is the potential use of liquid hydrogen as a propellant so great?

5. Describe the propellant used in the solid rocket boosters of the space shuttle.

b. click on How Rocket Engines Work; Table of Contents; Thrust Example; Space Shuttle

1. Why is the channel configuration of the SRB propellant a star shape?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of solid-fuel rocket engines?

National Science Education Standards:

B.1.1 – A substance has characteristic properties, such as density, all of which are independent of the amount of the sample
B.1.2 – Substances react chemically in characteristic ways with other substances to form new substances with different characteristic properties
E.2.2- Many different people in different cultures have mad and continue to make contributions to science and technology,
G.1.1– Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds engage in the activities of science, engineering, and related fields
G.1.2 – Science requires different abilities, depending on such factors as the field of study and type of inquiry

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics:
D.1.1 - Understand both metric and customary systems of measurement,
F.1.3 – Apply and adapt a variety of appropriate strategies to solve problems

National Education Technology Standards::
A.1.2 – Students are proficient in the use of technology