'This to That' - Water Rockets

From water to powered flight: the process of a water rocket take off and landing.


'A common problem faced by information designers is to explain a technically complex process to a lay audience: 

• How do you make a complex subject engaging and interesting to an audience? 
• How do you explain something you may know nothing about yourself? 
• How do you prevent yourself from being bogged down by information?'

The first step was to research the subject area myself, finding credible sources and existing helpful diagrams to give myself a clear idea of what was expected. I had played with similar toys in the past, but wanted to find out the universal design of the experiment. There were a couple of useful diagrams on a NASA site:

These diagrams seem to be aimed at more advanced science enthusiasts, and perhaps don't show enough for a beginner to be inspired to create their own. The first image is useful, but doesn't show the equipment that is needed, just the final layout, while the second shows the stages following the launch. I want my effort to be more helpful for novices and put more emphasis on the correct way to set it up, but also make use of more simplified and less illustrative diagrams.

The BBC show 'Bang Goes the Theory' has a website aimed at inspiring children to learn about science and features explanations of numerous experiments, including the launch of water rockets.

Bang Goes the Theory - Water Rockets

On this page there is a helpful video that explains the whole process, as well as a step-by-step breakdown and a list of equipment needed that is written very simply and is easy to follow. I feel this is a more helpful source of information than the NASA site, but I feel that their diagrams were also useful when collating knowledge from varied sources.

Bibliography

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (no date). Water Rockets [Online]. Available from: http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktbot.html [Accessed 16th February 2012] 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (no date). Flight of a Water Rocket [Online]. Available from: http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktbflght.html [Accessed 16th February 2012]

BBC (no date). Bang Goes the Theory- Water Bottle Rockets [Online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bang/handson/waterbottlerockets.shtml [Accessed 16th February 2012]