A few years back, I went into Barnes & Noble bookstore and found a kit for a vinagar and baking soda rocket. Earlier that day, I had been looking for water and air pressure rockets without luck, so finding this was a lucky break.It took a while to put it together. I went out to the back yard and had a terrible time juggling the rocket, vinegar, water, and baking soda and plug - it was a series of mishaps one after another. I had too much water, than not enough water. Finally, after so many failures, and learning what worked and didn't work, I got it to go up a couple of inches. buoyed, by that little success, I settled in on 50/50 ratio vinegar to water and 1/2 oz. baking soda. I figured out how to fasten the tube of baking soda to the plug, while holding the rocket upside down. Placing the plug into the nozzle, I screwed it just tight enough. Quickly I set it on its' fins and waited almost a minute before it popped and zoomed up maybe 20'.
I was working at an elementary school at the time. I had been trying to sell the principle fo starting a rocket club or adding rockets to the curriculum. There had been a prohibition on rockets in recent years, because of the use of Black powder. So, I was recounting my baking soda and vinegar escapades and she asked me to give a demonstration. It did not go well at all. The best we could get the rocket to do was fall over when the plug pooped off.
