Space derby
Encyclopedia
The space derby is a racing event for Cub Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

 that is similar to the pinewood derby
Pinewood derby
The pinewood derby is a racing event for Cub Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America. Cub Scouts, with the help of parents, build their own cars from wood, usually from kits containing a block of pine, plastic wheels and metal axles...

 car race. Cub Scouts (the young-age division of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

) race miniature balsa wood rockets that are propelled by a rubber band
Rubber band
A rubber band is a short length of rubber and latex formed in the shape of a loop and is commonly used to hold multiple objects together...

 and propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

.

Construction

The space derby kit consists of a balsa wood block, propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...

 assembly, rubber band
Rubber band
A rubber band is a short length of rubber and latex formed in the shape of a loop and is commonly used to hold multiple objects together...

s, plastic sheet (for fins), and a mounting bracket. The wood block comes out of the box with a drilled out center hole. The block is carved into the desired shape, sanded and painted. The mounting bracket and fins can be added either before or after painting. The rubber band is inserted through the center hole with one end on the propeller and the other held in a cross-piece at the rear.

The race

The completed rockets are wound up with as many as 100 or more turns on the propeller and suspended on a string from a separate bracket with the propeller held in place. Two, three or four string lanes are typically used. The rockets are held in place and launched when the mechanism releases the propeller.

External links

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