Worlds of David Darling > Children's Encyclopedia of Science > Could You Ever Fly to the Stars? > Hands On

COULD YOU EVER FLY TO THE STARS?

a book in the Could You Ever? series by David Darling

Contents
The Challenge
1. Rrrocket!
2. Interstellar Overdrive
3. Through the Light Barrier
4. Star Trekking
Hands On
Glossary

Hands On

Build a rocket engine from a chicken's egg

This engine works by the same principle as the engines of future starships. Its jet of steam allows it to propel a simple boat.

You will need:

An uncracked raw chicken's egg
A fine knitting needle
A basin
All-purpose glue
A metal foil food container
Scissors
A paper clip
A few inches of stiff wire
A candle

Wash the outside of the egg and pierce a tiny hole through it, from end to end, using the knitting needle. Hold the egg over a basin and blow through one of the holes. The yolk and white of the egg will come out of the hole at the other end of the shell and fall into the basin. Hold the eggshell under water and remove it when it is about half full. Put your fingers over the holes and shake it to clean the inside. Blow out the contents, then rinse the eggshell again in the same way. Now dry the outside of the shell and seal one of the holes with a blob of thick glue. Leave the glue to set.

Make the boat from the metal food container. Trim the sides with scissors and bend one end to form the boat's curved bow. Clip a small flap of scrap foil to the stern of the boat to act as a rudder. Bend the piece of wire to form a cradle for the eggshell. Cut a small piece from the top of the candle. Hold the shell underwater so that a little water enters. Do not let too much in as it will take a long time to boil. Using hand-hot water will speed things up. Arrange the candle stump, wire frame, and shell as shown and light the candle with an adult's help. After a few minutes, the boat will move forward, driven by the thrust of the eggshell rocket.

CONTENTS