LAST Friday saw members of Les Pugh’s own Explorer Scout Unit try their hand at air/water powered bottle rockets. Each member was required to bring an empty two litre pop bottle.

The principals of propulsion were explained, i.e. pressurised air forces water out, resulting in an equal opposite force pushing the rocket forward, and that’s the theory anyway.

As usual nothing is straight forward for the explorers, this time around to ensure some careful thought, design and construction took place they had to build their rocket to launch with a pay load of a fresh egg and bring that egg safely down to earth.

Working in groups of three teams of eight they set about the task, coming up with a variety of designs from multi layered sealed capsules to parachute pods.

The rockets were to be launched from a stand, the air supplied by means of a bicycle pump to pressurise the ‘fuel’.

It became apparent that a well-sealed cork at the base of the rocket was essential; with some rapid modifications most rockets achieved some semblance of a launch, some vertical, some horizontal and even straight down.

This resulted in many wet explorers as the water rushed out, Bravely Rehanon stepped forward when her teams’ rocket would not fit on the launch pad, even knowing the soaking she would get.