Rocket Science 101 App

iPad
iPhone
iPod Touch
Android

With NASA's Rocket Science 101 app, you get to be a NASA rocket scientist and design and launch a rocket into space. This free app is designed to help you understand how rockets work. It also lets you see the differences between the types of rockets used the most often by NASA.

There are three levels you can choose from: Have Fun, Challenge Yourself, and Rocket Science. In the Have Fun level, you simply select the type of rocket you want to build and launch. From there, you'll be taken to a screen that will show an outline of the rocket you want to build. Tap and drag on the different parts of the rocket to the outline until you finish it. Once you complete the rocket, you can tap on "Launch" and watch as your rocket is launched into space. You will be able to see the timing of each stage of the launch from surface to orbit.

For both the Challenge Yourself and Rocket Science levels, you choose a mission first and then you choose a rocket that you think will carry the payload and travel the distance required to complete the mission.

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For Educators

You can use this app with your middle school students to help them understand some basic physics concepts associated with space exploration. The game comes from NASA’s Launch Services Program, the branch that oversees launches, chooses the right rocket for a given mission’s payload, and provides a measure of quality assurance throughout the mission. Rocket Science 101 gives that virtual responsibility to your students. They can pick a skill level, a payload, and a rocket from an existing fleet, then learn about the components as they assemble it before launch.

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