Making a Parachute

Why is a parachute and important? A parachute can cushion the fall so you could reuse the rocket over and over again as long as you have enough engines. This is how we make a homemade parachute. These are the materials needed:Cardboard

• Heavy-duty garbage bag


• Hole puncher


• Reinforcing rings


• Hexagon pattern (quilting pattern)


• Exacto knife


• Scissors
  

Print out the hexagonal pattern. Cut out the pattern. Place the pattern on cardboard, and trace and cut out the cardboard. Use the cardboard pattern to cut out a hexagon out of the garbage bag.

Use a hole puncher to punch a hole in all 6 Corners.

Place reinforcement rings on both sides of the holes you made. Then you should have a parachute ready to be strung into your rocket. If you used a garbage bag you will have two parachutes so you won't need to make a second one.

Painting a Rocket

The first step in painting a rocket successfully is to put on primer. The primer helps hold the rocket together, so doesn't fall part. It also helps when it falls from the sky, deploys a parachute, hits the ground and lands safely. Also helps the paint stick to the rocket so it won't fall off, rub off, or drip on your kitty cat. Here's some good colors that we think are good: silver and chrome yellow (kind of goldish). To get an even coat of paint, keep the spray paint far from the rocket so that you can get more distance and more paint on the rocket. It also helps for little short streaks. When you want short streaks just hold the rocket 1 to 2 feet away from the spray paint and start spraying in a line. After you're done painting, it's a good idea to let it dry somewhere where your cat doesn't swallow any paint.