The Water Rocket Challenge at the National Physics Laboratory

The National Physics Laboratory Outreach Team has been running Water Rocket challenges for 24 years now! Excitingly, I headed down to Teddington on 21st June to meet up with STEM the Violence, who were entering their first ever team into the evening event.

Background

The NPL is a Public Corporation owned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology which provides the UK with a national measurement infrastructure and delivers the UK Measurement Strategy on behalf of the government. In this digital age, the NPL’s world-leading measurement science provides confidence in data and is involved with the most important national challenges like energy, health, security, net zero, and leading major national programmes that impact across the UK.

Given this expertise, what better place for a Water Rocket Challenge where the precise heights, distances, and flight durations can be measured with exceptional accuracy? The challenge is to land an air pressurised rocket, using water as a propellant, exactly 70 metres from launch point, three times, with extra points for flight duration. There is a big annual festival on site where teams compete under the watchful eye of Andrew Hansen and his team.

Andrew is the Outreach Manager with a history of participation in scientific development projects, plus cost-effective, quality-assured running of measurement services. His goals include “enabling good science to improve life by helping the next generation to ‘get’ and ‘love’ science.” Looking at the enjoyment and engagement on show that summer evening, we think he is absolutely achieving this!

We were so happy to see the children from VCA Playgrounds with Fernando, from STEM The Violence, taking part in their first ever Water Rocket challenge at the NPL. The kids had so much fun! (As did Fernando and his colleagues.) They were even more surprised when, after the event, they were awarded with a prize for the longest duration flight in the competition – the team had headed home in time for the kids to be collected from the Play Centre and missed the prize giving, but Fernando returned to collect it from Andrew (see picture below).

This year’s NPL Water Rocket Challenge was a HUGE success, with over 800 attendees joining in as part of 35 school teams and 30 evening teams. As well as these, 60 teams and individuals took part in a ‘build your own rocket’ workshop. The money raised from the event went to Richmond Borough Scouts and the winning teams of 2023 were school team ‘Budget Avengers’ from The Kingston Academy, and evening team ‘Just Rockets’.

Next year, we plan to have our very own Water Rokit team – we are going to get inventor Roger Wilkins over from France, along with his sons, daughters and grandchildren – making it a real family affair! Watch this space!

Want to experiment with your own Water Rokit? Purchase yours here, head outside and have some fun!