Year: 2010 (Page 10 of 70)

Weekend Science Fun: Model Rockets

It was a fine fall day in Arizona today.

A perfect day to shoot off rockets.

You need a big area that is clear of hazards. You will also need a launch pad.

Whoosh and it is gone!

Check out that blue sky.

The parachute has deployed.

This rocket is almost down.

Whoosh! And here comes another one. In this case, it is rocket science!

To learn more about how rockets work, see NASA’s Beginner’s Guide to Rockets where they have a look inside a model rocket.

If you think you want to try model rockets, you should join a club or at least work with an individual who is experienced in the safe handling and launching of rockets. The National Association of Rocketry website has places to find a local club, a wealth of information about rockets, and a list of safety suggestions. And remember, often city, town and park regulations prohibit model rocket launches within their borders.

Bug of Week: Cicada Nymph

Here’s a bug you don’t see much this time of year.

My son dug up this pea-sized grub when trying to fix an irrigation leak.

When it is upside down you can see the beak it uses to feed on tree roots. It is so tiny, that is a bit of acacia flower next to it.

In this view you can see the claws on the front legs that it uses to dig through the soil.

Perhaps next summer it will crawl from the earth, attach to the side of a tree, emerge as an adult, and leave its exoskeleton behind like this one did.

For more information on cicadas:

Another sequence of cicada nymphs

Adult cicada

Cicada wasp with adult cicada photograph from this species

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