Learn how to make fireworks rockets with a very simple sugar propellant. Using only sorbitol and potassium nitrate you'll be flying homemade solid fuel sugar rockets in no time.

Materials Needed:

Thanks to Matthew Carpenter who passed this homemade rocket project along to us. You don't need any special rocket tooling for this one. First ram a clay plug into a parallel rocket tube. Mix potassium nitrate and sorbitol powders in a ratio of 65:35 potassium nitrate to sorbitol. Outdoors on an electric hotplate, carefully mix and melt the two together. Do not melt these on an open flame, unless you want this to be your last project! When the mix is a milky, frosting-like goo, you can pour it into yout large diameter rocket tubes or spoon it into smaller diameter tubes. After you spoon it into the rocket tubes, wait a minute or two for the fuel to cool a little. Then use an aluminum rammer to pack it into the tube.

For a rocket tube with a 3/4-inch inside diameter make a core in the rocket by shoving a 1/8-inch diameter welding rod all the way down into the grain (fuel) of the rocket. Mount the sky rocket on a stick as usual, and then let it fly.

If you have never flown a rocket that uses a stick for a stabilizer, here's one way to do it. Firmly tape the rocket to the end of a square stick (round will work). Tape the rocket tube (nozzle down) to the stick in at least two places. How long should the rocket stick be? Balance the stick with rocket attached on your index finger. The balance point should be right behind/under the nozzle. Keep breaking off pieces of wood until it balances. Insert a piece of visco fuse into the core of the rocket and attach it to the stick with a little piece of tape. Shove a piece of pipe into the ground. Place the rocket and stick into the pipe. Make sure your rocket is aimed straight up, light the visco fuse, and retire quickly.

To learn more about making sky rockets read these:

"Stinger Missile Sky Rockets"
"Black Powder Sky Rockets"
"Cut Your Own Sky Rocket Sticks"