Aerospace Project

What is it all about?

Explore the science of flight! Flying objects from kites to rockets have been studied for centuries. In this project, you will discover the science behind moving objects through the air.

Model Rocketry | Flying | Astronomy

Grow in Your Project

Beginner

Make paper airplanes
Identify different types of aircraft
Learn how weather affects flying
Learn star constellations and their stories
Build a marshmallow rocket
Explore the basics of balance and propulsion

Intermediate

Make and launch model rockets
Explore aviation principles
Learn about environmental conditions and their impact on flight
Experiment with roll, pitch, and yaw
Build a balloon shuttle
Make a paper hot-air balloon

Advanced

Use engineering principles to design your own air- and space-crafts
Construct an altitude tracker
Learn pilot certification requirements
Learn about airport issues in across Wisconsin
Explore model rocketry
Build a hang glider and calculate flight parameters like payload, weight, and spin

Member Resources

Aerospace Adventures Curriculum
4 levels (grades 1-12)

Free Downloads

Aerospace Project Sheet

Project Leader Resources

Aerospace Adventures Curriculum
Helper’s Guide

Free Downloads

Aerospace Activity Series (5 lessons, grade 4)

Statewide Educational Opportunities

Space Camp

Space Camp is just what you think it is – it’s a camp experience where you learn and experience a ton of different aspects of life as an astronaut, working at NASA, and exploring places beyond Earth! Wisconsin 4-H Space Camp participants experience the Pathfinder Program. The Pathfinder Program is a 3-day experience where youth participate in a variety of simulated space activities.

Audience: Youth in grades 6-8

Learn more about Space Camp

Take Your Project Further!

Attend a star-gazing program at a planetarium
Explore an aerospace career using online resources
Shadow an airline employee for one day
Attend an aerospace event or camp
Visit a local airport and have a pilot and/or mechanic talk about flying
Look for opportunities to take the ground school portion of a flight training class
Visit with an aircraft maintenance engineer to learn about aircraft maintenance
Take a flight with a flight instructor
Compete in the Rocket Launch Contest at Showcase Showdown

Applying Project Skills to Life

Enhance Your Communication Skills

Do a presentation about life on the International Space Station
Demonstrate what it takes to build a model airplane
Compare paper airplanes, how to make them and how they work
Demonstrate glider flight capabilities
Interview a pilot

Get Involved in Citizenship and Service

Organize a rocket launch
Organize a kite-flying contest
Volunteer at an airport or airshow
Create a model airplane display for a showcase at a public location like an airport, library, museum, nursing home

Learn about Leadership

Teach younger kids to make model rockets
Bring your club to the local airport to learn more about airplanes and pilots
Lead a star-gazing session at an evening workshop or camp

Showing What You’ve Learned

Make a poster on parts of an airplane or a rocket and their function
Create a display on different types of aircraft and what they are used for
Make a poster about the forces that act on an airplane or a rocket
Chart the moon and make a display about how the moon affects the earth
Make a poster about constellations and when you can see them
Exhibit a model rocket you built from a kit
Exhibit a model rocket you build from your own design
Demonstrate how whether affects flying
Make a model of the cockpit of an airplane. Build and fly a remote control airplane

Create a display comparing birds and airplanes
Create a typical pilots log and explain why it’s important
Demonstrate different types of aerodynamics on kite flying
Research hot air balloons and how they work
Engineer a model glider and create a display of your engineering process and outcomes
Build a model airplane from a kit or your own design
Create a poster with pictures of places you’ve visited, your first plane ride, programs you’ve participated in, types of planes, etc.
Build any other model (helicopter, etc.)
Design and build a kite from a kit
Design and build a kite on your own without using a kit

Adapted with permission from Wyoming State 4-H, Project Information Sheet, Aerospace. Retrieved from: https://www.uwyo.edu/4-h/projects/science-technology/aerospace.html.

Header image courtesy of Wisconsin 4-H.

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