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Here’s the NASA Guide on How to Make Your Own Straw-Powered Falcon 9 Rocket

Demo-2 straw-powered rocket 5 photos
Photo: NASA
SpaceX Crew Dragon going vertical on the launch padSpaceX Crew Dragon going vertical on the launch padSpaceX Crew Dragon going vertical on the launch padSpaceX Crew Dragon going vertical on the launch pad
On May 27, the world got over-excited by the possibility of seeing a Falcon 9 rocket taking Crew Dragon and two astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time in history. The weather had something else in mind, though.
Initially scheduled for take-off at 4:33 EDT (8:33 AM GMT) from the historic Launch Complex 39A at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 27, the Demo-2 mission launch was canceled when the timer read less than an hour until liftoff. The new launch time is now May 30, at 3:22 pm EDT (7:22 am GMT).

There’s still some time to kill until then, and the American space agency found the perfect project fans can immerse themselves in to allow hours to go by faster: build their own straw-powered Demo-2 rocket. The agency illustrated the entire process in a short How To video, which is available below this text.

All you need for the task are a piece of paper, some markers, a scissor, a straw, and of course, tape. Optionally, you could throw in a ribbon for the rocket fire. We’ll let NASA explain the process step by step.

Demo-2 is the first crewed mission of the SpaceX-designed spaceship. The launch, if it takes place this weekend, will mark the return of crewed spaceflight to American soil, and the end of American dependence on Russia for space missions.

The two astronauts tasked with carrying out the mission are joint operations commander Robert Behnken and spacecraft commander Douglas Hurley. The two men’s main job is to validate Crew Dragon for “operational, long-duration missions to the space station,” and in the end for use in space tourism as well.

The spacecraft has already flown solo to the ISS about a year ago as the first commercially-built and operated American crew spacecraft to dock with the ISS.

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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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