How to Make Foam Nose Cone Paper Rockets

Making the Rocket Body

• 1

  Roll the construction paper around the PVC pipe, gluing sections of the paper after each new roll with a thin strip of glue. Make sure you can still slide the paper off the pipe when it dries and that the ends of the paper are glued firmly to the body so as to prevent it from impeding air flow. Stand it up to let it dry for at least half an hour or until glue is no longer wet.

• 2

  Cut three fins and two wings out of the thin cardboard. These can be virtually any size for experimentation purposes, but the fins should be uniform with each other, as should the two wings. For speedy rockets, create small triangular wings (about 3 inches or less); for gliders, create larger wings (4 inches or more). Fins should be at least 1 1/2 inches tall, shaped with a triangle head and a square bottom.

• 3

  Glue the fins to the tail of the rocket, making sure the bottom of the fin is aligned with the very edge of the tail. Space each fin evenly with one centered on top of the rocket and one on each side.

• 4

  Glue the wings to each side of the rocket, aligning them with the side fins on the tail. Let these dry without disturbing them while you move onto the nose cone.

Making the Nose Cone

• 5

  Take the metal pipe and punch a nose cone out of the Styrofoam cube. The nose should be about 2 inches in length, so if the cube is larger, cut off some length with the scissors or a utility knife.

• 6

  Decide the style cone you'd like to make. For a speedy plane, plan on a triangular shape. For a stable plane, you should create a parabolic nose, which is beveled at the end. Another popular option is to make a cylindrical nose cone with a completely rounded tip.

• 7

  Use the sandpaper to sand off one end of the nose cone into the desired shape. Do this over a trash can or an area that's easy to clean up.

• 8

  Insert the nose cone into the front of the rocket, making sure the shape is fully exposed. If the cone doesn't fit, sand off a little width at a time until it fits snugly into the rocket shape. Tape the nose into place using the masking tape. Use enough to secure it, but not so much it becomes front-heavy, as this can make the rocket take a nose dive shortly after each launch.