Whether you want to spend some time with the kids before they head back to school or you’d just like to blow off some creative steam, rocket into the end of the summer with this Geek-approved water rocket project from our friends over at Lifehacker! It’s fun and easy and will bring back memories for all the former kid inventors and astronauts out there.

Here’s what you’ll need to create the rocket:

• A plastic soda bottle of any size. Just make sure it’s a soda bottle, since the carbonation makes it the prime vessel for the kind of pressure it’s about to be put under.
• A nose cone. The article recommends the tip of a foam football but any lightweight, cone shape will work. Just make sure you match the circumference of the top of the bottle to wherever you cut the football or other cone-shaped item so they connect seamlessly.
• Whether you cut out your own or you use store-bought fins, these small but effective pieces make sure your rocket doesn’t topple over itself right after take-off.

Now for the launch pad. While there are lots of options for building a launch pad (including this one from NASA – you knew they couldn’t stay away!), for this model all you’ll need is:

• A small cutting board for the base.
• A tire valve to pump the air in.
• A PVC elbow joint to connect everything.
• Cable ties to create a release mechanism.
• A PVC pipe sleeve.
• A piece of string.

To take it the rest of the way, you just need the “fuel” (aka water) and a bicycle pump with a pressure gauge so you can keep an eye on the pressure – you’ll want to keep it around 50 PSI and no higher than 90 PSI. Filling your bottle 1/3 of the way with water is also a general standard to follow but not a set rule, so have fun with it.

And don’t forget to follow the recommended safety guidelines! After all, a rocket is a rocket.

Even if you’re not into actually going out and making a rocket, be sure to check out these guys. Who knew a water rocket could be so powerful?

Ready to rock it? We want to see! Share your water rockets creations (and other Geeky crafts and inventions) with us over on our Facebook page.