Interactive Hot Air Balloon, Rocket Launcher Unveiled At Petrides

Borough President Vito Fossella unveiled two new science exhibits funded by our office -- an interactive hot air balloon and a rocket launcher -- in the Borough President's Hall of Science at the Michael J. Petrides School yesterday.

​When students pull a rope in the hot air balloon, it rises mimicking how hot air enters a real hot air balloon. The energy equation is featured on a structure at the base of the balloon, teaching students the physics behind how a hot air balloon works.

The rocket launcher consists of a launch pad designed to teach students the principles of lift, drag, and thrust. It features an interactable simulation of a model rocket launching into the air within the enclosed model.

“This is about an exploration of your mind and seeing what the future looks like by understanding the past,” said Borough President Fossella to the crowd of excited students. “There are certain principles in science, in physics, and elsewhere that allow a hot air balloon to rise and to fall -- and that is the wonder of science for you to explore in your own way.”

We hope the students of the Petrides School enjoy the new exhibits and they help chart a new course of curiosity and deeper appreciation of science.