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The Astronomical Society of Sri Sumangala College recently organized an exciting and informative introductory workshop on water rocketry. The event was designed to give students a basic understanding of rocket science and the principles behind how rockets work—especially water rockets, which are commonly used in school-level competitions.
The session began with an introduction by Hiruja Edurapola, Editor of the Society. He holds a certification in Quantum Physics from MIT and has also completed a course in the Basics of Rocket Science from the University of Michigan. He started by giving an overview of what rocket science is and why it’s important. Hiruja explained key scientific ideas such as Newton’s Laws of 
Motion, focusing especially on the third law—“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”—which is the main principle behind rocket propulsion. He also discussed pressure and atmospheric pressure, helping students understand how pressure helps launch a water rocket. Lastly, he explained different types of energy and how energy changes from one form to another during a rocket launch.
The second part of the session was conducted by Dinuwara Muthukumarana, President of the Society. Dinuwara is an Astronomy Olympiad medalist and has won multiple water rocketry competitions. He used a model to explain the main parts of a water rocket, such as the bottle body, fins, and nozzle. He also explained how the height of a water rocket’s flight depends on factors like water pressure, amount of water, angle of launch, and rocket design. During the Q&A session, both speakers answered questions and shared extra knowledge on astronomy to give students a better understanding of space science. Even though there were no real rocket launches, the workshop was a fun and educational experience. It gave students a strong foundation in basic rocket science and sparked interest in future hands-on projects.
