project
Make a Hovercraft
![Hovercraft materials Hovercraft materials](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_materials-640x350.jpg)
Materials
1. Safety first
Put on safety glasses and fill a small bowl with cold water to dunk your fingers in case you get any hot glue on them.![Cutting the water bottle top and using sandpaper to sand it Cutting the water bottle top and using sandpaper to sand it](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_prep-640x350.jpg)
2. Prepare the bottle top
Use scissors to cut the flip-top off the bottle top. Use sandpaper to roughen the circumference of the narrow opening of the bottle top.![Placing a bead of glue along the circumference of the bottle top Placing a bead of glue along the circumference of the bottle top](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_gluenozzle_top-640x350.jpg)
3. Place a bead of glue on the bottle top
Place a bead of glue around the circumference of the narrow opening of the bottle top. Allow it to cool before moving to the next step.![Glueing the bottom of the bottle top Glueing the bottom of the bottle top](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_gluenozzle_bottom-640x350.jpg)
4. Glue the bottom of the bottle top
Place glue along the circumference of the wide opening of the bottle top. Press the bottle top onto the center of the CD or DVD – centered over the disk opening.![Adding glue between the disk and bottle top Adding glue between the disk and bottle top](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_gluetoseal-640x350.jpg)
5. Seal with glue
Add glue along the circumference of where the bottle top meets the disk to ensure an air-tight seal. Allow all the glue to cool completely.![Attaching the balloon to the bottle top Attaching the balloon to the bottle top](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_attachballoon-640x350.jpg)
6. Inflate and attach the balloon
Inflate a balloon and twist the neck to prevent air from escaping. While pinching the neck of the balloon, stretch the mouth of the balloon over the bottle top.![Animated gif of a hovercraft sliding across a smooth surface Animated gif of a hovercraft sliding across a smooth surface](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/activities/hovercraft_main-640x350.gif)
7. Watch it go!
Place your hovercraft, disk-side down, on a flat surface. Untwist the balloon, give your hovercraft a little push and watch it go!8. Experiment
Experiment with your hovercraft's design. For example, you can place paper dot stickers on the bottom of the hovercraft, over the disk hole, to control the airflow. Then, experiment with poking holes in the sticker using different size holes or different numbers of holes.9. Challenge your friends
Can you get your hovercraft to travel farther than your friends' designs? Who can get closest to a target? Create games to keep the hovercraft fun going and going.![JPL fellow Becca Foust stands in a spacecraft testbed at Caltech. Image credit: Evan Kramer JPL fellow Becca Foust stands in a spacecraft testbed at Caltech. Image credit: Evan Kramer](https://imagecache.jpl.nasa.gov/images/edu/news/beccafoust_action-web-640x350.jpg)
10. Explore More
Find out more about how NASA uses hovercraft technology to test spacecraft!