Using lunar ice to make rocket fuel could help future lunar settlements sustain themselves and provide a launch pad for astronauts to reach Mars.

When you think of a rocket launch, you likely imagine a massive explosion of flames and smoke expanding across the launch site as the propulsion systems hurl thousands of tons of metal into space.

In Jiangxi, China, a teacher partnered with students to construct a rocket featuring two stages, each made from ordinary plastic bottles and launched using the pressure generated by water. The ...