Step 1 :The rocket splashes down when its height is zero, i.e., when \(h(t) = 0\). This is a quadratic equation, and we can solve it by using the quadratic formula \(t = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}\). In this case, \(a = -4.9\), \(b = 277\), and \(c = 353\). We are looking for the positive root of this equation, as time cannot be negative.
Step 2 :By substituting the values into the quadratic formula, we get two solutions for \(t\), \(t1 = -1.2468667308378916\) and \(t2 = 57.77747897573585\). Since time cannot be negative, the rocket splashes down after approximately \(t2 = 57.77747897573585\) seconds.
Step 3 :The height of the rocket at its peak is the maximum value of the function \(h(t)\). This occurs at the vertex of the parabola, which is given by \(t = -\frac{b}{2a}\). We can substitute this value back into the function to find the maximum height.
Step 4 :By substituting the values into the formula for the vertex of a parabola, we get \(peak\_time = 28.265306122448976\). Substituting this value back into the function \(h(t)\), we get the maximum height of the rocket, \(peak\_height = 4267.744897959183\).
Step 5 :Final Answer: The rocket splashes down after approximately \(\boxed{57.78}\) seconds. The rocket peaks at approximately \(\boxed{4267.74}\) meters above sea-level.