Physics Project

[Parlett]

My physics teacher assigned our class a project last week. We have to have to purchase a model rocket, discard the fins that come with it and design/ make our own fins, create a payload section, and then make calculations to predict how high it will fly and stuff like that. There are only 13 people in my AP Physics class because roughly half the students dropped it on the first day. We can only work in groups of 3 for this lab and I wasn't in school the day we had to pick groups so now I have to work with the foreign exchange student who doesn't speak any english. I need to make a bad ass rocket that will basically destroy the other groups rockets. I would appreciate it if you guys would suggest some models/ fin designs that will help me accomplish my goal...

[Parlett]

Oh yea, If you guys haven't guessed already, I'm just an amateur...I need a rocket that isn't impossible to build and is symmetrical so it is easier to make calculations.

Thanks.

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

What criteria will be used in deciding if your rocket has destroyed the competition? If altitude is one of the deciding factors, a great rocket to look at for design tips is the Astron Sprint, which makes use of a boattail and specially shaped fins to drag every foot out of an engine. Speaking of which, what kind of an engine are you using?

[Green Dragon]

What criteria will be used in deciding if your rocket has destroyed the competition? If altitude is one of the deciding factors, a great rocket to look at for design tips is the Astron Sprint, which makes use of a boattail and specially shaped fins to drag every foot out of an engine. Speaking of which, what kind of an engine are you using?

exactly - I / we'd be more than willing to help out, but need more of the criteria.

ie: does it have to start from a kit (sounds as , or more , econimical, to start from scratch ) .

- size of rocket and engine size ?

- detaisl of 'what wins', as FNW asked ?

~ AL

FNW... hmm. linke FNC = fins and a nosecone, what's FNW ? fins not wood ? (sorry, couldn't resist :-)

[CPMcGraw]

My physics teacher assigned our class a project last week. We have to have to purchase a model rocket, discard the fins that come with it and design/ make our own fins, create a payload section, and then make calculations to predict how high it will fly and stuff like that. There are only 13 people in my AP Physics class because roughly half the students dropped it on the first day. We can only work in groups of 3 for this lab and I wasn't in school the day we had to pick groups so now I have to work with the foreign exchange student who doesn't speak any english. I need to make a bad ass rocket that will basically destroy the other groups rockets. I would appreciate it if you guys would suggest some models/ fin designs that will help me accomplish my goal...

Step One -- Locate, purchase, and then READ THOROUGHLY a copy of Stine's Handbook of Model Rocketry. This is very much our "textbook". Don't hesitate on this step, because it will provide you with ALL of the basic and essential information to answer your class questions; and it is VERY LIKELY at least ONE or more of the other students in your class ALREADY HAS A COPY and will be using it to the full. If you don't have a copy, you're going to be behind the curve all the way!

At Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/ncom/books?id=3278566145896&isbn=0471472425

At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471472425/qid=1127856703/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8539168-9363151?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Step Two -- Study the designs of similar rockets through the years from the catalogs and from the old plans. Do a Google search for NINFINGER, YORP, and JimZ. Get a feel for how the "old masters" worked their knowledge. Remember, too: Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Look for those designs that lasted the longest in the catalogs. That was usually a good indication they were popular, meaning they were good fliers...

Step Three -- Don't fret about which rocket kit you purchase. We do this all the time ourselves, building older designs from newer kit offerings. We call it "kitbashing". You can take ALMOST ANY rocket and make ALMOST ANY OTHER rocket you might want. Take a look also at SEMROC and Balsa Machining Service for additional rocket building components.

Step Four -- Don't be afraid to build more than one, trying different shapes and number of fins, and save at least one kit for your "final version". Once you've found a fin shape, fin count, and fin position that work best, use the last kit to build your "class project" rocket, and dress it up with a good glossy paint job.

Step Five -- GO FLY! You need to fly as often as you can to see how your particular design handles, and make needed corrections according to what the rocket does in flight. Sometimes the difference between a successful design and a failure is just a wad of clay in the tip of the nose cone...

[Parlett]

My teacher gave us catalogs for Estes rockets and a few other brands found at hobby shops. He said we can choose from the ones he gave us or buy them on our own...We're basically going to be using A-E engines depending on which model we choose. Max altitude is what we're going to be competeing over, my teacher has some kind of device that he's going to put in the payload section that measures atmospheric preassure or something like that. I basically need a model rocket that I can modify to add a payload section and designs for custom fins. I remember seeing a rocket show on the Discovery Channel and this kid had a pretty small rocket (probably 2 feet in legnth at most) that had like 4 E engines in it. It was really bad ass, I think I'm looking for something like that.

[CPMcGraw]

My teacher gave us catalogs for Estes rockets and a few other brands found at hobby shops. He said we can choose from the ones he gave us or buy them on our own...

Give our thanks to your teacher for working with rocketry in his classroom. While you're at it, tell him to come join our forum and we can share some of this information with him, too.

Be sure to look at the catalog archives at NINFINGER -- this site has (nearly) EVERY Estes catalog ever printed from 1961 through 1995. It's a great lesson in history by itself. You can also find the Centuri catalogs there, too. Be sure to look through all of them, you'll see some very easy ideas for building payload sections in these catalogs.


We're basically going to be using A-E engines depending on which model we choose. Max altitude is what we're going to be competeing over, my teacher has some kind of device that he's going to put in the payload section that measures atmospheric preassure or something like that.

An altimeter. Knowing the weight of that device (including the battery) will be important in designing the fins... :)

You'll still need "The Book" to understand why... :D


I basically need a model rocket that I can modify to add a payload section and designs for custom fins.

Simple suggestion -- start with something that has a "medium-sized" body tube, like the BT-55, and add a slightly larger BT-60 payload section with a tapered shroud to connect the two. This would include kits like the CC-Express for the booster and sustainer section, and kits like the Baby Bertha for the payload section. These two model kits allow for a lot of modifications, and plenty of payload room.

Re-read my earlier message about "Step Three". Again, you need a copy of "The Book" to understand why. Learning the "why" is important to succeeding with your project.


I remember seeing a rocket show on the Discovery Channel and this kid had a pretty small rocket (probably 2 feet in legnth at most) that had like 4 E engines in it. It was really bad ass, I think I'm looking for something like that.

If this was an Estes kit, it sounds like the Pro Patriot, which had four motor tubes. The plans are available online, for reference.

There are other resources online, but you need to discover them. That's half the challenge, and half the fun. Start with "The Book" and go from there.