Blogpost #2 - First Launch

Today we had our first launch of our bottle, which ended up being extremely unsuccessful (it landed on the roof of the auditorium). The water in the bottle (about 500 mL) acted as the fuel for our rocket. We pumped air into the bottle, which caused a lot of pressure to be built up inside it. Then we launched the bottle by releasing the clasp that held it in place. It did not have any modifications today (i.e. fins, parachute, etc.), so it was not very stable and didn’t stay in the air very long. The bottle ended up on the roof because we were right in front of the auditorium and the wind was blowing in the direction of the auditorium.  We should have known better than to place our pump in that area. Next time we know to place our pump in a strategic place regardless of what others (*cough cough Mr. Blake) tell us!  On Thursday we plan to follow the steps on the website we found.  We’ll add fins, a nose cone, and a parachute.  Then hopefully we’ll be able to launch and keep our rocket in the air for a minimum of 3 seconds and keep it off the roof this time!

Blogpost #1 - Plans for our Rocket

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html

This week, Mr. Blake introduced the bottle rocket project to us. We had to start researching the project and post informational sites that could help the rest of the class. The site we found was eHow, which had an article entitled “How to Build a Bottle Rocket With a Parachute.” The great thing about this website was that it included a concise list of materials and detailed steps that are pretty easy to follow. The first step is to create the body of the rocket out of two 2L bottles. One bottle is cut on both ends to create a cylinder, and the second one is cut to create a fuselage, which will be used to store the parachute. The parachute is especially important because it will allow our rocket to have a higher chance of remaining in the air for ten seconds. We will research different variables, such as mass and pressure, in order to have a good launch. We also need to find ways to make the rocket very stable. We plan to continue to research to find additional ways that will improve our rocket’s air time.  We are determined to create a successful rocket! To infinity, and beyond!


Link to eHow site:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2305206_build-bottle-rocket-parachute.html