TheRocketProjectLily,AminaandBrianna

Blastoff!Ourrocketshootsintotheair,afteralotofthoughtwentintotheoriginaldesign.Not
realizingit,ourdesignactuallywasthechallengeextension.Itfollowedinthefootstepsofthe
2013champion,theBrownMamba.Wealsoresearchedthebestwaytosplicetwobottles
together.http://www.instructables.com/id/WaterRocketBottleSplicing/

OurQuestion:
Doesthevolumeofthewaterchamberaffecthowhightherocketgoes?

OurHypothesis:
Ifwidthaffectsheightoftherocketlaunchedthenthewidertherocketthehigheritshouldgo.
Becauseiftherockethasasmallerwaterchambervolume,morewaterwillfillitgivingthe
rocketabiggerthrust.

VariableTesting/ConstructionofRockets:
Thevariablewedecidedtotestwaswatervolumeinthewaterchamber.Wechosethis
becausewewantedtoknowhowthevolumeofthewaterchamberandtheamountofwaterin
thechamberwouldaffecttheendresultoftherocketlaunch.Tobeginourdesign,wefirststarted
byconstructingthewaterchambers.Weboileda
potofwater,andwhilethatheatedwecuttwo
SmartWaterbottlesinhalf.Forthechamber,we
onlyneededtousethetophalfofeachbottle,butin
orderforthistoworkwehadtodiptheupperhalfof
onewaterbottleintothehotwatertoshrinkitdown.
Thisshrunkdowntheplastic,butnotbytoomuch,
makingitslideperfectlyundertheothertophalfof
thesecondwaterbottle.Then,wesandeddownthe
partthatweshrunk,andtheinsideoftheother
waterbottle.Weputcaulkgluearoundtheoutside
oftheshrunkenwaterbottle,andsliditneatly
underneaththesecondwaterbottlecreatingour
waterchamber.Werepeatedthissamesteptwo
times,butthesecondtimeweusedICEWater
bottles.

Tocreateourparachuteswedecidedtouse
plasticbagsfromcitymarket.Although,weneeded
somethingtoholdtheparachutesowetooktwo
waterbottles,oneSmartWaterbottleandoneICE
Waterbottle,andcuttheendsoffbothsides.We
sandeddowntheinsideofbothbodiesandused
caulkgluetogluethebodiesontothetopofthe
appropriatewaterchamber.Toattachtheparachutetothetube,weused18inchesofstringthat
wasgluedtotheinsideofthetube,andthenalsotiedtothehandlesofthecitymarketbag.At
thetopoftheparachute,wecreatedawhole,andrananotherpieceofstringthroughthatwhole.
Then,wetooktheendsofthatstringandgluedthemtotheinsideofourcone,whichwasmade
outofamanilafolder.Originally,ourideaforthiswasthatastherocketdescendsourcone
wouldfalloff.Although,astheconefalls,itwouldpulltheparachuteoutofthetubewiththestring
thatisattached.Then,theparachutewouldhelptherocketfloatsafelytotheground.
Unfortunately,thisideadidntwork,andtheconestaysontherocketthroughoutitswhole
descent.Again,wedidthisprocesstwotimes,andrepeateditwithICEWaterbottles.Both
timestheparachutedidntwork.

Forthefins,wedecidedtomakethemround,sowhentheyhitthegroundtheywould
bounceinsteadofgettingbent.Tocreatethis,weusedwaterbottlesonceagain.Wecutthe
endsoffof3waterbottles,andthentookthosebodiesandcuttheminhalf.Wesandedthe
outsideofourrocketsandtheoutsideofthefins,andthenweattachedthefinstothebottomof
eachwaterchamberwithahotgluegun.Wemeasuredthewidthofeachrocket,andmadesure
thefinswereequallyapart.Although,thefinskeptfallingoffastherockethittheground,andso
torefineourrocketsweaddedducttapearoundallthefinstokeeptheminplace.

Alongwiththesetwochallengeextensionrockets,wedecidedtomakeathirdrocketasa
backup,justincasetheothertwoblewup.Forthisrocket,weusedoneICEWaterbottleas
thewaterchamber,butwemadethefins,cone,andparachutethesame.Although,aftertesting
thisrocket,werealizedthatthechallengeextensionworkedbetter.Wesaythisbecauseour
thirdrocketbarelygotofftherocketlauncher,goingashighasabout2.5meters.Westruggled
themostwiththisrocket,becausewecouldntseemtofindtheexplanationonwhyourthird
rocketdidntwork.

Testing:

Inordertotestthevariable,volumeofthewaterchamber,wemadethreedifferentsized
rockets.Thelargestonewasabletohold1160mLofwater.Themiddlesizedonecouldhold
860mLofwater.Thesmallest,ourbackuprocket(thisonewasnotthechallengeextension),
couldhold550mLofwater.Totestthevariablewefilledallourrocketswiththesameamountof
water,500mL.Thevariableswekeptconstantwere:waterpressure(60psi),amountofwater
(500mL),cones,theweightattopofconewasalsokeptconstant,andthefinswereallthe
same.Justthebodyoftherocketschanged.Wewereunabletokeepmassoftherocket
constant.Thiswashardforusbecauseourrocketswerealldifferentsizes.Itwashardtomake
thesmallerrocketshavethesamemassasthebiggerone.Also,althoughweattemptedtokeep
theweightatthetopoftheconeconstant,itwashardbecausetheweightsbegantofallout.

Rocket: Variable: Water

Pressure:
Average
Angleof
Elevation:
Average
Distance
From
Launcher:
Average
Hang
Time:
Average
Height:
Shooting
Star:
Water
Volume:
60psi 46.33
degrees
15m 2.5
seconds
15.7m
500mL
Super
man:
Water
Volume:
500mL
60psi 43.7
degrees
14.3m 2.3
seconds
13.8m
Ham
burger:
Water
Volume:
500mL
60psi 10degrees 10.7m .7seconds 2.5m

Conclusion:
Weworkedhardonourrocket,boththedesignandtesting.Wedidstrugglewithafew
thingsthough.Itwasconfusingattimestoknowhowtomeasuretheangleofelevation.Alsoit
tookusawhiletofigureoutthesuppliestouseforthecone,finallywedecidedtouseamanila
folder.Probablythethingwestruggledwiththemostthoughweretheconesandtheparachutes.
Theycontinuallyfelloffafterlaunch.Wewouldgluethembackonbutintheendwedecidedto
tapethefinsonevenaftertheywereglued.Theparachutesnevercameoutofthecone,wetried
differentthingsbutwecouldntgetthemtowork.Ifweweretodothisagainandwehadmore
time,wewoulddefinitelyfocusongettingtheparachutetocatchthefalloftherockets.Wedid
notrealizethatallourrocketsweresupposedtobethesamemass,ifwehadourtestingwould
havebeenmoreaccurate.Ourtwochallengeextensionrocketsworkedmuchbetterthanjust
theregular,onebottlerocket.Thiswasasurprisetous.Onethingwewouldsuggesttofuture
studentsdoingthisproject,istomakesuretokeepthemassofyourrocketsthesame.Overall
wethinkthatthiswasagoodproject.Itwasmuchlowerstressthanthemousetrapcarproject
andwelikedtheideaofpublishingawebpage..