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.Wechose
thisbecausewewantedtoknowhowthevolumeofthewaterchamberandtheamountof
waterinthechamberwouldaffecttheendresultoftherocketlaunch.Tobeginourdesign,we
firststartedbyconstructingthewaterchambers.
Weboiledapotofwater,andwhilethatheated
wecuttwoSmartWaterbottlesinhalf.Forthe
chamber,weonlyneededtousethetophalfof
eachbottle,butinorderforthistoworkwehadto
diptheupperhalfofonewaterbottleintothehot
watertoshrinkitdown.Thisshrunkdownthe
plastic,butnotbytoomuch,makingitslide
perfectlyundertheothertophalfofthesecond
waterbottle.Then,wesandeddownthepartthat
weshrunk,andtheinsideoftheotherwater
bottle.Weputcaulkgluearoundtheoutsideofthe
shrunkenwaterbottle,andsliditneatly
underneaththesecondwaterbottlecreatingour
waterchamber.Werepeatedthissamesteptwo
times,butthesecondtimeweusedICEWater
bottles.

Tocreateourparachuteswedecidedto
useplasticbagsfromcitymarket.Although,we
neededsomethingtoholdtheparachutesowe
tooktwowaterbottles,oneSmartWaterbottle
andoneICEWaterbottle,andcuttheendsoff
bothsides.Wesandeddowntheinsideofboth
bodiesandusedcaulkgluetogluethebodiesontothetopoftheappropriatewaterchamber.
Toattachtheparachutetothetube,weused18inchesofstringthatwasgluedtotheinside
ofthetube,andthenalsotiedtothehandlesofthecitymarketbag.Atthetopofthe
parachute,wecreatedawhole,andrananotherpieceofstringthroughthatwhole.Then,we
tooktheendsofthatstringandgluedthemtotheinsideofourcone,whichwasmadeoutofa
manilafolder.Originally,ourideaforthiswasthatastherocketdescendsourconewouldfall
off.Although,astheconefalls,itwouldpulltheparachuteoutofthetubewiththestringthat
isattached.Then,theparachutewouldhelptherocketfloatsafelytotheground.
Unfortunately,thisideadidntwork,andtheconestaysontherocketthroughoutitswhole
descent.Again,wedidthisprocesstwotimes,andrepeateditwithICEWaterbottles.Both
timestheparachutedidntwork.

Forthefins,wedecidedtomakethemround,sowhentheyhitthegroundtheywould
bounceinsteadofgettingbent.Tocreatethis,weusedwaterbottlesonceagain.Wecutthe
endsoffof3waterbottles,andthentookthosebodiesandcuttheminhalf.Wesandedthe
outsideofourrocketsandtheoutsideofthefins,andthenweattachedthefinstothebottom
ofeachwaterchamberwithahotgluegun.Wemeasuredthewidthofeachrocket,andmade
surethefinswereequallyapart.Although,thefinskeptfallingoffastherockethittheground,
andsotorefineourrocketsweaddedducttapearoundallthefinstokeeptheminplace.

Alongwiththesetwochallengeextensionrockets,wedecidedtomakeathirdrocket
asabackup,justincasetheothertwoblewup.Forthisrocket,weusedoneICEWater
bottleasthewaterchamber,butwemadethefins,cone,andparachutethesame.Although,
aftertestingthisrocket,werealizedthatthechallengeextensionworkedbetter.Wesaythis
becauseourthirdrocketbarelygotofftherocketlauncher,goingashighasabout2.5meters.
Westruggledthemostwiththisrocket,becausewecouldntseemtofindtheexplanationon
whyourthirdrocketdidntwork.

Testing:

Inordertotestthevariable,volumeofthewaterchamber,wemadethreedifferent
sizedrockets.Thelargestonewasabletohold1160mLofwater.Themiddlesizedonecould
hold860mLofwater.Thesmallest,ourbackuprocket(thisonewasnotthechallenge
extension),couldhold550mLofwater.Totestthevariablewefilledallourrocketswiththe
sameamountofwater,500mL.Thevariableswekeptconstantwere:waterpressure(60
psi),amountofwater(500mL),cones,theweightattopofconewasalsokeptconstant,and
thefinswereallthesame.Justthebodyoftherocketschanged.Wewereunabletokeep
massoftherocketconstant.Thiswashardforusbecauseourrocketswerealldifferentsizes.
Itwashardtomakethesmallerrocketshavethesamemassasthebiggerone.Also,
althoughweattemptedtokeeptheweightatthetopoftheconeconstant,itwashard
becausetheweightsbegantofallout.

Rocket: Variable: Water

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

Conclusion:
Weworkedhardonourrocket,boththedesignandtesting.Wedidstrugglewitha
fewthingsthough.Itwasconfusingattimestoknowhowtomeasuretheangleofelevation.
Alsoittookusawhiletofigureoutthesuppliestouseforthecone,finallywedecidedtouse
amanilafolder.Probablythethingwestruggledwiththemostthoughweretheconesandthe
parachutes.Theycontinuallyfelloffafterlaunch.Wewouldgluethembackonbutintheend
wedecidedtotapethefinsonevenaftertheywereglued.Theparachutesnevercameoutof
thecone,wetrieddifferentthingsbutwecouldntgetthemtowork.Ifweweretodothisagain
andwehadmoretime,wewoulddefinitelyfocusongettingtheparachutetocatchthefallof
therockets.Wedidnotrealizethatallourrocketsweresupposedtobethesamemass,ifwe
hadourtestingwouldhavebeenmoreaccurate.Ourtwochallengeextensionrocketsworked
muchbetterthanjusttheregular,onebottlerocket.Thiswasasurprisetous.Onethingwe
wouldsuggesttofuturestudentsdoingthisproject,istomakesuretokeepthemassofyour
rocketsthesame.Overallwethinkthatthiswasagoodproject.Itwasmuchlowerstressthan
themousetrapcarprojectandwelikedtheideaofpublishingawebpage..