Henrys Place: Bottle Rockets!

How a Rocket Flies

A rocket is subjected to the forces of thrust, lift, drag, and gravity just like airplanes (which we
discussed last time).
Do you know what thrust, lift, drag and gravity are?
(This part will be review for those of you who did Henrys Place last session !ee if you can
re"e"ber the definitions of thrust# lift# dra$# and $ravity!%
Thrust & 'ift
Thrust is the force that causes something to move in the direction it is going. For eample, for
the paper airplane, thrust is forward movement and you give the paper airplane thrust when you
throw it forward.
!"ift! is eactly what it sounds like. #t$s the force causes things to go up. #n an airplane, lift
comes when the air below the airplane wing is pushing up harder than the air above the wing is
pushing down. This difference in pressure keeps the plane from dropping strait to the ground
right away % it allows the plane to fly.
(ra$ & )ravity
&bjects that push a lot of air are said to have a lot of 'drag,' or resistance, to moving through the
air. (ou want to decrease drag to make things go farther in the air.
)ravity is the force that causes things to fall down. #t$s actually trying to pull you and me to the
center of the *arth+ ,ecreasing the weight of an object decreases the strength of gravity$s pull.
R*+,-T!!
For a model rocket, the aerodynamic forces (or forces that deal with moving in the air) are
generated by both the body and the fins. Also, rockets use thrust to overcome their weight to get
into the air, and use lift to stabili-e and control the direction of flight. Finally, while the effects of
the forces remain about the same for an airplane, they change dramatically during a typical
rocket flight. .ecause of these facts, there are four stages to a rockets flight/ liftoff, powered
flight, coasting flight, and recovery.
'iftoff/ At liftoff, the thrust of the rocket engine is greater than the weight of the rocket, lifting
the rocket into the air. #n rockets, Thrust is the force that pushes the rocket up. 0nlike full scale
rockets, however, our model rockets rely only on aerodynamics for stability.
Powered fli$ht/ ,uring powered flight, thrust dominates over the other forces (weight and drag)
propelling the rocket vertically into the air.
+oastin$ fli$ht/ 1hen the engine runs out of fuel there is no more thrust force. From here the
model rocket glides up to its maimum altitude. ,uring the upward coast, the rocket is
constantly slowing down. *ventually, a point is reached where the rocket can go no higher.
.ecause gravity is still acting on the rocket, the rocket will then begin to fall back to earth. The
rocket gains speed as it falls. 2ince the speed increases, the drag increases and a point is soon
reached where the drag is e3ual and opposite to the weight. 1hen the drag force e3uals the
weight force, the rocket falls at a constant speed, also called the ter"inal velocity.
Recovery/ 0sually a parachute will open which increases the drag force on the rocket, making it
slow down. The rocket then lands softly on *arth. .ut since our rockets will not have parachutes,
they will hit the ground harder than normal. 2o make sure you don$t stand in way of a falling
rocket+
Bottle Rocket Blast-Off!
How to make your rockets:
Make a paper rocket and see how high it flies.
One sheet of 8 !"# $ # paper %can &e printed on one side'
() cm length of *+, pipe or any tu&e with a !"# diameter
-cissors
,lear tape
,ard stock %or any stiff paper. such as used file folders or (# $ /#
cards'
Markers
Roll a sheet of 8 !"# $ # paper into a cylinder that will fit o0er the tu&e. 1he
paper should not &e tight around the *+, pipe. &ut should &e a&le to slide off
easily. 1ape your paper tu&e so it stays rolled up. and slip it off the *+, pipe. *ut
the *+, pipe aside.

2ou can roll your sheet of paper the long way or the short way.
3ith scissors. clip the end of the tu&e to make it pointed. 4se tape to seal the
point so it5s airtight. 1his will &e the #nose# of the rocket.

Source: http://www.exploratorium.edu/math_explorer/BBO_makingRockets.html
Rocket fins will help your rocket fly straight. ,ut fins from a (# $ /# card or
some other stiff paper. *lay around with your wing designs. 3ill you add
any6 How many will you ha0e6 3hat shape will they &e6 How &ig will they
&e6
7f you ha0e fins. tape them to the sides of the rocket. how high is up to
you. Be sure to tape &oth sides of the fin to the rocket.
Questions:
1) hat are the !our stages o! a rocket"s !light#
$) hat is the !orce that pushes the rocket straight up#
%) hat is it called when the rocket !alls at a constant speed#
&) hat modi!ications made 'our rocket !l' (etter# h'#