Making a Rocket

What are the three laws of motion?

The three laws of motion are every object will remain at rest or
in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change
its state by the action of an external force, force is equal to
change in momentum per charge in time and for every action,
there is an equal and opposite reaction (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2015).

What are the basic elements of flight?

The basic elements of flight are weight, thrust, and the aerodynamic forces, lift and drag. These
are also known as the four forces of flight. The magnitude of the weight depends on the mass of
all of the parts of the rocket. The weight force is always directed towards the centre of the earth
and acts through the centre of gravity. The magnitude of the thrust depends on the mass flow
rate through the engine and the velocity and pressure at the exit of the nozzle. The magnitude
of the aerodynamic forces depends on the shape, size, and velocity of the rocket and on
properties of the atmosphere. The aerodynamic forces act through the centre of pressure.
Aerodynamic forces are very important for model rockets but may not be as important for full
scale rockets, depending on the mission of the rocket (National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, 2015).

What is terminal velocity?

Terminal velocity is the constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the
resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further acceleration. Once the
object has reached its terminal velocity, it cannot go any faster. As the object falls, the force of
gravity initially causes it to continuously speed up. As it gets faster and faster, the air drag force
increases until eventually, the air drag force is perfectly equal to the force of gravity, and there is
no net force acting on the object. If these two forces are exactly balanced, the object will no
longer speed up or slow down but will continue falling at a constant velocity, called the terminal
velocity (Study.com, 2003- 2018).

What is the formula for kinetic energy?

In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion.
Kinetic energy is directly proportional to the mass of the object and to the square of its velocity:
K.E. = 1/2 m v2. Kinetic energy is the energy which a body possesses by virtue of being in
motion.
List all the components necessary to build a model rocket.
The necessary components to build a rocket are thin plywood fins, light parachute with
connecting strings, removable 3D printed nose cone, removable black powder engine, large
guiding straw and cardboard body tube.

Name some variations of model rockets.

Variations of model rockets are air rockets, whoosh rockets, water rockets, black powder
rockets, single-stage rockets and multi-stage rockets. Whoosh rockets are powered by air, water
rockets are powered by water, black powder rockets are propelled by black powder, single stage
rockets only go off once and multi stage rockets go off a number of times to go higher and
faster. My rocket will be a single-stage black powder rocket.

What are various sizes of black powder engines?

The most commonly used small model rocket engines are the black powder engines. These are
the "traditional" model rocket engines that have been in production since the 50's.

(Skylighter, 2018)

According to CASA, what regulations exist regarding the use of model rockets?
A person must not launch a model rocket into cloud, a person must not launch a model rocket
to higher than 400 feet AGL within 5 nautical miles of an aerodrome, a person must not cause
anything to be dropped or discharged from a rocket in a way that creates a hazard to an aircraft,
a person may launch a rocket that is not a model rocket to higher than 400 feet AGL only in an
approved area. A person may launch a high-power rocket, or permit a high-power rocket to be
launched, only if the person gives the details listed in the table following subregulation 101.445
(2) to CASA at least 1 working day before the intended time of the launch, if more than 1 rocket
is to be launched at a time, such a requirement is a requirement to give the information about
each such rocket (Civil Aviation Safety Regulations part 101, 1998)

What is the maximum height model rockets can reach without a permit? What size rocket
engine do you hypothesise will be used for your project based on your knowledge from the
previous questions?
The maximum height model rockets can reach without a permit is around 600m. I think the
correct size engine for my rocket would be around 2-3 inches long. If it is any bigger, it won’t fit
because my rocket body is quite thin.

Fins- The fins will be evenly spaced, elliptical pieces of plywood hot glued to the rocket body.
Plywood will be used because it is strong and less likely to break.
Engine- The engine/thruster will be very powerful, so it can propel the rocket into the air. It will
also have to be small, so it can fit in the rocket.
Nose cone- The nose cone will be 3D Printed, so it will be light and durable. The nose cone will
resemble a very conical shape for maximum aerodynamics. It will also have a rounded tip, so
nothing will be damaged or injured during flight.
Parachute material- The parachute material will be very light, so as to not weigh the rocket
down. It will be made of a light material, like an old raincoat or umbrella. The parachute will be
used to slow the rockets descent to ground level.
Aerodynamics- The rocket must be very aerodynamic and streamlined, so it can go faster and in
a straight line during its launch, ascent and descent.
Physics (gravity)- The rocket must be almost exactly symmetrical and have an aligned centre of
gravity, so it will fly straight and not go off course and hit something (Encyclopaedia Britannica,
2018).
Reference list
Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2018). Centre of gravity. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/science/centre-of-gravity
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2015). Newtons Laws of Motion. Retrieved
from https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/newton.html
Skylighter. (2018). Black Powder Rocket Engine Tube Size Chart. Retrieved from
http://www.skylighter.com/fireworks/help/black_powder_rocket_engine_sizes.asp
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2015). Forces on a Rocket. Retrieved from
https://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktfor.html
Study.com. (2003- 2018). What is Terminal Velocity? - Definition, Formula, Calculation &
Examples. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-terminal-velocity-
definition-formula-calculation-examples.html
Civil Aviation Safety Regulations Part 101. (1998). Unmanned aircraft and rocket operations.
Retrieved from https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018C00211