Blog #2

Launch Dia Uno con Chayse y Chelsey y Ku.

     Today, February 28, 2012, we executed a practice water rocket launch. For this launch we used a plain 2-liter soda bottle (in this case we used a diet Coca-Cola bottle). This bottle was not modified in any way, shape, or form. This launch mainly showed us how the water rocket launch system works and the proper safety procedures. This launch also allowed us to gather data such as "hang-time"(time in the ayer!).
    From this launch we discovered that our bottle, if filled with 500 mL of water and 40 psi of pressure, has a hang-time of approximately 4 seconds (4.01 sec to be very specific). We also discovered that the bottle went fairly straight immediately after the launch but flipped as it fell (flipped as in spun top over bottom). We think that adding a coned nose and fins at the bottom would help to solve this problem. We also think that adding weights disproportionally to the ends (nose and bottom, bottom being heavier) would help it to stay vertical as it falls. We also observed that the wind affects the flight of the bottle. The wind, at midday (between 12-1 'o clock), was blowing mauka to makai (or from Konia to the Auditorium). We recognized this and decided that launching the bottle as close to Konia as possible would compensate for the gusty wind.
    Thursday is launch day 2 and we will be modifying our rocket to hopefully improve it.
Here is a video from the first day of launch.

Blog #1

Bottle Rocket Plans.

          Welcome to the blog of Chayse, Chelsea, and Kalamakü. On this blog we will be discussing information about our water rocket.
          The Goal of this project is to get and keep the rocket in the air for at least 10 seconds. To make this project more competitive Mr. Blake said that the team with the longest hang time will get more points, thus getting a higher grade. So with this in mind we came up with our design plan.
          The first thing we need to do is get the rocket to go as high as we can. So we need it to be streamline. We need to turn the bumpy bottom of the bottle into an aerodynamic cone that will slice through the air. This will help us to maximize the amount of height our rocket will achieve.
          The second thing we need to do is to design/create an object that can help the rocket to slow its fall. The first thing that comes to mind is parachute...but to make it a more unique rocket we want to build some kind of horizontal fins to spin the bottle as it falls...sort of like a helicopter. We think that adding these fins will help our bottle fall slower. We combined the two ideas so that there is a parachute and also fins to make the rocket fall like a helicopter. Of course we know that the parachute lines will become twisted if the rocket spins as it falls so we can use a swivel...like the kind use for fishing lines.
         The third thing we need to do is attach fins to the base of the rocket in order to create spin while the rocket launches so that it flies in a straight line. This is important because going directly straight will help us to reach a higher hight...as opposed to it flying at an angle and not reaching its potential height.
         These are our ideas for this water rocket. We still have many adjustments to do to our plan to achieve maximum hang time.