H20 12oCk3T Reflection.
On launch day 4 we had to create a whole new rocket (in ten minutes) because we forgot ours. With this new rocket we did almost the same style as the first. The difference was that the extension to the bottle was open, so the parachute can go inside, and a bigger parachute. When we prepared to launch we added 800mL of water and an unknown amount of psi (no pressure gauge). The hang time from this launch was 6 seconds. At this point we thought that the parachute was key to a successful launch. We figured this out because there was a strong wind that day and it carried the rocket quite some distance from our launch spot. With this information we started to prepare for the final launch day.
In preparation of the final launch day, we went into the SPC (student production center) to create the most efficient parachute we could. To complete this task, we used this website: http://www.lnhs.org/hayhurst/rockets/. It explained, in detail, what the most efficient parachute looks like. On final launch day, we were going to launch in the dark, being that we had never launched the rocket with our newly constructed parachute. Our first two launches were below the ten second time requirement because our parachute was not deploying correctly. The third time, with a little help from Mr. Blake, we folded the parachute in the same manner one would fold a parachute for the toy soldiers we played with as kids. This time, the third time, it deployed like a charm. However, it was still about to hit the ground in under ten seconds. With a little less than 10 feet to go before it hit the ground, a sudden gust of wind came, and our parachute had its moment in the limelight. The bottle was carried by the parachute and the wind for over seventeen seconds until it hit the ground.
In closing, the reason we were so successful was due to careful planning (with regards to the parachute) and luck (from the wind).
These past few weeks in physics we made and launched water rockets. Through many trials and tribulations, we discovered what worked and what didn’t work. We also found uncontrollable variables that affected our launch. By using what worked and the uncontrollable variables to our advantage we were able to have a successful final launch.
During this project we created 2 rockets. The first rocket (on the left) we made helped us to understand what modifications worked and didn’t work. This rocket was used for the first 3 launch days. On launch day 1 we did not add any modifications. We only added 500 mL of water and 40 psi of pressure to the bottle. The hang time of the bottle was 4 seconds. For day 2 we added fins to the rocket. Once again we added 500 mL of water and 40 psi of pressure to the bottle. The hang time of the bottle was once again 4 seconds. We concluded that fins slightly helped the rocket stay in a ballistic pattern while airborne in addition to creating some drag. The difference in the two launch days was that there was little to no wind on the second day. This could have possible been a factor to why the two hang times are the same. The wind on day 1 was very strong and might have helped to keep the rocket in the air. On launch day 3 we added a parachute, a nose cone, and extended the length of the bottle. We added 500 mL of water and 20 pumps of psi (because we lacked a pressure gauge we couldn’t get a more accurate pressure). The rocket had a hang time of 5 seconds. Since the hang time was 1 second more than the two previous days we concluded that the parachute, nose cone, and length extension were important to the rocket. What we had yet to figure out, however, was which addition made the most difference. On launch day 4 we had to create a whole new rocket (in ten minutes) because we forgot ours. With this new rocket we did almost the same style as the first. The difference was that the extension to the bottle was open, so the parachute can go inside, and a bigger parachute. When we prepared to launch we added 800mL of water and an unknown amount of psi (no pressure gauge). The hang time from this launch was 6 seconds. At this point we thought that the parachute was key to a successful launch. We figured this out because there was a strong wind that day and it carried the rocket quite some distance from our launch spot. With this information we started to prepare for the final launch day.
In preparation of the final launch day, we went into the SPC (student production center) to create the most efficient parachute we could. To complete this task, we used this website: http://www.lnhs.org/hayhurst/rockets/. It explained, in detail, what the most efficient parachute looks like. On final launch day, we were going to launch in the dark, being that we had never launched the rocket with our newly constructed parachute. Our first two launches were below the ten second time requirement because our parachute was not deploying correctly. The third time, with a little help from Mr. Blake, we folded the parachute in the same manner one would fold a parachute for the toy soldiers we played with as kids. This time, the third time, it deployed like a charm. However, it was still about to hit the ground in under ten seconds. With a little less than 10 feet to go before it hit the ground, a sudden gust of wind came, and our parachute had its moment in the limelight. The bottle was carried by the parachute and the wind for over seventeen seconds until it hit the ground.
In closing, the reason we were so successful was due to careful planning (with regards to the parachute) and luck (from the wind).
