Monday, February 28, 2011

Day 1 Launch

In a nutshell our day 1 launch was pretty unsuccessful. We followed the directions and outcome consisted of me getting sprayed by the water (fuel) for the water bottle rocket.  We used a 2-liter Coke bottle as the body of our rocket.  For this first launch we did no modifications which means we used no fins, no parachutes, etc. Our first step was to fill 1/4 of the bottle with water to use as fuel.  The next step was to attach the bottle to the launcher.  I think something was wrong with our rocket launcher because at first our water bottle was not staying but we found a way that we thought the rocket was balanced.  Then we started to pump air into the bottle using a bicycle pump.  We needed it to reach 50 psi so that it would shoot into the air.  We started to pump but then the bottle started tilting and before you know it it shot sidewards and sprayed me.  I think tomorrow we have to clearly get a working launcher so the same thing doesnt happen again

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Water Bottle Rocket Reference

This website is one that gives step by step instructions on how to build a water bottle rocket. It provides a list of materials for you to take shopping with you. It also provides some launching tips. There are pictures on this website which show you step by step what you have to do. There is a link of a video which shows you step by step of what to do. It starts off with the prices of the pipes you need to buy and shows step by step how to cut the pipes and cut the bottles and such. It also says things about the trigger mechanism and the safety spring. There are links at the bottom of the page which also discuss safety procedures and the relationship between physics and the water bottle rocket.

http://www.sciencetoymaker.org/waterRocket/buildWaterRocketLauncher.htm

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Water Bottle Rocket Reference

This website is basically an instruction guide for water bottle rockets in a form of a website that has 12 different pages. It gives a brief overview about what it is, how it works, and what you need to do in order to make this launch successful. This site also includes a video as a reference to make a successful water bottle rocket launch as well as a possible shape or body structure for your very own rocket. It also provides stories on which methods work best so that a beginner making his or her very first rocket will be efficient. On one of the how to pages it gives some information on advance rocketry which could be a very good resource for those who are a little more skilled in rockets.


http://thehowzone.com/how/water_rockets/1