Rocket Project
Throughout this project we faced a few challenges while building and testing our rocket. The most difficult challenge was getting our nose cone to stay on enough. We started with our nose cone falling off way too easily, it was too small and did not fit on the top of our rocket. So as it was flying up in the air, it would fall off and our parachute would deploy. Then dragging our rocket back down before it could reach max height. After that we got a bigger top that fit on the rocket extremely snug and would not fall off at max height. The tip would either stay on too much or fall off immediately, we needed a nice balance of both. We fixed this by testing and changing our nose cones. What ended up working the best was having about a one inch piece of transparency paper around the top of the rocket that the nose cone could sit one. It allowed us to make it whatever size we needed to best fit the nose cone. Also after testing our rocket a few times we decided that our fins were too small. To overcome this we just laser cut new fins out of acrylic with the same design, just a few inches larger. Then, we attached them once again and it helped our rocket stay straighter while in flight.
One major success we had during the rocket project was we had enough time to fix and change our rocket if we needed to. In the beginning of the build and test time we built a quality rocket quickly, so we could launch our rocket and see what we needed to adjust to improve it. If we spent an extremely long time on the original design we wouldn't have been able to test and build new rockets. It is vital to test it and fix your projects according to the feedback you receive. Leave yourself enough time for unexpected challenges. Another success we had was our fins and parachute were attached extremely well and rigid. Therefore our fins didn't flap in flight and our parachute always stayed connected. It is important to use proper technique and materials while attaching your elements.
For the first week of building our rocket we had the same rocket body and fins, only making small adjustments to the nose cone. Then on the first day of the second week, during testing, our rocket broke. Therefore we were forced to construct an entirely new rocket. This actually ended up benefiting us in the long run because we redid the way our nose cone was attached and the size of our fins. After making these adjustments, with a new bottle that wasn't as beat up, our rocket was flying the best yet. This was our turning point because our nose cone finally fell off at the right time. Also our rocket stopped turning upside down mid flight. It flew straighter and for longer, with our parachute still deploying as planned. Everything was falling into place.
The biggest takeaway that I got from this project was that you have to create, test, critique, and refine over and over again in order to get the best possible project. The first time you do something it's probably not going to be perfect, but you will find out how to do it better. You can then come at that same problem again until it works just right. That is important to keep in mind throughout life whenever you come across something that you can't figure out. Don't stop trying after one failed attempt. Take what you learned from your practice experience and try again and again. Eventually it will work, as long as you keep making it better.
If I were going to do this project again I would like to try different sized presser chambers. I think it would be interesting to compare a smaller bottle (smart water bottle), a 2 liter bottle, and try to splice a few 2 liter bottles together. For each of the different rockets I would have different fin designs for each bottle. I would love to test different types of rockets and compare. Then for my final rocket I would take the best parts from each rocket and build the best of all worlds. I also think it would be cool to see the difference in each type of pressure chambers and fins.
One major success we had during the rocket project was we had enough time to fix and change our rocket if we needed to. In the beginning of the build and test time we built a quality rocket quickly, so we could launch our rocket and see what we needed to adjust to improve it. If we spent an extremely long time on the original design we wouldn't have been able to test and build new rockets. It is vital to test it and fix your projects according to the feedback you receive. Leave yourself enough time for unexpected challenges. Another success we had was our fins and parachute were attached extremely well and rigid. Therefore our fins didn't flap in flight and our parachute always stayed connected. It is important to use proper technique and materials while attaching your elements.
For the first week of building our rocket we had the same rocket body and fins, only making small adjustments to the nose cone. Then on the first day of the second week, during testing, our rocket broke. Therefore we were forced to construct an entirely new rocket. This actually ended up benefiting us in the long run because we redid the way our nose cone was attached and the size of our fins. After making these adjustments, with a new bottle that wasn't as beat up, our rocket was flying the best yet. This was our turning point because our nose cone finally fell off at the right time. Also our rocket stopped turning upside down mid flight. It flew straighter and for longer, with our parachute still deploying as planned. Everything was falling into place.
The biggest takeaway that I got from this project was that you have to create, test, critique, and refine over and over again in order to get the best possible project. The first time you do something it's probably not going to be perfect, but you will find out how to do it better. You can then come at that same problem again until it works just right. That is important to keep in mind throughout life whenever you come across something that you can't figure out. Don't stop trying after one failed attempt. Take what you learned from your practice experience and try again and again. Eventually it will work, as long as you keep making it better.
If I were going to do this project again I would like to try different sized presser chambers. I think it would be interesting to compare a smaller bottle (smart water bottle), a 2 liter bottle, and try to splice a few 2 liter bottles together. For each of the different rockets I would have different fin designs for each bottle. I would love to test different types of rockets and compare. Then for my final rocket I would take the best parts from each rocket and build the best of all worlds. I also think it would be cool to see the difference in each type of pressure chambers and fins.