Rebel Rockets-Day 9

Today we went back to the school to test our rocket as it was too windy yesterday. The wind was not as strong this time around so we picked a good place to launch and set up our pad. The rocket fired off but the fuselage fell close to the launch site but the cone/parachute structure went far far off. Despite this, we know that the engine stayed in place and the parachute did deploy when going up even if broke off from the rocket. Also the fins came off because the glue did not hold this time around. I believe everthing would have worked had the shock cord been better attached to the cone. It seems that the shock cord was not tied to the cone/parachute apparatus well and we need to apply more tape and glue next time around so it safely holds onto the rocket when it is coming down. I think we are getting close to a point where we have a final build to our constant variable rocket model so we can test other independant variables. Later we started working on the calculations by doing some research on the force of drag and the coefficient of drag that we can implement in our calculations that are already done.

-Kushal

Today we had our first successful full-scale test of the parachute ejection system. We used a different cone and a different parachute, which coupled with gluing the engine into the fuselage allowed the parachute to eject. However, the connection between the cone and the parachute was too weak, and the parachute and cone separated from the fuselage. The fuselage was recovered, but the parachute and cone drifted off and were lost.

-Mike S.

Today we launched the rocket early in the day out in the back field. The rocket fired relatively straight up and the parachute ejected correctly, but the shock cord separated from the cone. The fuselage with the engine in it and the shock cord attached to it came straight down, but the cone stayed attached to the parachute and with the lack of downward force it floated away into the woods. We never found the cone or parachute and will have to acquire new ones. Later that day we researched more about the force of drag and the Reynolds number.

-Scott

Today, we almost successfully were able to launch our first rocket. The parachute deployd, but it was not attached to the rocket though. We lost the parachute, but were able to recover the fuselage. This allowed us to see what happened. Next time, we have to attach the cone to the rocket more securely. Once we are able to do that, we will have a successful launch. Then we can begin to test our variables.

-Ben W.