Vanessa's Hydro Rocket Web page
IntroductionEver heard of astronauts? Amazing adventures in outer space? So, what's behind all this? Rockets. You may think rockets sound intimidating and scientific, which nobody except crazy scientists can make. At least, that's what I used to think. You'll be surprised to hear that nothing's so special about making a rocket. Rockets don't even necessarily need to be powered by fuel (you can do it with water), and most importantly, you can make a rocket yourself! You don't need to be a scientist to launch a rocket.
In this class, we will learn to launch a rocket by using water, ourselves!
Investigation
Hydro Rockets
Hydro Rockets
Rockets are machines with incredible ability to move. So, we will start by investigating 3 of Newton's Laws of Motion.
Newton's First Law of Motion is that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. This law of motion means that something that is not moving will not move unless another force (like a push) does something to it, or acts upon it. Something that is moving will keep moving at the same speed and direction unless some other factors like humans or wind act upon it and change the object's position and velocity. Every time something is moving or staying still, two forces are balanced with each other. For example, when you're sitting on the ground, the force of the ground and the force of gravity are balanced, each force being at a 90 degree angle. If you sit on a slope, though, you start to slide down because the force of the ground at an angle and the two forces are unbalanced. Therefore, you start moving.
Newton's Second Law of Motion is that Force=Mass x Acceleration. This law basically means that the force an object has depends on how heavy it is and what angle it is set on. For example, you may find a rocket blasts up higher if it is lighter and is at an 90 degree angle at blast-off. It also means that if one force is unbalanced, like when the force of the ground is at an angle on a slope, you will start moving. So when you launch a rocket, you need to unbalance the forces to create the thrust to send the rocket into space.
Newton's Third Law of Motion is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, if you jump, you will always fall down again. Falling back to the ground is the reaction of going up. This is again because of the forces. By jumping up, you unbalanced the forces with the thrust created by your legs. Gravity pulls you down again to balance the forces again. To blast off a rocket, you need to create a big thrust to send the rocket high enough to be safe from the pull of gravity.
We need to know about Newton's First Law of Motion because we need to know what forces could affect the movement of a rocket as it flies and how we can avoid these forces. We need to know how to avoid unbalancing forces when controlling a rocket. The reason for investigating Newton's Second Law of Motion is that we need to know what is the best way to blast off our rockets and why rockets are blasted off this way in real life as well. We need to know how to create a thrust to blast off our rocket. We investigated Newton's Third Law of Motion because we need to understand what actions and reactions are involved in a rocket's flight, like blasting off and landing. Also, we need to know how high the rocket need to go before it is safe from the pull of gravity (and how big a thrust we have to create to do this).
Rocket Recovery System:
Every rocket has to have some sort of recovery system to help it stay in one piece when it lands. So, I investigated on recovery systems for rockets.
Here are some types of recovery systems:
Featherweight: This form of recovery is for small rockets. These rockets have blunt noses which helps them fall to the ground after the engine is ejected.
Tumble: The ejection charge pushes the engine backwards until it is stopped by an engine hook , which makes the rocket unstable. The rocket will tumble down and the tumbling will slow down the speed of the rocket.
Parachute: Para
chutes are very common for recovery systems. They catch the air and act as an air brake, creating a drag with the air and slowing down the rocket's landing. You have to make sure the parachute is the right size, if the parachute is too small the rocket will fall too fast but it the parachute is over-sized, the rocket will take too long to land.
Streamer: Streamers bring a rocket down slowly because they catch the air, using the same concept as parachutes. You have to check the size of the streamers too, to see if they are the right size for the rocket.
Glider: When a glider rocket reaches apogee in space, the rocket converts into a glider with wings so the rocket glides slowly back to earth. The glider may break through the atmosphere using a booster engine attached to the glider, or the glider may use streamers to drift back to Earth.
Helicopter: This method uses vanes that spin around and help the rocket slow its speed and land safely on Earth.
Investigating Variables:
See below in Extras for link to the rocketry site:
Results from Variable Investigation:
Note: For cone style, please refer to site and count the cone styles from the left
Fixed Variables:
Angle Rocket is launched at (90 degrees)
Up till now, I found out that the 4th cone was best, as I tried the 1st (bluntest) for my 1st trial, but I found that the sharper cones would work better. This is because a steeper cone wound block the least wind, whilst a blunt cone would block the wind and stop the rocket from going high. I found that it would go highest at around 30 oz of water.
Launch number 13 was about the highest it could go. So trial 13 is the golden ratio, 30 water : 140 PSI.
Simplified to 3:14.
I think we should pump as much pressure into our rockets as possible (hoping to get it to an ideal amount of 140) and add around 30 oz of water.
Newton's First Law of Motion is that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. This law of motion means that something that is not moving will not move unless another force (like a push) does something to it, or acts upon it. Something that is moving will keep moving at the same speed and direction unless some other factors like humans or wind act upon it and change the object's position and velocity. Every time something is moving or staying still, two forces are balanced with each other. For example, when you're sitting on the ground, the force of the ground and the force of gravity are balanced, each force being at a 90 degree angle. If you sit on a slope, though, you start to slide down because the force of the ground at an angle and the two forces are unbalanced. Therefore, you start moving.
Newton's Second Law of Motion is that Force=Mass x Acceleration. This law basically means that the force an object has depends on how heavy it is and what angle it is set on. For example, you may find a rocket blasts up higher if it is lighter and is at an 90 degree angle at blast-off. It also means that if one force is unbalanced, like when the force of the ground is at an angle on a slope, you will start moving. So when you launch a rocket, you need to unbalance the forces to create the thrust to send the rocket into space.
Newton's Third Law of Motion is that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For example, if you jump, you will always fall down again. Falling back to the ground is the reaction of going up. This is again because of the forces. By jumping up, you unbalanced the forces with the thrust created by your legs. Gravity pulls you down again to balance the forces again. To blast off a rocket, you need to create a big thrust to send the rocket high enough to be safe from the pull of gravity.
We need to know about Newton's First Law of Motion because we need to know what forces could affect the movement of a rocket as it flies and how we can avoid these forces. We need to know how to avoid unbalancing forces when controlling a rocket. The reason for investigating Newton's Second Law of Motion is that we need to know what is the best way to blast off our rockets and why rockets are blasted off this way in real life as well. We need to know how to create a thrust to blast off our rocket. We investigated Newton's Third Law of Motion because we need to understand what actions and reactions are involved in a rocket's flight, like blasting off and landing. Also, we need to know how high the rocket need to go before it is safe from the pull of gravity (and how big a thrust we have to create to do this).
Rocket Recovery System:
Every rocket has to have some sort of recovery system to help it stay in one piece when it lands. So, I investigated on recovery systems for rockets.
Here are some types of recovery systems:
Featherweight: This form of recovery is for small rockets. These rockets have blunt noses which helps them fall to the ground after the engine is ejected.
Tumble: The ejection charge pushes the engine backwards until it is stopped by an engine hook , which makes the rocket unstable. The rocket will tumble down and the tumbling will slow down the speed of the rocket.
Parachute: Para
chutes are very common for recovery systems. They catch the air and act as an air brake, creating a drag with the air and slowing down the rocket's landing. You have to make sure the parachute is the right size, if the parachute is too small the rocket will fall too fast but it the parachute is over-sized, the rocket will take too long to land.Streamer: Streamers bring a rocket down slowly because they catch the air, using the same concept as parachutes. You have to check the size of the streamers too, to see if they are the right size for the rocket.
Glider: When a glider rocket reaches apogee in space, the rocket converts into a glider with wings so the rocket glides slowly back to earth. The glider may break through the atmosphere using a booster engine attached to the glider, or the glider may use streamers to drift back to Earth.
Helicopter: This method uses vanes that spin around and help the rocket slow its speed and land safely on Earth.
Investigating Variables:
See below in Extras for link to the rocketry site:
Results from Variable Investigation:
Note: For cone style, please refer to site and count the cone styles from the left
Fixed Variables:
Angle Rocket is launched at (90 degrees)
| Launch Number | Cone Style | Nose Weight | Body Weight | Tail Weight | Water (OZ) | Pressure(PSI) | Altitude |
| 1 | 1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 30 | 140 | 142.9 |
| 2 | 4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 25 | 140 | 276.1 |
| 3 | 4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 30 | 140 | 286.8 |
| 4 | 4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 35 | 140 | 245.1 |
Up till now, I found out that the 4th cone was best, as I tried the 1st (bluntest) for my 1st trial, but I found that the sharper cones would work better. This is because a steeper cone wound block the least wind, whilst a blunt cone would block the wind and stop the rocket from going high. I found that it would go highest at around 30 oz of water.
| Launch Number | Cone Style | Nose Weight | Body Weight | Tail Weight | Water (oz) | Pressure(PSI) | Altitude |
| 5. | 4 | 0.4 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 140 | 299.1 |
| 6. | 4 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1 | 20 | 140 | 331.2 |
| 7. | 4 | 0.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 25 | 140 | 391.1 |
| 8. | 4 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 2 | 25 | 140 | 422.5 |
| 9. | 4 | 0.6 | 3 | 2.5 | 25 | 140 | 439.9 |
| 10. | 4 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 3 | 25 | 140 | 449.1 |
| 11. | 4 | 0.6 | 4 | 3.5 | 25 | 140 | 605.1 |
| 12. | 4 | 0.6 | 4 | 3.5 | 30 | 140 | 634.9 |
| 13. | 4 | 0.6 | 4.5 | 4 | 30 | 140 | 640.2 |
Launch number 13 was about the highest it could go. So trial 13 is the golden ratio, 30 water : 140 PSI.
Simplified to 3:14.
I think we should pump as much pressure into our rockets as possible (hoping to get it to an ideal amount of 140) and add around 30 oz of water.
My Experiment:
Possible Variables:| Input Variable | Output Variable |
|---|---|
| Amount of Water and Pressure Used | Height of Rocket at Apogee |
| Angle at which Rocket is Blasted Off | Time to Apogee |
| Weight of Rocket | How Long it Takes for Rocket to land from Apogee |
Explanation: An apogee is the point where something is at its furthest distance it can be from the orbit of the Earth. Apogees vary with different objects and where they are put. This is because of their different sizes and weights which affects the amount of potential energy they will have to move away from the orbit of the Earth.
Experiment I chose:
The experiment I chose this time was the first one.
Research Question:
How does the amount of water and pressure put in the rocket affect the rocket's height at apogee?
Why:
I chose to do this experiment because I wanted to know how the amount of water and pressure put in the rocket affected how high the rocket could go. From the game I played in my investigation which helped me get close to finding out what was the golden ratio of water to pressure, I knew that the mixture of water and pressure was very important. I wanted to find the real golden ratio for rockets, as real rockets also needed the correct amount of fuel and pressure.
Hypothesis:
My hypothesis is based on some data on the game (refer to investigation). I predict that there should be around 30 oz of water (around 1/2 a bottle) and as much pressure as you can put (ideally up to 140 PSI). Considering that doing it manually could only get the pressure to around 120 PSI, I think you should pump in as much pressure as possible. As it is not certain how much PSI it is possible for us to pump in our rockets, the ratio may not be right
Scientific Reason:
I made this hypothesis because a rocket filled with just water in it won't blast far, as there is no thrust and just fuel. So, I thought that a rocket with as much thrust as possible (as thrust is the main force behind a rocket's ability to flight) and around half a bottle (30 oz) of fuel which is enough to maintain the force of the thrust and at the same time being little enough to hold enough pressure.
The Method (Process):
Materials:
- Water Bottle (1-3)
- Cardboard (for wings)
- Garbage Bag (Parachute)
- Card Paper (for cone)
- String
- Scotch Tape
- Duct Tape
- Carpet Tape
- Bottle Cap
Tools:
- Hot Glue Gun
- Hot Glue
- Scissors
- Computer (research websites)
- Compass
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Eraser
Cone:
Using a compass, draw a big circle on a piece of card paper. Cut the circle out with scissors, then cut a line to the center of the circle (cut along the radius). Then overlap the sides of the circle to create a cone, adjusting the size and steepness of the cone yourself.
Tip: Make sure the cone is big enough to fit on your bottle.
Wings:
Draw a wing shape that you would like on a piece of card. Decide how many wings you would like, and draw that number of wings. Cut the wings out and use either hot glue or tape (preferably both) to attach the wings to the rocket.
Tip: Make sure your wings are not to big and not to small so they will both stabilize your rocket and help your rocket go high.
Recovery System:
Decide what recovery system you would like to use (recovery systems are listed above). I used a parachute recovery system. I used a garbage bag, and cut out a square. I folded it into a triangle, then halved the triangle into a smaller triangle. I did this 3 times. For the 4th time, I folded the tip of the triangle to the triangle's base. Then, I cut the triangle into a scalloped shape and cut a hole in the middle. After that, I got string and cut 8 pieces into the same length and placed them an equal distance from each other on my parachute. I used tape to attach them on the parachute.
Tip: Make sure the tape is all the way to the end of the parachute.
Putting the rocket together:
I then hot glued and taped the cone onto my rocket. The wings were already attached. Then, I taped all the strings of the parachute to the rocket with scotch tape, then put a layer of carpet tape over it. I tested my rocket and the recovery system worked. The last step was to put water in the rocket and screw a cap on.
Then, my rocket was completed.
Tip: Make sure the cone is big enough to fit on your bottle.
Wings:
Draw a wing shape that you would like on a piece of card. Decide how many wings you would like, and draw that number of wings. Cut the wings out and use either hot glue or tape (preferably both) to attach the wings to the rocket.
Tip: Make sure your wings are not to big and not to small so they will both stabilize your rocket and help your rocket go high.
Recovery System:
Decide what recovery system you would like to use (recovery systems are listed above). I used a parachute recovery system. I used a garbage bag, and cut out a square. I folded it into a triangle, then halved the triangle into a smaller triangle. I did this 3 times. For the 4th time, I folded the tip of the triangle to the triangle's base. Then, I cut the triangle into a scalloped shape and cut a hole in the middle. After that, I got string and cut 8 pieces into the same length and placed them an equal distance from each other on my parachute. I used tape to attach them on the parachute.
Tip: Make sure the tape is all the way to the end of the parachute.
Putting the rocket together:
I then hot glued and taped the cone onto my rocket. The wings were already attached. Then, I taped all the strings of the parachute to the rocket with scotch tape, then put a layer of carpet tape over it. I tested my rocket and the recovery system worked. The last step was to put water in the rocket and screw a cap on.
Then, my rocket was completed.
Results Table:
| Distance from Rocket | Angle of Altimeter | Rocket height at Apogee | Time to Apogee | Time from Apogee to ground | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanessa Launch #1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Vanessa Launch #2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| ( ) Launch #1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| ( ) Launch #2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Conclusion:
After our first launch, we got together to discuss what we could do to improve our rockets for their second flights. Some point we could improve were
Nose cone:
Nose cones are necessary to stabilize the rocket and sharper nose cones are better because they won't block the wind.
Rocket Body:
Rocket bodies have to be smooth and without holes (so pressure won't escape). Dents in the bottle actually doesn't matter, because the bottle will expand as we put pressure inside.
Wings:
Wings have to be close to the body, otherwise they will cause drag and affect the height your rocket can go up to.
Parachutes:
Parachutes have to be balanced and able to come out easily. They cause drag so they are good for recovery but may affect the rocket's flight because of the drag it causes as the rocket is blasted off.
After the think tank, I started to improve my rocket. The rocket's nose and body seemed fine. The wings of my rocket were loose, so I attached them again using tape and hot glue. I thought that wings were mainly used for stabilizing rockets, so I didn't change the wings. I found that the rocket that went highest didn't use a parachute as a main recovery system. Though the fact that parachutes cause drag was obvious, I wanted to see if the parachute would cause less drag if I made the parachute strings shorter (as the parachute would catch less air). At my second launch, I found that the length of the parachute didn't really affect the amount of drag the parachute caused.
I think I did well in putting the right amount of water to pressure. The parachute also worked well as a recovery system, because of the drag it created. One more thing that worked well was the nose cone, which didn't affect the rocket's lift off because it wasn't too heavy and was steep.
There are many areas in which I need to improve my rocket. I would need to change the recovery system a lot. This may not mean I would have to get rid of my parachute, I could just put it under the cone so it doesn't cause any drag until it hits apogee and the parachute falls out. Then, the parachute would work for recovery (though maybe not as well as now because it has to knock off the cone first) and wouldn't affect the rocket's flight. One more thing I needed to change was the wings. The wings work well enough as stabilizers, but I would need to make the wings larger like an airplane's so the wings would actually help the rocket go high.
Through this course, I learned how to apply Newton's Laws of Motion to create a rocket that would actually blast off. I got the chance to understand that Newton's Laws weren't so complicated after all, and rockets weren't either. Though my rocket launched pretty high, but I still need to change many parts of the rocket to improve it.
Glossary:
Acceleration: Acceleration is the rate of velocity change over time.
Apogee: An apogee is the point where something is at its furthest distance it can be from the orbit of the Earth. Apogees vary with different objects and where they are put. This is because of their different sizes and weights which affects the amount of potential energy they will have to move away from the orbit of the Earth.
Featherweight Recovery: This form of recovery is for small rockets. These rockets have blunt noses which helps them fall to the ground after the engine is ejected.
Force: Something that influences the movement of an object.
Mass: The amount of matter in something.
Motion: The movement of an object.
Recovery System: Some system in a rocket that helps it to land safely without breaking.
Velocity: Velocity is the measurement of the speed and direction of changes in an object's position.
Bibliography (MLA Format):
Websites:
1. The Physics Classroom, Newton's First Law of Motion, 1996 Accessed June 20th, 2011
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/u2l1a.cfm
2. Newton's Laws of Motion, Wikipedia, June 2011, Accessed June 20th, 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion
3. Dictionary 3.0
http://www.dictionary30.com/meaning/Apogee
4. Recovery, The Hitchhiker's Guide to Modern Rocketry, Oracle Thinking Education Foundation
http://library.thinkquest.org/10568/design/recovery.html
Images:
1. The Newton's Laws, Croatoan ect
http://croatoanect.blogspot.com/2011/04/text-tradution.html
2. Florida Today, NASA Scores Successful Ares Parachute Test
http://www.floridatoday.com/content/blogs/space/2009/03/nasa-scores-successful-ares-parachute.shtml
Books:
None
Videos:
Brainpop
Extras:
Videos:
None
Websites:
Rockets Away
Click here for a website to investigate input and output variables for hydro rockets.
Gravity Launcher
Click here for a website to investigate gravity and thrust.
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