Blasting Off to an A (or Houston We Have A Problem) – The Bottle Rocket Project
Description: Participants will design, construct and test a rocket made from a 2 liter plastic pop (soda) bottle, which should remain aloft for a maximum period of time.
A TEAM OF UP TO: 3 TEST LAUNCH DATES2/2, 2/9 and 3/2
COMPETITION LAUNCH DATE 3/9
THE COMPETITION:
The competition consists of two parts – the test launches and the competition launch.
1.Students will bring one completed pop bottle rocket to each of the 3 test launches and to the competition. No commercially finished rockets may be used. Students MUST have their name and period on the rocket.
2.The body of the rocket must consist of one or more plastic 2 liter pop bottles (name brand bottles like Coke or Pepsi tend to work the best). No metal parts will be allowed on the rocket.
3.All energy imparted to the rocket must originate from the water/air pressure combination. No other type of energy sources will be permitted. Each team will be allowed to add his/her desired amount of water to the rocket. The recommended amount of water is 0.50 liters 0.10 liters.
4.Timing of the rocket starts when it leaves the launch pad and stops when the first part of the rocket hits the ground, or when the rocket disappears from the judge’s sight, or when the rocket impacts or gets entangled in an object (e.g. the rocket collides with a tree).
5.All rockets will be launched at a pressure not to exceed 75 pounds per square inch. The rocket needs to be airtight while it is on the launch pad, so do not punch any holes in the bottle.
6.All teams must have their rocket inspected by the instructor prior to launch. The rocket must have a minimum of a working parachute,fins, a nose cone and your name and period numbers on it (you might want to bring it in several days in advance to have your instructor check to make sure it meets the requirements). Rockets must be completely assembled when they are brought to class on the test and final launch days. You cannot use plastic shopping bags as a parachute (you can use a cut BIG leaf/trash bag into the shape of a real parachute). Your nose cone must be made of study material and cannot be party hats or notebook or construction paper.Your parachute must fit inside/under the nosecone. When separated, the nose cone must remain attached to the rocket body. Fins must be made of sturdy material as well.
7.On the competition launch day each team will be permitted to launch their rocket twice and the best time from those launches will be used.
8.At launch all parts of the rocket must be at least 4.5cm above the mouth of the bottle.
9.Students need to bring at least two .5 liter water bottle to refill their rockets and any repair materials they might need (tape glue ext.).
10. The rockets must be disposed of by the end of the final competition day in order to receive credit. Failure to either take the rocket home or place it in the trash will result in the team receiving zero points for the project.
Failure to make changes and or bring in the “launch day document” with picture will receive a zero for the day
SCORING: The first 2 test launches are worth 35 points for each, the 3rd is worth 55 and will be based on your instructor’s evaluation of your rocket having the required components and its design (see the rubric). During the final competition the winning rocket will be determined by the greatest time aloft (recorded to the nearest tenth of a second). This portion of the competition is worth 60 points and an additional 35 points based on the rubric. All grades will be scaled based on the best time. This project has a max score of 220 points and will be worth approximately 5% of your grade.
Additional information
All documents being turned in must have the picture embedded and printed on it.
You must print the correct document for each launch prior to coming to class.
Failure to have the correct document will result in a zero for that days score.
You MUST change at least 1 component of your rocket for the 2nd and 3rd launch.
1/8” Bass wood or ¼” Balsa wood works great for fins.
The tops of the fins should be rounded or v shaped.
Use super duper super glue to glue the fins on initially and then put a bead of a thicker glue on the outside edges.
Lightly sand the bottle where you are attaching the fins.
No or very limited duct tape on the outside. If needed use a limited amount of clear packaging tape.
Weight the nosecone so it will fall off and make sure it is secured in the nosecone.
The nose cone needs to be centered and stable on the bottle – a ledge can help with this.
The parachute strings should be 1.5 times the diameter (of the parachute) in length and you should use a minimum of 6 strings.
The parachute should be made out of light material such as very thin plastic or mylar (emergency or space blanket)
Putting talcum powder in the nose cone helps the parachute come out.
Good shapes for the parachute are round, hexagon or octagon
Nosecone must sit stable on rocket
Period ______Name______
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Test Launch 1 / Specifications / Prohibitions35 points / Have bottle rocket with nosecone, fins, and parachute along with completed document. / Nosecone must be some kind of sturdy material (no construction paper, notebook paper, etc)
Parachute cannot be an uncut/unmodified bag
Time 1 / Time 2
35 total
Test Launch 2 / Time 1 / Time 2
30 points / Have bottle rocket with nosecone, fins, and parachute along with completed document.
5 points / Nosecone falls off at or near apex of flight
35 total
Test Launch 3 / Time 1 / Time 2
25 points / Have bottle rocket with nosecone, fins, and parachute along with completed document.
5 points / Nosecone falls off at or near apex of flight
20 points / Pass pre-launch parachute test pull test
5 points / Parachute actually deploys during launch
55 total
Final Launch / Time 1 / Time 2
25 points / Have bottle rocket with nosecone, fins, and parachute along with completed document.
10 points / Pass pre-launch parachute test
60 points / Time in the air
Period ______Name______
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First Launch Best time ______
Insert pictures below
Open (parachute out)Closed (parachute in)
Period ______Name______
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Second LaunchBest time ______
Insert pictures below
Open (parachute out)Closed (parachute in)
Changed
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Results
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Period ______Name______
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Third LaunchBest time ______
Insert pictures below
Open (parachute out)Closed (parachute in)
Changed
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Results
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Period ______Name______
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Fourth LaunchBest time 4th launch ______
Insert pictures below
Open (parachute out)Closed (parachute in)
Changed
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Results
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