Yesterday we went out to our favorite launch site, a nearby schoolyard, and conducted our first test flight.
We got set up, then came the countdown.
5-4-3-2-1 ! Liftoff!
The sleek, glossy black rocket came off the launch pad straight as an arrow, its D12-0 engine blasting away.
Within milliseconds, though, the rocket's straight-arrow flight turned into something that looked more like a wounded albatross trying to fly.
It went up about 40 feet before it turned completely on its side after a corkscrew ascent.
After that the engine ejected itself with a bang. The engine ejected because I designed this rocket for featherweight recovery, meaning it has no parachute or streamer device.
The rocket landed about 30 yards away, into a puddle with a splat.
We dried the rocket off, and now it's back to the drawing board for redesign. We need to figure out a way to make the rocket more stable and balanced.
We would like it to fly 4000 feet up next time, instead of 40.
3 comments:
Zechariah,
Your rocket might not have flown the way you would've liked, but this post is wonderful. Well-written and just plain interesting to read. I look forward to more information on your continued experimentations with home designed and built rockets.
Remember the relationship between the center of gravity and the center of pressure. Those engine tubes are heavy, and that's quite a bit of weight at the back - just where you don't want it.
Z-man, please read the material at the following links about rocket center of pressure and center of gravity. It is a little complicated, and you might not understand very much of it, but do not worry about that. Make sure your eyes travel over the text and pics, and we will discuss so you can get the gist of it. ~Pop
1.http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/cp.html
2. http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/rktcp.html
3.
http://www.scalerockets.com/modelrocket.html
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