The Perfect Rocket

What makes a good rocket? Many things go into making the perfect rocket, but just what are they? That is what Colin Robinson and Heidi Hall set out to find out. The first thing that had to be tested was the ideal mass of the rocket. A lot of the rockets distance depends on the mass and the area. Another variable that had to be tested was how many fins to use based on the ideal mass for the rocket. In a rocket it is normally true that it will fly the farthest if the mass is closer to the front, and the surface area to the back, so that the center of mass and the center of pressure are as far apart as possible, but too many fins could cause a problem. Once the ideal mass and surface area are found, it should be the goal of the user to find the …show more content…
It should be the priority of the maker to place the center of mass, and the center of pressure, as far away from each other as possible, or with the mass at the front and the surface area at the back. From the previous test it was proven that the ideal mass of the rocket to be 0.21925 kg, but how many fins would make the rocket perform at its peak. At an angle of 45 degrees, with 333 mL of water, and 5 fins, the Ted Cruiser flew a record setter of 325 feet. However, would less fins pull off the same trick? Upon removing one of the fins, the testers of the Ted Cruiser found that the rocket flew only 300 feet. Then, taking off another, found that with 2 fins it only flew 250 feet. Apparently less fins is not an advantage. Therefore it was set with 5 fins, being the most effective use of …show more content…
The rocket was holding a very steady 275 feet at an angle of 45 degrees, and 500 mL of water. The rocket at this point was fairly beat up but was able to maintain a steady distance. However, this amount of water could have been too much weight upon propulsion. The testers removed 167 mL of water to make the amount 333mL, or one third full. With this decreased amount of water, the Ted Cruiser flew an amazing 325 feet. The distance had increased, and maybe it could increase more. The testers filed the bottle with 25 mL of water, or one fourth of the way full. The rocket, with its newly changed fuel measurement flew only 270 feet. The Ted Cruiser flew better with the fuselage one third of the way full, or with 333 mL of water. This amount of fuel was the perfect proportion between the right amount of weight, and the right amount of expulsion to get the rocket to perform at its