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Weight verification

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 4:48 pm
by RaZias
To verify that a rocket really went to a certain height, there are cameras and altimeters, but what about the weight ?

I mean a person can put the rocket on the top of a balance and film it, but who says to me that someone couldnĀ“t hack the balance to give a lighter weight ?

A person may want to reinforce more the rocket and it might pass the 1500gr...

Re: Weight verification

Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 10:27 pm
by WRA2
RaZias wrote:To verify that a rocket really went to a certain height, there are cameras and altimeters, but what about the weight ?

I mean a person can put the rocket on the top of a balance and film it, but who says to me that someone couldnĀ“t hack the balance to give a lighter weight ?

A person may want to reinforce more the rocket and it might pass the 1500gr...
If a competitors weight was challenged during the public review of a submission we could ask them to provide a photo of the rocket on a scale. A competitor that was cheating would lose the respect of the community. The Multi stage competition is the most likely place where the weight limit would come into question with a competitor adding more stages and staging mechanisms.

All of the submissions we have had in the other classes have been far below the 1500 Gram limit.

Re: Weight verification

Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2009 12:06 am
by U.S. Water Rockets1
We suggest that if there is a problem we will put our heads together and invent a weight validation method that is hard to cheat. A system with a weight to counterbalance the rocket using a volume of water that could be videotaped in action might be a good start. The alternative is to implement a set of draconian paperwork and sworn affidavits from a series of witnesses and all the proof of identity that would require. Nobody wants to turn this fun sport into a tyrannical beaurocracy, so when it becomes an issue we will solve the problem with a majority vote on a verification system. Sound good?