Recovery system

[jeff4president]

What is the best recovery system that is easy and cheap? I'm new to water rockets and I want to start as simple as possible.

[WRA2]

What is the best recovery system that is easy and cheap? I'm new to water rockets and I want to start as simple as possible.

A timer made from a wind up toy is a cheap and reliable method to use for a parachute deployment system.

They can be found at dollar stores or online

Here is a site that sells the timers:

http://www.texastimers.com/

There was also a forum discussion about them:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1445&p=11098&hilit=tomy+timer#p11098

[jeff4president]

Ok, thanks. I've also heard about a balloon system. Do you know exactly how that works?

[WRA2]

Ok, thanks. I've also heard about a balloon system. Do you know exactly how that works?

Basically the "balloon deploy" is a timer that operates by the release of air from a balloon (slowly). Typically the friction from the inflated balloon holds the nose onto the rocket. When the ballon deflates enough the nose is released and the parachute deploys.

Lots of trial and error required to get the timing right (the rate of deflation depends on the size of the hole and the amount of air in the balloon).

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1009&p=7991&hilit=balloon#p7991

http://www.h2orocket.com/topic/balloon/balloon.html

[Tim Chen]

What is the best recovery system that is easy and cheap? I'm new to water rockets and I want to start as simple as possible.

How cheap is cheap?

You could make something for free almost based on an air flap. This method has been made a hundred different ways but the system boils down to a parachute bay that is spring loaded but is held in place by a flap that flips out due to the spring pressure of the parachute bay if nothing holds the flap down.

When you set up the rocket you use something on the ground or on your launcher to hold the flap down so the parachute is held in place. When you launch, the rocket flies away from the earth and the flap is free to move except it can't move now because acceleration and air flow hold it against the rocket.

When the rocket stops moving fast as it reaches max altitude, nothing is left holding the flap down and it pops out and lets the parachute pop out.

[Lasheyda]

I use the NOAA (Nose-cone Off At Apogee) technique with great successes. It is simple, cheap and effective.

Is the water rocket made out of only one 2 liter bottle? Because if so you simply cut of the top of another 2 liter bottle so that the bottom of it rests on the top of the main bottle (the one that holds the pressure and water.) The parachute is rolled up and placed under the top. Just make sure to tether the top to the main bottle. Also adding some weight (modeling clay or a small bolt threaded through the cap) to the cap will insure that the nosecone comes off. This works with larger rockets as long as the top of the water rocket is the bottom of the a bottle.

I dont think i did a very good job describing that. So just ask if you have any questions.

[T86157]

You could try backgliding; falling down horizontally after apogee. That does not require "additional" cost for a deployment mechanism budget. "Easy" is open to interpretation. Backgliding is easy in the sense that it can be trial and error for getting it just right. I am not a huge fan of this just because the air resistance versus the weight, which translates to momentum, will not give you as high of an altitude for a rocket with a payload. I suppose you could make a backglider and add an even amount of weight on your rocket to test this...

[Nick B]

what kinda rocket? FTC or PET bottle?


If you are going to be hitting apogee under 500 feet, you might as well just set up the rockets for backgliding. Just keep the rocket neutral balanced or a tad tail heavy.

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

what kinda rocket? FTC or PET bottle?


If you are going to be hitting apogee under 500 feet, you might as well just set up the rockets for backgliding. Just keep the rocket neutral balanced or a tad tail heavy.

Backgliding has a certain rate of failure you have to be willing to accept. If the rocket hits wind just right it will upset the stability and fall nose first.