Water Rocket Forum

I'm wondering if anyone has done the math yet and if so what the results are? I realize the answer will vary depending upon the configuration, multiple stages, PET bottles only or fiberglass type rockets, etc.

To use an analogy, every fixed wing aircraft has something called the service ceiling listed in the pilot operating handbook specific to that aircraft. This is the maximum altitude at which an aircraft can no longer climb at least 100 feet per minute.

HawaiiRockets wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has done the math yet and if so what the results are? I realize the answer will vary depending upon the configuration, multiple stages, PET bottles only or fiberglass type rockets, etc.

To use an analogy, every fixed wing aircraft has something called the service ceiling listed in the pilot operating handbook specific to that aircraft. This is the maximum altitude at which an aircraft can no longer climb at least 100 feet per minute.

My guess would be that there is a mathematic absolute maximum for any given volume of water rocket, but if you wanted to say there is a fixed maximum altitude that could never be exceeded, then probably no. I think someone could just think up a theoretical water rocket that was 10 miles tall and simulate it leaving orbit.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

HawaiiRockets wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has done the math yet and if so what the results are? I realize the answer will vary depending upon the configuration, multiple stages, PET bottles only or fiberglass type rockets, etc.

To use an analogy, every fixed wing aircraft has something called the service ceiling listed in the pilot operating handbook specific to that aircraft. This is the maximum altitude at which an aircraft can no longer climb at least 100 feet per minute.

My guess would be that there is a mathematic absolute maximum for any given volume of water rocket, but if you wanted to say there is a fixed maximum altitude that could never be exceeded, then probably no. I think someone could just think up a theoretical water rocket that was 10 miles tall and simulate it leaving orbit.

LOL. You may find that there isn't enough material on the Earth to make a 10 mile tall PET bottle! And since the experiment is based on Earth (altitude implies a launch from the Earth), you are stuck with what materials you can find here.

U.S. Water Rockets1 wrote:

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

HawaiiRockets wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has done the math yet and if so what the results are? I realize the answer will vary depending upon the configuration, multiple stages, PET bottles only or fiberglass type rockets, etc.

To use an analogy, every fixed wing aircraft has something called the service ceiling listed in the pilot operating handbook specific to that aircraft. This is the maximum altitude at which an aircraft can no longer climb at least 100 feet per minute.

My guess would be that there is a mathematic absolute maximum for any given volume of water rocket, but if you wanted to say there is a fixed maximum altitude that could never be exceeded, then probably no. I think someone could just think up a theoretical water rocket that was 10 miles tall and simulate it leaving orbit.

LOL. You may find that there isn't enough material on the Earth to make a 10 mile tall PET bottle! And since the experiment is based on Earth (altitude implies a launch from the Earth), you are stuck with what materials you can find here.

haha. That would require roughly 55495 2Liter bottles stacked on top of each other giving a total volume of 115984.55 Liters and a weight of 3329700 grams!
Clifford heath's simulators says: Now you're talkin' crazy talk! A volume of 1.15985e+08 is outside the range 0.001 to 1e+06

LOL

I wanna put something in orbit

HawaiiRockets wrote:I wanna put something in orbit

Sure just a trip to the hardware store and you'll be set!

[youtube][/youtube]

I think for water rockets, your limiting factor is going to be your compressor and weight of the material used on your pressure vessel. Where do you get 10k psi AND safely contain it in a vessel that's light enough to fly?

Wasn't there some guy a while ago claiming that he was building a water rocket that would go 30,000 feet. LOL!

bugwubber wrote:

HawaiiRockets wrote:I wanna put something in orbit

Sure just a trip to the hardware store and you'll be set!

[youtube][/youtube]

I think for water rockets, your limiting factor is going to be your compressor and weight of the material used on your pressure vessel. Where do you get 10k psi AND safely contain it in a vessel that's light enough to fly?

Yeah I saw that show .... I think they estimated 50K feet ... Another guy in YouTube did 120'K feet.. but how high till u can orbit?

HawaiiRockets wrote:

bugwubber wrote:

HawaiiRockets wrote:I wanna put something in orbit

Sure just a trip to the hardware store and you'll be set!

[youtube][/youtube]

I think for water rockets, your limiting factor is going to be your compressor and weight of the material used on your pressure vessel. Where do you get 10k psi AND safely contain it in a vessel that's light enough to fly?

Yeah I saw that show .... I think they estimated 50K feet ... Another guy in YouTube did 120'K feet.. but how high till u can orbit?

Orbit is more about how fast. And the answer is around 17,000mph. You really have to be above the atmosphere to make those kinds of speeds possible- otherwise you end up just like all the meteors you see in the sky, heating up until you vaporize. Orbit is essentially falling but always missing the planet because of the sideways velocity.

Bugwubber

Good info bugwuber

bugwubber wrote: Orbit is more about how fast. And the answer is around 17,000mph. You really have to be above the atmosphere to make those kinds of speeds possible- otherwise you end up just like all the meteors you see in the sky, heating up until you vaporize. Orbit is essentially falling but always missing the planet because of the sideways velocity.
Bugwubber

What if you didn't want to go into orbit? Say you decided to just lift off and fly straight up and just leave the Earth and fly out of the solar system. I don't think you need to go that fast at all.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

bugwubber wrote: Orbit is more about how fast. And the answer is around 17,000mph. You really have to be above the atmosphere to make those kinds of speeds possible- otherwise you end up just like all the meteors you see in the sky, heating up until you vaporize. Orbit is essentially falling but always missing the planet because of the sideways velocity.
Bugwubber

What if you didn't want to go into orbit? Say you decided to just lift off and fly straight up and just leave the Earth and fly out of the solar system. I don't think you need to go that fast at all.

Well as long as you had suffcient power and fuel, no. But NASA sent New Horizons on a direct route out of the Solar system (with gravity assists) and felt it needed to travel at over 37k mph to escape the Sun. I suppose they figured out it was more efficient to do it that way.

Bugwubber

George once said a maximum of 5km.... Probably a carbon fiber/fiberglass rocket filled to 1111000 psi.... AAAAANNNNDDD a volume of 30L.

bugwubber wrote:

HawaiiRockets wrote:

bugwubber wrote:
Orbit is essentially falling but always missing the planet because of the sideways velocity.

Bugwubber

Flying is essentially throwing yourself at the ground and...missing.

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