water rocket basics

Discussions about rockets, construction materials, adhesives, nozzles, nosecones and fin design.
boompow
New Member
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:54 pm

water rocket basics

Post by boompow »

Help me please! My physics class has been designing water rockets. It's been really fun. We have to launch and safely return and egg back to the ground as part of the project. I'm redesigning my rocket tonight, because I have learned some things to make it work better, but I still have lots of questions, and we don't have very much time left in class!
1. In my rocket, we extended the rocket so it was long-27 inches. It went pretty high, but is it better to be shorter and lighter?
2. My rocket had a large parachute too- it was 33 inches in diameter. The egg was attached to the parachute. I put it inside of my rocket, thinking that it would come out when it reached it's maximum height. The large size of the parachute might have caused it not to deploy. My rocket was sent speeding to the ground and the egg broke.
3. Do you think it's better to have the parachute attached to the rocket? Or have it come out of the rocket, with the egg attached?
Thank you!!
User avatar
Brian
WRA2 Member
WRA2 Member
Posts: 496
Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:02 am

Re: water rocket basics

Post by Brian »

:W
The length doesn't play a big role in performance.
More weight will allow it to coast further, as most water rockets are under weight.
For a fall off nose cone recovery the nose cone I think should be 2 times heavier than the rocket. Common problems occur when the nose cone gets jammed on the rocket.
Your parachute can be smaller.
It would be good to have a padded compartment for the egg in the rocket and recover it as a whole, in case the parachute fails to deploy the egg can still survive.
What size is your nozzle?
Ascender Water Rockets
http://ascenderwaterrockets.weebly.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS2NHXS-VFxEux70DCINR0w