Is there a decent alternative to oboard altimeters?

[bugwubber]

Would a laser rangefinder work while the rocket was in flight? I'm thinking in terms of a class setting where the rockets might not have reliable recovery systems and the rockets won't exceed 200 ft.
Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Bugwubber

[U.S. Water Rockets1]

Would a laser rangefinder work while the rocket was in flight? I'm thinking in terms of a class setting where the rockets might not have reliable recovery systems and the rockets won't exceed 200 ft.
Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Bugwubber

Have you tried using geometry? Use a protractor with a sight tube and a weighted string to sight the rocket from a known distance away. If you know the angle and the distance, you can calculate the height.

[bugwubber]

Would a laser rangefinder work while the rocket was in flight? I'm thinking in terms of a class setting where the rockets might not have reliable recovery systems and the rockets won't exceed 200 ft.
Any other suggestions?

Thanks
Bugwubber

Have you tried using geometry? Use a protractor with a sight tube and a weighted string to sight the rocket from a known distance away. If you know the angle and the distance, you can calculate the height.

Yes that is the current method being used. It's just prone to error and misreading a when the rocket doesn't go straight up.

Bugwubber

[SaskAlex]

Are the students using any kind of recovery system? If they are purely ballistic, just straight timing is pretty reliable. And it doesn't get much simpler.