For our final project in our Intro to Aerospace class, we had to design, run calculations for, and build a water rocket. My team member was Noah Prezant. Our work, process, and final report can be found below.
When first coming up with our design idea, we both made some quick sketches that we thought would satisfy our mission objectives and be relatively easy to assemble.
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The strengths of each initial design were combined to create a new rocket that would perform at a higher level than the original models. I then created a quick model in SOLIDWORKS and made engineering drawings for the fins and the rocket to help us calculate the amount of required materials and to solidify the design
After our calculations were completed, we assembled the water rocket out of two 2-liter bottles, cardboard, tape, and some plastic bags. A parachute was also constructed and attached to the body underneath the cap of the rocket using string. Pieces of plastic bag and tape were used to ensure the cap would fall of at the peak of the launch and allow the parachute to deploy.
Several small-scale tests were run to test the parachute to ensure that it deployed consistently. The final performance of the rocket was hindered by a fault in the launch pad system, but it still passed the height requirements set forth by our professor.