Rocket Research

Newton’s laws of motion

1. Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an
external force is applied to it.
2. The relationship between an object's mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied
force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors (as indicated by their symbols being
displayed in slant bold font); in this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the
direction of the acceleration vector.
3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The four elements of flight

The four elements of flight are lift, weight, drag and thrust. Thrust is what propels the
rocket, weight is basically drag, drag is the rocket being forced downwards by air and lift is
the force that directly opposes the weight of a rocket.

Aerodynamics that may affect flight

- Thin/Dense Air. The less air, the less lift no matter what the thrust is.
- Speed of rocket. The whole purpose of getting airborne in a rocket is speed.

What is Terminal Velocity?

An object falling through the atmosphere is split into two external forces. One force is the
gravitational force, which is the weight of the object. The other force is the air resistance,
or drag of the object.

Formula For Kinetic Energy

Kinetic energy is the mass of the object and to the square of its velocity: K.E. = 1/2 m v2. If
the mass has units of kilograms and the velocity of meters per second, the kinetic energy has
units of kilograms-meters squared per second squared.

All components necessary to build a rocket

Body – You need a body to attach all the rest of the components to. It also helps with the stability. If
you have no body, you have no rocket.

Fins – You need the fins for extra stability. The fins all need to be even otherwise the rocket is
unbalanced.

Nose Cone – You also need a nose cone for even air flow in the top half of the rocket. Without a
nose cone the air will travel through the body until it reaches the engine. The air would then need to
escape so it would have to travel back up the rocket. It wouldn’t be a good rocket

Parachute – Without a parachute your rocket would spiral towards the ground with no control and it
would possibly crash into people.

Engine – If you don’t have an engine then your rocket won’t go anywhere.
What are the main stages or rocket systems for building a rocket?
1. Glue fins to body of rocket
2. Estimate size of parachute and cut it out.
3. Make 8 evenly spaced holes on the parachute
4. Tie one end of the strings to the 8 holes and tie the other ends together
5. Print nose cone
6. Attach parachute to nose cone
7. Sandpaper wooden disk to size of your rocket base
8. Sandpaper center hole of wooden disk so rocket engine can fit into it
9. Glue rocket engine to wooden disk
10. Glue wooden disk to the base of your rocket.
11. Glue straw to rocket so it can stand up.
12. You are ready for takeoff.

Different types of model rockets

- Black powder thrusted - Used by NASA
- Composite fuel – Used by NASA
- Steam powered rocket (which is barely used anymore) created in 1854
- Cryogenic rockets
Various sizes of Black Powder Engines

Mini Engines – Mini engines are 4.4 cm long and about 13mm in
diameter

Standard Engines – Standard engines are 7cm long and are 18mm
in diameter

D Engine – These engines are designed for rockets with a bigger

diameter. It is 7cm long and 24mm in diameter

E Engine – These engines are designed for bigger model rockets

which are heavier. It is 9.5cm long and 24mm in diameter

The various sizes of black powder engines range from 4.4cm –

9.5cm long and 13mm – 24mm wide.

CASA use of model rockets

The model rocket must weigh less than 1500g which is propelled by one or more rocket motors
producing not more than 320Ns total impulse. It must have a parachute so it can return to the
ground in a flyable condition. The propellant must not be more than 125g. A person must not
launch a model rocket more than 400 feet in the air.
 Maximum height and size engine
The maximum height for a rocket without a permit is 400 feet. The engine you would choose is
the standard size because it has a short life time but good thrust. It also stays in the regulations
of how much power is allowed and the weight of it.

Bibliography
Title Date Author Date Seen URL
Published
CASA Rocket Regulations July 2002 CASA 11/06/18 https://www.casa.gov.au/files/101c02pdf
Reference N/A Anonymous 11/06/18 www.reference.com/science/formula-kinetic-
energy-6503e6a2da1858e6