Propulsion - Model Rocket - Episode 205



How do I design the best model rocket?
We're Aren, Jessica and Mary Lynn, and we think model rockets rock! Not only do we love to build and fly model rockets, we put our designs to the test in model rocket contests. For our DragonflyTV investigation, and for an upcoming competition, we asked: How do we create a rocket that reaches our goal altitude of 1,600 feet (488 meters)?

How would you investigate this question?
Decide which parts of a model rocket really make it fly (or flop). Is it the rocket's body shape, fins, or nose cone? Is it the weight or length of the rocket? How would you measure the rocket's altitude? Describe your investigation in your notebook and discuss it with your teacher, or go to Model Rockets to learn what Aren, Jessica and Mary Lynn did (and how they fared in the model rocket contest!)

When you build a rocket there are several things to think about. How tall can the rocket be? How wide? What shape should the nose cone be? How heavy can it be and still fly? Choose one of these features to investigate. Build a rocket that can use differently shaped nose cones, for example, and test each one. Record all your results in your notebook