Abstract
Have you ever heard the expression, "Well, it's not exactly rocket science…" ? For your science fair project, you can be a rocket scientist. Here's how.Objective
The objective of this project is to measure the change in rocket performance based on selected differences in the rocket's design.
Introduction
Model rockets utilize small, commercially-manufactured rocket engines to enable speeds of up to several hundred miles per hour, while reaching altitudes as high as several thousand feet. By following the National Association of Rocketry, Model Rocket Safety Code, you can experiment with the aerodynamics of these rockets with almost complete safety. And, there are many possible experiments you can undertake (see "Variations" below).
Model rockets can make for an extremely fun and exciting science fair project!
Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research
To do an experiment in this area, you should do research that enables you to understand the following terms and concepts:
In addition, study the Model Rocket Safety Code and the proper means to construct a rocket.
Bibliography
Be sure to study the model rocketry sections (among others) of NASA's Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics. This excellent NASA Web site includes a rocket simulator called RocketModeler. http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/guided.htm
Stine, G. Harry, and Stine, Bill. Handbook of Model Rocketry, 7th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, 2004. This book is the bible of model rocketry, containing a wealth of information on rocket design, construction, and competition.
You can find a wealth of general information at these sites:
Altitude tracking is important for many experiments in rocketry. These links contain excellent information about how to measure your rocket's altitude:
Materials and Equipment
Model rocketry supplies can be purchased at many hobby stores. Two of the primary manufacturers are:
Experimental Procedure
The National Association of Rocketry offers these tips for experimentation(1):
Plan to do at least three flights of identical rockets with identical engines for each variable that you want to test. There is a lot of "scatter" in the data from rocket-based experiments, and you will get much better results if you use the average of three or more flights for a data point rather than a single flight. This scatter is the result of a combination of experimental error (such as in measuring altitude), weather-based variations (such as in measuring parachute flight duration), and/or slight differences in the construction of the rocket or the motor. If you understand statistics, having multiple data averaged into a single point gives you the opportunity to impress the judges with an analysis of standard deviations and confidence intervals in your data.Variations
Tim Van Milligan, an aeronautical engineer and the president of rocket manufacturer Apogee Components suggests, "The most common science fair project tries to find the best fin shape that yields the highest altitude. This project is useless, and doesn't yield any valuable data."(2) See the original source for why this is the case.
Instead, the National Association of Rocketry suggests these possible experiments(1):
Credits
(1) Barber, Trip. "Model Rocketry in Science Fairs." National Association of Rocketry. http://nar.org/pdf/science_fair_rocketry.pdf, accessed October 2, 2004.
(2) Van Milligan, Tim. "What Type of Fin Shape is Best?" Apogee Components. http://www.apogeerockets.com/technical_publication_16.asp, accessed October 2, 2004.
Last edit date: 2007-03-21 12:00:00
If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring careers in Aerodynamics & Hydrodynamics.
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