Wixson Water Rocket Launch Day 5

Mission #5: A sport launch of the VGIII water rocket with a new, shiny, red nosecone. I still can't get the NOAA style recovery to work, but I did forget the retainer ring that I had hoped would make the difference.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• water
• rocket
• PET
• experimental
• ameature
• experiment
• launch
• wixson

[khairelfarish]

btw, what i want to use for fins ?

[kwixson]

@khairelfarish I just use corrugated cardboard from a shipping box I'm about to throw away. My buddy in Australia, though, he uses corrugated plastic cut from cheap school binders. It's more rigid. In any event you do not need fins nearly as big as what you see on mine. I like big fins because they are cool looking, but for height you want to have as small of fins as you can get away with and still achieve stable flight.

[khairelfarish]

wow, you put cement for the ballast ?

[kwixson]

@khairelfarish No. I used an eye bolt for ballast, screwed through the front cap, which kind of makes the thing dangerous like a lawn jart, but if you only thread it through just enough to get a nut on and then you put something over it (like I did with the pointy cap, then it's not going to kill anyone I don't think.

[khairelfarish]

can you list what you used for this rocket ? asap

[kwixson]

@khairelfarish Materials included two 2L pop bottles, 2-part epoxy resin, cardboard, and an eye bolt. That was for the rocket itself. The launcher was made from 1/2" thickwall PVC, various PVC joints, 1/8" flexible tubing, 1/8" brass coupler, O clamp, rubber O ring (can't remember the size off the top of my head), cable ties, fluorescent tube cover, more epoxy, and pvc primer and cement.

[khairelfarish]

THX for the information ^^ i'll try

[kwixson]

@khairelfarish You can get complete plans for these rockets and a launcher by reviewing an old issue of Make Magazine, issue #5, which I think is available online though you might need to pay a fee. Make issue #5 is what I used to make these rockets.

[khairelfarish]

Tell me what you use for the rocket flying high ?

I must build water rocket for competition at school.

I like your rocket

[tooslyfouryou]

what, no parachute?