Space X Launch

On February 6, 2018, the most powerful rocket of the decade was launched. It was named the Falcon Heavy. Space X, a company started by a business man named Elon Musk launched it. The Falcon Heavy was a reused rocket – the first rocket to do so. The price was only $90 million, which may seem like a lot, but isn’t, when talking rocketry. That’s why reused rockets can be so important. They cost less. Many believed that we were being held back by the cost of exploring space. But now, we are not. Who knows what reused rockets can end up doing. In addition, the Falcon Heavy was the first rocket that tried to leave orbit which was not designed by the government. Space X was run by a businessman –  unlike NASA, which is run by the government. Also, the amount of technology used in the Falcon Heavy was remarkable. Elon Musk himself had some nightmare case scenarios about what would go wrong. It’s very surprising that noting did. Finally, the Falcon Heavy rekindled some of the feeling people have had about space. It rekindled excitement, hope. old dreams. The Falcon Heavy was definitely a remarkable rocket by many standards.

My first reaction when seeing the Falcon Heavy was “Whoa. What is that?” Then, when I learned about all the things above, I was surprised and amazed. I’ve always been interested in space, but this was awesome. A rocket that had so many ‘firsts’ piled up on it. With so many dreams. With so many things that could go wrong. That rocket went up. I just found that amazing and really, really cool. You definitely don’t see a rocket like the Falcon Heavy everyday. But what I found most amazing was the fact that the Falcon Heavy was a reused rocket. Now, the cost was so much less. That could evolutionize space travel. Take it to a whole new level. That was just what really shocked me.

I’m still wondering about the feelings that Elon Musk had when the Falcon Heavy nailed it’s maiden flight. What did he do? How did he feel? I’m also wondering about the challenges that the people building the Falcon X faced. What didn’t work? How did they feel? What did they do too insure success? These were my wondering for the Falcon Heavy.

The Falcon Heavy was definitely an astonishing rocket. It held the hopes and dreams of many, and completed all of those too. It was definitely something that the U.S.A should be proud of. And who knows. Maybe this rocket will change the future. All we know for now is that the Falcon Heavy was amazing, breath-taking, and a dream come true for many.

Final Rocketry Reflection

Our fifth grade rocketry unit was a very positive experience for me. Even though my groups had some arguments, we still had tons of fun and were able to learn tons of things. Here are some things that I think were important in this unit.

In this rocketry unit I learned many things about groups and rockets. One of the many things that I learned in this unit is that a rocket must be aerodynamic to get a good result. A nose cone should be pointed, and fins should be slanted. Also, don’t use a lot of layers with tape. Just put a small amount. The lighter the better. In addition, I learned to make sure that someone looks over the rocket multiple times. A tiny patch of air can mean the difference between your dreams and failure. Make sure you look over it and test it a couple of times with the PVC pipe. And don’t rush when you build a rocket. Testing the fins or body will never hurt.

In addition, I learned that a there is a fine line between group leader and group dictator. No matter how much you want to do something, sometimes you’ve just got to step down. Otherwise people will lose interest. And if that happens, then frankly it’s not their fault. If you only let you and someone else do things then you can’t complain when someone else leaves the group. I will make sure that in future groups, I insure that no one steps over the line and that everyone gets an equal turn at things. Because that is the only way to make sure that your group is truly successful.

I enjoyed the fact that we had 3 launches in our unit. This was important because there were two chances to perfect your rocket before your final launch. So, for example, if you could not decide between styrofoam or cardboard fins. In one launch you could do cardboard and in the other you could do styrofoam. This way you could compare your prior launches and choose the best option for the third one. Also, we could have a chance to try out different jobs. The only thing was that in my group, two people got to have every job and that wasn’t exactly fair.

While working as a group, I learned many things about myself as well. I realized that I was not that amazing at working with other people but that I could sometimes help when people were on the verge of a fight. I could help people come to an agreement, but if they were all mad at me, then I couldn’t exactly defend myself, even if I thought my idea was amazing. But, in the unit, I did get better at working as a group.

In the rocketry unit I enjoyed the building the most. The prototype wasn’t very fun because everyone wanted to combine different ideas and we had a couple of fights then and the launching and graphing was a little too competitive because everyone wanted to reach the highest height. But during the building we were able to socialize in a positive way and discuss ideas or what we thought wasn’t going well. Then, in addition, we got to talk about what we didn’t like about the past rockets. So, for me, the building was the best part of the unit.

But in the whole entire unit, there was one thing that I learned which I think stands above the rest. Many times in this unit I did a ton of work. I made whole slides by myself and everyone else fed off of my  work. So, in future references, I have decided upon a plan. I will do one thing, and I will make sure that everyone else in my group does something else. And if they don’t do it, then I’ll have proof which I can show and I can finally prove that I actually did work and that my partner was the one who didn’t. But sometimes the problem is that I don’t want to fail. And if my partner doesn’t do anything then I’ll fail alongside them. Yet now, I will make sure that no matter what, I will always do my fair share of the work and no more unless it’s needed.

If I could do one thing over again in this unit, I would change something about our third rocket readings. I personally felt that they were not fair even though I don’t blame the klinometer readers. I think our rocket went so much higher than it was given account for. But everything else, I loved.

As you can see, I learned many things in the rocketry unit. Not only things that pertained to rockets, but also important life skills. And most of all, I really enjoyed the whole rocketry unit. It was important and will definitely help me later on. If I could choose I would definitely do this unit again.