Rocketry Reflection

Rocketry has been an amazing unit so far! First we were sorted into groups. I was in a group with Elliott, Olivia, and Jack. We started are rocketry unit by making inspiration boards. This means that we surf the web for rocketry images and diagrams that inspire us. While surfing the web I learned that the simple diagrams explain things the best. Then we took the images and glued them on poster board. I gave team spirit, Elliott gave amazing images, and Jack and Olivia gave amazing artwork. All of this made an awesome inspiration board. Over all of this we learned, when you let people use there talents to the max, the outcome is amazing.

Of course, we also were building bottle rockets. But before building we needed to design our rockets! So my group grabbed another poster board and started to design. We worked on the design for some time. We had to think about many aspects of our rocket such as how to help our rocket resist gravity and how to shape the fins. Also, since we were researching Isaac Newton at the time, we also factored in the laws of motion. We took real bottles and measured them. Our design was almost finished.

Then Ms. Boyer announced that stacking two bottles together to make one rocket might a good idea. We took the idea, the only problem was that we had to start all over! Elliot new a lot about aerodynamics, so he had some great ideas, the best one probably being triangle shaped fins; we took nearly all of these ideas. With help from everybody and after careful planning we decided that a two bottle rocket with two sets of three triangle fins(the bottom one cardboard, the top one styrofoam) and a sharp tin foil nose cone would work best. Over this time I learned that careful planning combined with teamwork has awesome results.

Then after we designed, we started building prototypes. We all wanted to use a real bottle for the prototype.  So then, we got to bottles taped them together and started to work. Teamwork started building in pairs, Olivia and Elliot liked working together and Jack also enjoyed working with Olivia. Where did I fit in here? Honestly, I’m not sure; during this period I worked with every single member of the group.

Despite the struggling to work as a group, we did got a lot done. Elliott and Olivia created a model for the fin and Jack Olivia and Myself worked on nose cones. We tried many different things with the styrofoam fins. We tried just using as they were but the edges were to rigid. Then we tried duct taping them, but then Ms. Boyer told us that would make them slide of the bottle. Finally we used sand paper to sand them which appeared to be a solution everybody was happy with.n The nose cone was just as hard. Olivia and I were assigned to the nose cone. I made at least 8 nose cone prototypes. They were all the same triangle design more or less. Olivia then showed the group her one part triangle part rod nose cone. Olivia and I kept on arguing over whose nose cone was better so we decided to have a test. Turns out Olivia’s one nose cone beat all my six! After this I learned: One thoughtful design beats many cheap-made junky ones.

After the making of the parts, we had to put them together on our. rocket. We decided that our “prototype” would actually be our real rocket. But before we could glue everything together there was still jobs to be done. We sanded the bottle, attached the nose cone, and then put it in the glueing station(long story short)(Going into a bit more detail, those final steps were pretty tough) Ms. Boyer then hot glued the fins to the rocket. After that our rocket was basically… DONE.

Our Rocket

Rocketry has been an amazing unit. I have learned about teamwork, compassion, and well, peacemaking. We have come so far, from ideas, to paper, to building, to a real bottle rocket. I would like to thank my group members and the whole class for making this unit possible. I can’t wait to launch!