Design Challenge - Rockets Made from Upcycled Textbooks

Hello,

I'm new to the forum and haven't launched a rocket in years, but loved it as a kid and launched a Red Max... a lot.

We're in the process of creating an Upcycling Textbooks site, UpcyclingTextbooks.org and I keep thinking about rockets.

Here's a bit about the project.

Most college students (past and present) have a strong dislike of textbooks. They grumble and they complain to each other about the cost, the weight, the bs with all the editions, and how we could do so much more with current technology, but they passively accept it all.

We want people to take that next step… to find their collective voice and finally express what's on their mind: We want something better.

And we think that one interesting and positive way to fuel this conversation is by having people take old textbooks and transform them into something better. Textbooks probably never really wanted to be textbooks. So, let's set them free.

Our hope is that the UpcyclingTextbooks.org site will include the full spectrum of pieces and voices-- from very artful to playful (an upcycled textbook pinata filled with highlighter pens?) and the practical (think an upcycled textbook iPad case or pulping textbooks into papercrete and filling some nasty potholes/cracks for cyclists), etc, etc, etc.

And, well, I’m biased, because I love rockets, but what could be better than taking an old textbook(s) and building rockets out of them?

We'd love to feature any rockets on the UpcyclingTextbooks.org site, along with the builder and any images or footage of the rocket in action. It would be a great addition to the site and hopefully inspire others to join in.

We have a bunch of old textbooks if you need some. We actually have 18,000 of them that were donated to us.

We're aiming to have the website up around the end of August—when students are going back to school and buying new textbooks—and we would love to have some great pieces up when it goes live, but we'll also be taking submissions as they come in.

We’re also working to do a gallery show of some of the pieces and would love to feature a great rocket!

Love to hear from anyone interested.

Thanks for reading,
Craig

How do you plan on forming the parts? Are you going to, as your post suggests. pulp the books then try to mold that? What will you use as a binder? I don't think the pulp will give you an especially mechanically strong material. I made a rocket one time, from a Sunday newspaper. I wrapped sheets around a spindle to form the body tube. I placed the tube, once dried, onto a funnel, then made a paper mache cone as a base-drag element rather than fins. The nosecone was cast from paper mache into a mold I made in plaster using a plastic nosecone I had. It flew fairly well, considering.

I think it would be easy to roll you own tubes. If it is hard back, there are your fins.

Chuck,

What do you think of using the hard cover from the textbook for the rocket body and making the rocket triangular?

Using one cover would give you about an 11" tall body.

Not sure about the fin positioning. Would the fins be best on the edge, centered on the flat...or is there a better way? Love to hear what people think.

We have a number of physics and astronomy textbooks that were donated to us before they went to be pulverized. Might be cool to use those.

Here's to getting an upcycled textbook rocket off the ground!

sooner.boomer...great questions. I'm not really sure yet. I hear you on the pulp not being strong enough. Please see my other post about exploring using the hard covers to make a triangular body. Love your take on that.

I hadn't thought about the paper mache nose cone before. That's really interesting. And love that you made a rocket from a Sunday paper. That's awesome. I laughed at your comment "flew fairly well, considering." That makes me think not so great, but justified the making of it.

And you've given me a new question: Will a rocket made out of an old physics textbook or astronomy textbook out fly a rocket made from the Sunday paper?

I'm not familiar with "base-drag element," i'll have to do more homework on that and if that's something that could work for this rocket from upcycled textbooks.

Great thoughts. You've given me some good stuff to consider. Thanks so much.

Thought I had replied to this. More than once I've typed a well thought out response to a thread and had it vanish...

There are three design elements to stability: a proper CG/CP relationship, aerodynamic elements like fins, and base drag. Base drag is just what it sounds like. There's something at the aft end of the rocket that causes more drag than the front end. The result is that the rear end is slowed down more, and the front end points in the direction of flight. The ultimate base drag shape is a cone (I've made several cone rockets). Some consider spool rockets to use base drag, but there is debate about just exactly why spools are stable. There are several problems inherent in base drag. The first is that drag is proportional to the square of the velocity. You need some scoot off of the pad for a base drag design to be stable. Second, the design will also have a tenancy to weathercock (point into the wind) badly.

Rocket design: What's the least number of planer elements that can make up a body? OK, what's the least NON-ZERO number? Answer - one. Look at some of the boost glider designs. A pop pod, and a glider with a wing. OK, that's sort of cheating, but think outside the book, er... "box". You can design a rocket with one or two planer elements, but not a closed shape. Beginning with three planes you can create closed body shapes. But why stop at three? And why not "bend" the covers? You could use something like a 6" dia. piece of SonoTube (concrete forming tube). You could soften the book covers by wetting them, then bending them around the tube.

What textbook to use? Aerodynamic Design, obviously! (The official title of mechanical engineering at OU is "AME - aerospace, mechanical engineering. There used to be a "nuclear" in there, too, but that seems to be a lost subject in engineering)

ONe part is easy. Flameproof some pages and you got wadding!

Maybe instead of a rocket, you might consider a "book dress."

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/28/maisie-williams-book-dress-comic-con_n_5626396.html

Sooner...boomer

Thanks for the educational and witty reply. It's a lot to think about. Very helpful.

Any thoughts on getting others on here to join in the design challenge, too? It'd be way cooler to see a few rockets, rather than just one. Although, even one upcycled textbook rocket blasting off would be awesome.

Thanks again for the tips!

Thanks, Tom. It's good to know there actually is an easy part in building a rocket from old textbooks!

Mr. ThirstyBarbarian, Sir. (love the avatar; it suggests a royal bloodline for sure)

Love that dress. Thanks for sharing.

I also love this dress made out of old phonebooks: https://fegore.com/blog/?p=806
I love the suit that some guy made out of old personal ads.
And I'd love to see a dress... a suit...maybe a fashion show of clothes made from upcycled textbooks.

Because where UpcyclingTextbooks.org is concerned there is no "instead of" there is simply: "all," "everything," "anything and everything," including a rocket!