Can you turn a pumpkin into a working rocket?

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Matt_The_RocketMan

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Hmmm...
Engine size - C or D
pumpkin weight- 1/2 pound
fins- to be determined
engine mount - unknown
Recovery - tumble
Launch pad - regular launch rod/ no launch base no blast deflector
angle of projected launch - 90
 
Mini-Pumpkins.jpg
 
for fin material on a conventional rocket shave off a thin layer of rind lay a flat surface on top.
Let rind dry and cut in shape of a fin ?
 
compress pumpkin material into a solid cylinder and use as fuel for Hybird motor ?
I was just wanting to use the pumpkin body to create a rocket (like a body tube ) I would assume i would be able to properly fit an motor onto the bottom of the pumpkin. The fins however, I think 4 should do will be made from bass wood and they will be somehow cut into the pumpkin's skin and glued down, in some manner i would assume they would have to be quite large to create stability
 
920808C5-35F8-4034-A6D5-1E60BF520256.jpeg

Yes. That is a toilet tank float.

One trick to use with a bulbous nose cone, drill a hole through it and pass a soda straw through it. Line it up with the lug on the rocket body.That will allow your 3/16 inch rod to pass through the nose, keeps it super stable on the rod.
 
Why not, the idea of cutting the pumpkin in half across the equator works....we recently launched a water melon rind that way. Made a "motor mount" from a centering ring made of cardboard, the waterm ere lon flew kind of like a saucer.
 
Half-pound? C or D motor? Does not compute. Maybe the Quest D16. I'd go E or F.

Like Steve said, get the CG/CP right, with enough thrust to counter weight and drag, and you can launch anything.
 
A few years ago I made a "pumknik". It was stick stabilized and looked a little like sputnik. Had a 29mm mount inside the pumpkin and used rear ejection. Flew great on Fs.
 
Half-pound? C or D motor? Does not compute. Maybe the Quest D16. I'd go E or F.

Like Steve said, get the CG/CP right, with enough thrust to counter weight and drag, and you can launch anything.
rly? i would think those mini pumpkins would fly with a C i think i weighed one to be 1/4 of a pound, surly that weight can be pushed by a C6-5 ??
 
rly? i would think those mini pumpkins would fly with a C i think i weighed one to be 1/4 of a pound, surly that weight can be pushed by a C6-5 ??
Do you want to do some research? What's the max thrust of a C6 in the first 0.1 second while the vehicle is still on the rail?

About ten Newtons. 10N is safe for about 7 oz. But, that T:W ratio is assuming the typical drag coefficient for a rocket, which is incredibly aerodynamic (say about 0.55 Cd) vs a pumpkin, which probably has a Cd of about 2 (just guessing).

I would not try to launch the pumpkin with less than 40N initial thrust.

I ran a sim on ThrustCurve assuming a Cd of 2.0, weight of 0.44 lb., and diameter of 4". With an 18mm MMT, only two motors were successful: the AT D21 and D24. Even the Quest D16 failed.
 
Why not, the idea of cutting the pumpkin in half across the equator works....

I cut my pumpkin longitudinally and each half comes down on it's own chute. The two halves lock together and are held when inserted in the body tube.

PumpkinPi_pt2_Moment.jpg
 
Imbed three canted motors as high up as you can get on an oblong pumpkin body. On the bottom place a large and long as possible tail or multiple streamers, what ever looks good. Blow off the cap and deploy a black bat chute. Nice thick 1/2 inch rod through the center with a full length KN aluminum launch lug.

The body could be a modified 2 liter soda bottle with a real pumpkin skin overlay. That would be very Hannibal Lecter style so hopefully the RSO would be in the Halloween spirit!

Nose weight as needed. Three F15, two plugged an one at a short 4 second delay. Quality launch system and clip whip with cherry picked old Estes ignitors, Q2G2 or home made specials. Good weather conditions a must.

Keep the weight up high and the drag down low and you might have the most stable rocket at the launch, but no one will know as they run for cover because it is so funny looking with no fins and silly canted motors placed near to the mid body instead of the back where they should be! :)
 
Imbed three canted motors as high up as you can get on an oblong pumpkin body. On the bottom place a large and long as possible tail or multiple streamers, what ever looks good. Blow off the cap and deploy a black bat chute. Nice thick 1/2 inch rod through the center with a full length KN aluminum launch lug.

The body could be a modified 2 liter soda bottle with a real pumpkin skin overlay. That would be very Hannibal Lecter style so hopefully the RSO would be in the Halloween spirit!

Nose weight as needed. Three F15, two plugged an one at a short 4 second delay. Quality launch system and clip whip with cherry picked old Estes ignitors, Q2G2 or home made specials. Good weather conditions a must.

Keep the weight up high and the drag down low and you might have the most stable rocket at the launch, but no one will know as they run for cover because it is so funny looking with no fins and silly canted motors placed near to the mid body instead of the back where they should be! :)
Of course you KNOW the alternate name for pumpkin is......
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Wait for it.
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Squash.
 
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