This morning my younger daughter decided she wanted to design some rockets. One looks like a puppy, one looks like an elephant, and the third has a 4th of July theme.
After her mother and sister left for morning activities, I asked her if she would like to build one of the rockets she designed. She agreed, and picked her 4th of July rocket.
We went downstairs to the rocket cave, and we looked at different body tubes. We tried a BT-70 with an Apogee nose cone, but that was too long and too pointy. BT-50 and 55 were a little too small. So I opened a different box, and BT-60 was just right (I think these are Starlight tubes). She selected a short ellipsoid nose cone. We concluded that one tube wasn't quite long enough (she wanted it to be waist high), so I grabbed a second tube. Found an ejection baffle that would double as a coupler, dug out the motor mount bits, and we went back upstairs to begin.
First, we built the motor mount.
Then we went to my laptop to draw the rocket in Open Rocket. I put the design together, then turned it over to her to design the fins. A few tweaks later, and everything was all set.
View attachment Fourth of July Rocket.pdf
View attachment Fourth of July Rocket.ork
View attachment Fourth of July Rocket.rkt
We printed out the fin template and the placement guide, and got to work.
After her mother and sister left for morning activities, I asked her if she would like to build one of the rockets she designed. She agreed, and picked her 4th of July rocket.
We went downstairs to the rocket cave, and we looked at different body tubes. We tried a BT-70 with an Apogee nose cone, but that was too long and too pointy. BT-50 and 55 were a little too small. So I opened a different box, and BT-60 was just right (I think these are Starlight tubes). She selected a short ellipsoid nose cone. We concluded that one tube wasn't quite long enough (she wanted it to be waist high), so I grabbed a second tube. Found an ejection baffle that would double as a coupler, dug out the motor mount bits, and we went back upstairs to begin.
First, we built the motor mount.
Then we went to my laptop to draw the rocket in Open Rocket. I put the design together, then turned it over to her to design the fins. A few tweaks later, and everything was all set.
View attachment Fourth of July Rocket.pdf
View attachment Fourth of July Rocket.ork
View attachment Fourth of July Rocket.rkt
We printed out the fin template and the placement guide, and got to work.
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