Tomorrow morning the SpaceX Corporation will launch a payload to the ISS (International Space Station) using their Falcon 9 rocket. You may view the launch live (4:15 AM EDT) from the SpaceX website. The Mission The mission goes by the name of COTS 2 (Commercial Orbital Transportation Services) and [Continue]
In our first two articles in this series we discussed aerodynamics of model rockets or more specifically the effect of aerodynamic drag. We covered viscosity, boundary layer, laminar vs. turbulent flow and the reynolds number. In this article we design a model rocket in OpenRocket and analyze the [Continue]
In a previous articlewe discussed the flight path of a model rocket. We discussed the various phases of the flight but did not relate it to the classification of the model rocket motor. In this article we will touch on some of what we learned to discuss what the numbers and letters of model rocket [Continue]
As discussed in a previous article, OpenRocket is a design and simulation program for model rockets. With OpenRocket you may build and then test your rocket all from the program. In this article we will design a rocket in OpenRocket, run a flight simulation and then build and fly the rocket. We [Continue]
The diagram of a model rocket flight has been around for quite a while. For those new to rocketry the flight phases of a rocket flight may not be familiar. In this article we will discuss the flight path of a model rocket flight using data obtained during a test flight. Our Test Flight For [Continue]
The four hour and fifty-six minute flight around the world inside a tiny Mercury capsule named Friendship 7 was anything but routine for the brave American astronaut. Historic Flight On February 20th, 1962 a highly decorated captain in the United States Marine Corps named John Glenn became the [Continue]
There are a few ways to determine the altitude of your rocket. In a previous article we discussed using inclinometers and trigonometry. In this article we will discuss using electronic altimeters for model rockets to measure the altitude of flights. Using Electronic Altimeters for Model Rockets The [Continue]
One of the hottest news stories this week involves two 17-year-old high school students from the Greater Toronto Area launching a Canadian flag carrying Lego man into near space using a weather balloon. Their story has been picked up by many major news networks and broadcasts around the world. It [Continue]
To some, big rockets and small rockets, or better yet, high-power rockets and model rockets seem like pretty much the same product. However for those that spend a little bit of time in this field you may discover that the two pursuits can be quite different. Thus we have decided to create a new [Continue]
The ability to design and test your rocket before actually building it is quite the asset for the rocket designer. Many programs exist for this. One of these programs is the Java-based open source software named OpenRocket. About OpenRocket OpenRocket features realistic wind modeling, clustering [Continue]