Rockets

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Real Water Rockets

This site details the building and launching of various water rockets between 250ml and 12 litres - simple home rockets to a Science Olympiad rocket and beyond.

Remember, if you are going to launch something big, make sure that it will not do any harm wherever it lands.

And . . .

Never go near to or touch a rocket that is about to launch.

The pages are in an order such that if you start with the first, and work your way through, you will discover for yourself the thrill of the launch without spending too much to get to each stage. The first two are not particularly pretty rockets and they are not even very aerodynamic (the fins are designed to be built easily, made from materials that you will already have, withstand a large number of impacts and, due to their flexible nature, have a lower drag factor at higher velocities) but they do allow you to familiarise yourself with the basics - shaping the body, joining two bottles together, adding nose cones with parachutes, better fins and so on is something that can be done at a later date. Enough of the sentimental stuff and on with the real thing. . .

1. Basic 250ml Rocket. How to build and launch your first rocket - a modest size that will not do much damage. Includes how to make a simple connector, fins and use a bicycle pump to estimate pressure.
2. Basic 2 litre Rocket. An interesting discovery. This powerful beast is easier to build that the 250ml rocket but still requires the connector and pump for hand launches. Look at some pictures of a basic 2 litre rocket without fins.
3. More advanced 1½ litre Rocket. Single, modified pressure vessel with fins and aerodynamic stability. Still relatively easy to make. Look at the pictures.
4. 4 litre 2 bottle rocket that uses two 2 litre bottles fixed end to end so as to give a 4 litre capacity with the diameter of a 2 litre bottle. Look at the pictures.
5. Science Olympiad challenge rocket. No metal parts - stays aloft for a reasonable amount of time.
6. 6 litre 3 bottle rocket that uses three 2 litre bottles. Look at the pictures of this monster as it travels 270 feet down-range. Listen to it at launch [.wav or Real Media] during thrust phase (listen out for the two whistles as the upper sections depressurise once the water is used up).
7. 12 litre 5 bottle rocket made using 2 litre and 3 litre bottles. Look at the pictures of this little babe as it travels on its first launches.
8. 2 Stage rocket made using green 2 litre and 3 litre bottles. Look at the pictures of this one as it travels on its first launch (this is too tiring :-).
9. 1 litre Power Rocket made using a 1 litre black current concentrate bottle. Look at the pictures of this beast as it tunnels its way first into the stratosphere and then into the turf. Also listen to a launch and look at the Fourier transform [Real Media].
10. Silver 2 Litre Rocket made using three silver 2 litre bottles. Look at the pictures of this rocket that prompted enquiries as to the identity of the materials used in its construction. All wow factor. Also listen to a launch and look at the Fourier transform [Real Media].
11. 2 Litre Dart Rocket - a passive second stage rocket made from a 2 litre bottle and some uPVC pipe. Look at the pictures of this high altitude beast before it soars around 500 feet into the troposhere and then all but gets lost.

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