Santa Susana High School

Senior Project Research Paper

Model Rocketry

James Bantugan
AP English 12
Mrs. Bradley
28 October 2016

For my senior project, I have decided to build a rocket. The main goal is not only to
construct my own original design but for it to successfully carry a payload into the sky and bring

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it down safely. In this case, the payload would be a camera, probably a gopro, depending on the
amount of money allocated to the project budget. The purpose of the project is to use the
knowledge Ive learned in my math and physics classes to create a small vehicle and to have
hands-on experience in a field that I plan to pursue for my future career. The major obstacle to
this project would be creating a functional rocket. Since I dont have much experience in
designing my own, I will have to rely on my research and advice from fellow peers to fabricate a
proper model. If unsuccessful, this will result in a trial and error process in which I must create
multiple designs until one proves to be successful. A functional rocket must be able to produce a
force stronger than the force due to gravity which is the weight of the craft and its payload. The
least of my concerns would be the budget. Apart from the camera, the components of the rocket,
including the motor, are relatively cheap. Therefore, there is adequate funds for a trial and error
process but not enough time. The project would be a success if it can get in the air and land the
payload (camera) safely. The completion of the project would show my understanding of basic
rocketry and the math and physics behind it.
A deep understanding of aerodynamic physics during the rockets flight must first be
explained before discussing the functions of its components. In order to complete a successful
launch, four main factors must be taken into account which are weight, thrust, drag and lift.
Weight is considered the mass of an object times the force due to gravity. The weight of the
rocket will determine how fast will it accelerate into the air by the given force of thrust. Thrust is
the propulsive force that allows the rocket to maneuver in the opposite direction of expelled
fuel/fluid. The more thrust that is generated from the motor, the farther its maximum distance
will reach. Drag is the opposing force of thrust produced by the density that the object is moving
through as well as the surface area of the object. When the drag force increases, the rockets

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maximum displacement will decrease. Lastly, lift is the force perpendicular to the rocket in
which the change in the flow of the air causes the rocket to rise. This is mostly determined by the
rockets interaction with atmospheric factors including density, viscosity, compressibility and the
flow of air. Understanding these four terms are crucial for designing and developing the shape
and size of the rocket.
To most people, they would assume that a model rocket looks simple to construct. In
reality, the layout and structure of a basic rocket is easy to conceptualize but the process of
constructing one is difficult if youre unfamiliar with the designing process. Model rockets are
composed of several components that function in unison or in different sections of the launch.
The three most basic structures of the rocket are the body, the nose cone and the fins and must be
made of lightweight or non-metallic materials in order to maximize the distance and stability of
the flight. The body tube will be the cylindrical casing of the rocket that is usually made of paper
or cardboard. The body must be thick and durable in order to endure the aerodynamic forces that
will affect its flight. Therefore, common household items such as the tube of a toilet paper roll
are too weak and arent ideal for making up the body of the rocket. The next important
component is the nose cone that is located on the top of the craft. The nose cone is critical for the
flight because it affects the amount of drag the rocket will experience in the air. Nose cones
typically are made of plastic or balsa wood and come in a variety of shapes such as rounded or
pointed. The final basic component is the fin which comes in different shapes and sizes such as
the elliptical or swept-back fins. The three most common materials for fins are balsa wood,
basswood and plywood which differ in weight, thickness and flexibility. The shape and size of
the fins determine the center of gravity and pressure of the rocket. The center of gravity is the
location of the rocket in which the distribution of the weight is equal. The center of pressure is

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the central area of all aerodynamic forces and must be located behind the center of gravity.
Without fins, the missile would skyrocket out of control. These three components make the basic
structure of a model rocket.
The remaining parts of the rocket will allow it to complete various tasks all throughout
the duration of the flight. The most important part that will get the rocket into the air is the motor.
Firmly stored at the bottom of the rocket in an engine mount, a rocket motor consists of three
components which are the propellant, the delay charge and the ejection charge. The propellant is
stored energy that will generate thrust on the rocket. It lasts about one to two seconds in which
afterwards, the delay charge is ignited. The delay charge is simply smoke that visually shows,
from a distance, the the maximum height of its flight. Lastly, the ejection charge deploys a burst
of hot gas that triggers the recovery system. Rocket motors are categorized alphabetically
starting from A to G with A being the weakest and G the strongest. Once the reaches its
maximum altitude or apogee, an ejection charge would trigger the recovery system that would
land the rocket safely within a reachable distance. The recovery system, which is usually a
parachute or a streamer, is firmly attached to the interior and payload of the rocket by a shock
cord that is made up of common elastic materials. In areas where there are intense sources of
heat, such as the rocket motor, kevlar cords are used because of its resistance to high
temperatures. The payload of the rocket is located underneath the nose cone and is used as a
storage to hold electronics or other data recording machines, such as an altimeter, for the mission
of your rocket. It is encased within a cylindrical tube similar to the body of the rocket but is
smaller in size. The last parts that are needed for flight are launch lugs. Launch lugs attach the
rocket to the launch rod or launch pad. They are made of small attachments that must be firmly
placed on the sides of the rocket. When the motor is ignited, the launch lug would detach the

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rocket from the launch pad, allowing it stability at the instantaneous moment it lifts off. It is
important to accurately align them or else the rocket will divert from its intended path. These
final components are the minimum requirements for launching the rocket.
Since I dont have much experience in building and designing my own rocket, I will use
the research from the previous section to guide my rockets development. The first step is to
search for the materials to create the required components. Certain parts such as the nose cone
and fins can be hand crafted at home from the raw materials many rocket organizations
recommend such as balsa or plywood. Other parts might be tricky to make without proper tools.
For example, I would need to figure out how to shape an immalleable material into a cylinder
that will serve as the body tube. If I fail to create those specific parts before the date of the
launch, I will resort to purchasing a kit or the component in order to have the rocket ready.
Lastly, components that I absolutely cannot create, such as the rocket motor, must be purchased
online or in a hobby store. The rocket motor and other needed components are relatively cheap to
buy and are accessible in case of a problem in the design or a malfunction. The next step is
designing the shape and size of my rocket. Recalling back to the main mission of this project, the
rocket must be capable of carrying an altimeter to record the altitude of the apogee and a small
camera to around 1000 feet in the air. Taking into account of the weight of these devices and an
overestimation of the rocket, I will need to find a rocket motor that can produce enough thrust to
overcome the gravitational and drag forces against it. Some of the low level motors might be
able to accomplish this task, but if theyre too weak I must resort to higher tiered motors that
may require a rocket license to purchase. Once one motor is estimated to reach the minimum
distance, the shape of the craft can be determined. The length of the body tube, the diameter to fit
the rocket motor and the shape of the fins would all be proportional to one another. As far as

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research goes, these are my initial steps into starting the actual project. When the time comes to
designing components and parts, I will figure out a way to balance all of the minimum
requirements of creating a functional model rocket.

Works Cited
Beach, Thomas. Parts of a Model Rocket. University of New Mexico. Web. 25 October 2016.

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Benson, Tom. Rocket Aerodynamics. NASA, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 October 2016.
Charlesworth, Phil. Materials for Model Rockets. UKRA, 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.
Clay, Jamie. Getting Started with Video Rocketry. Video Rocketry. Sport Rocketry Magazine,
2016. Web. 26 October 2016.
DeMar, John. Build a Low-Cost Mid-Power Launch Pad. NAR, 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.
Deputy, Greg. How Do These Rockets Work? Fly Rockets, N.p., 2016. Web. 26 October 2016.
Huegele, Vince. Payload. National Association of Rocketry. NAR, 2016. Web. 26 October
2016.
Nolte, Sylvia. Physics and Model Rockets. Estes Rockets, 2012. Web. 25 October 2016.
Orvis, William. All About Rocket Engines. Lunar, n.d. 8 April 2012, Web. 26 October 2016.
Scott, Jeff. Rocket Nose Cones and Altitude. Aerospace Web. N.p., 23 November 2003. Web.
26 October 2016.

Annotated Bibliography
Beach, Thomas. Parts of a Model Rocket. University of New Mexico. Web. 25 October 2016.

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The information on this website talks about the different components of a model rocket.
The body tube, nose cone, payload, engine and other parts are all described and
explained. The author of this website is Thomas Beach who is from the University of
New Mexico. He is a professor that teaches mathematics and astronomy. He seems to
have lots of knowledge and understanding of model rocketry due to the similarity of the
content to other amateur rocket organizations.
Benson, Tom. Rocket Aerodynamics. NASA, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 October 2016.
This website provides an in depth explanation of each of the four aerodynamic forces of
rocketry. The author accurately explains the physics behind thrust, drag, lift and weight
and its interaction with the rocket. Tom Benson is an official from NASA. Since he has
been working as an aeronautical engineer for NASA for over forty years, we can assume
that the information on this website is correct and credible. The content on this website is
purely informational, not biased.
Charlesworth, Phil. Materials for Model Rockets. UKRA, 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.
This resource is a list of recommended materials for building model rockets. It gave a
short description of the components of a rocket, what it should be made of and why. For
example, a nose cone should be made of plastic or balsa wood because of its firm quality
and traits that add stability. Phil Charlesworth works for the United Kingdom Rocketry
Association (UKRA). Just like the National Association of Rocketry here in the United
States, UKRA is an organization that works to teach amateur rocketeers the fundamentals
and safety when building and flying model rockets. Since the author is a member who
provides information online, its reasonable to conclude that this information is accurate
and legitimate.

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Clay, Jamie. Getting Started with Video Rocketry. Video Rocketry. Sport Rocketry Magazine,
2016. Web. 26 October 2016.
This article talks about the basics of how to install a camera and film your rocket launch.
The author uses an example of one of his past experiences and explains the process with
pictures. The article was published in Sport Rocketry Magazine by Jamie Clay. She
works with model rocket organizations such as LUNAR and helps assist amatuer
rocketeers with the basics of rocketry. This source seems credible because the
information is accurate in relation to other sources and has pictionary evidence showing
her experience in filming rocket launches.
DeMar, John. Build a Low-Cost Mid-Power Launch Pad. NAR, 2016. Web. 25 October 2016.
The information on this PDF is a guide on how to build a cheap and simple rocket launch
pad. The process only requires basic construction tools and materials that can easily be
bought at a store. John DeMar is a rocket scientist for the National Association of
Rocketry which is a non-profit organization that helps beginners with the fundamentals of
model rockets. Since this organization works to educate people interested in rocketry, the
information they teach that is posted on their website must be accurate and credible.
Deputy, Greg. How Do These Rockets Work? Fly Rockets, N.p., 2016. Web. 26 October 2016.
Half of the information on this website covers the components of a sport rocket such as
the payload and recovery system. The other half provides important information about
rocket motors. The author talks about the physics of rocket motors and shows equations
and evidence to back it up. Greg Deputy is responsible for posting all of the information
on Fly Rockets. The website is credible because it was created by an official rocket

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organization that is known on the internet and on television. In comparison with other
research found the internet, the information on this site seems correct.
Huegele, Vince. Payload. National Association of Rocketry. NAR, 2016. Web. 26 October
2016.
The information on this website shows the importance of understanding the
characteristics of a payload. For any kind of payload, such as a camera, its weight must
be taken into account because it will affect the rockets center of gravity which is a key
factor in stability. Vince Huegel is an official from the National Association of Rocketry
in charge of education. Like the rest of the amateur rocket organizations, the information
posted on the website has to be approved of being accurate before the public and view it.
In relation to other information found online, the contents are greatly similar.
Nolte, Sylvia. Physics and Model Rockets. Estes Rockets, 2012. Web. 25 October 2016.
This article provides a detailed explanation on the physics of aerodynamics and an
introduction to creating your own homemade rocket. This is essentially a guide created
by the rocket organization Estes. This organization is recognized as an official
manufacturer of model rocket components and motors. In order to sell product, this
organization must be certified and thus all information provided by them must be
accurate. The author, Sylvia Nolte, is just one of the officials of Estes who teaches these
basic fundamentals to beginners.
Orvis, William. All About Rocket Engines. Lunar, n.d. 8 April 2012, Web. 26 October 2016.
This website provides information solely on rocket motors. The author talks about the
physics of the motor such as impulse and thrust as well as information on the different
kinds of motors available. William Orvis is an official from another rocket organization

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called LUNAR. Hes in charge of posting and designing the website of the organization
that teaches the fundamentals of rocketry. In comparison with other websites formerly
researched, the information is accurate and credible.
Scott, Jeff. Rocket Nose Cones and Altitude. Aerospace Web. N.p., 23 November 2003. Web.
26 October 2016.
The information on this website talks about the nose cone and aerodynamic effects in
higher altitudes. Using examples from modern aircraft and missiles, the author explains
the importance of the nose cone in displacing air. Without the smooth flow of air, the
rocket will fly out of control and crash at any moment during the launch. The author, Jeff
Scott, is a contributor to Aerospace Web, an organization of engineers and scientists who
post information about modern engineering. Since the makers of the website are masters
of their own profession, its reasonable to conclude the that information on the website is
accurate and credible. Jeff Scott has been an aerospace engineer for about twenty years
and is experienced in aircraft and rocketry.