Rocketry ‘06

Carl Sandburg College

Upward Bound
Summer Program
Jordan working on recovery system.
AJ attaching a fin for stability.
 Scientific Method
Steps in the Scientific Method
2. State the problem
3. Research the problem
4. Form a hypothesis
5. Test the hypothesis
6. Draw conclusions from your data
Wendy fixing her nose cone to help
with aerodynamics.
Jordan’s parachute.
 Newton’s Laws of Motion
Newton’s First Law- An object at rest will stay at
rest and an object in motion will stay in motion in
a straight line unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force

Newton’s Second Law- Force equals mass

multiplied by acceleration (f=ma)

Newton’s Third Law- Every action has an equal

and opposite reaction
AJ preparing for launch.
AJ and Wendy taking their
places for launch.
 Forces Affecting Flight
Thrust- Thrust is the force which propels a rocket.
Thrust must be greater than the pull of gravity for
a rocket to fly upwards.

Gravity- Gravity is the downward force applied to

all objects on earth. More force is required to lift
a heavy rocket that a light rocket.

Drag- Drag is the amount of air resistance or

friction on the rocket as it flies. If two rockets of
similar size and weight are launched with the
same force, the rocket with lower dray will fly
further.
 Apogee and Velocity
Apogee- Apogee is the highest point
reached during flight.
H=16(T/2) ²

Velocity-
Wendy, AJ, & Jordan making
some repairs.
AJ putting together a new nose
cone.
Some of the experimental
rockets waiting for launch.