Picture Cited: "Water Rocketry - About Bottle Rockets." Space Flight Systems Directorate / Glenn Research Center. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/BottleRocket/about.htm>.
Located above is a picture we got from NASA, and the picture which we will base our rocket off of. From this website, we also learned the role each part plays in making the bottle rocket work. For our nose cone, which is supposed to help aerodynamics, we will probably make a cone out of construction paper and duct tape. We will only add the payload (parachute storage area) if needed. As for the fuel for our engine, water and air, it is under debate as to how much water will be added. As explained by: http://www.waterrocketmanual.com/how_they_work.htm, water helps propel the bottle, but only to a certain extent, and can work against the propulsion of the bottle.
Picture cited: "How Bottle Rockets and Launchers Work." How to Make Water (Bottle) Rockets, Launchers: Complete Manual. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.waterrocketmanual.com/how_they_work.htm>. Based on this graph, we are probably going to aim for 30% water volume for maximum altitude. As shown in the video below, air is pumped into the bottle filled with water, which then expels the water, causing the bottle to take off. Too much water can weigh the bottle down, hindering its take off instead.
Finally, for the fins, since they are important for stabilizing the rocket, we are thinking about wrapping cardboard in duck tape to make it more stable.
Video cited: "The University of British Columbia." Bottle Rockets. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://c21.phas.ubc.ca/article/bottle-rockets>.
