Years ago, when these plastic bottles first appeared, I wondered if you could make a water rocket with them. You fellows have answered that question for all time. Great video.
Steam is definitely a little more tricky and also a little bit more dangerous, though it can have better performance. Hot steam around kids is only slightly more dangerous then a fully pressurised rocket. :)
I'm not a rocket scientist, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I never knew you could build multi-stage water rockets, and even though you claim both launches were not without their problems, to me that was SERIOUSLY impressive!
Very impressive Job! Could you please explain me some things i haven't understood yet? The boosters will seperate from the main rocket because they dont applie force upwards anymore and the way they are attached to the main stage. (will slide downwards) What i really dont get yet ist this: How were you able to launch the mainstage controlled after the boosters? Is this also solved mechanically somehow?
Here is how the boosters work: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters the launcher is electronic and the timing is adjusted so that the main stage releases slightly after the boosters. Here is a video where we adjust the timing: ruclips.net/video/mEhpUWyGZlo/видео.html
Nice video's very good narration. I wish you luck. May I ask, At the end of this journey, what is the prize? other than it seems to be something that the whole family is enjoying. why not something burns why water. ? is it because of safety issues.
+AmIonArock Thanks, ... there is an end to this Journey? :) The prize is getting out with the kids and away from their computers and iPods, and learning a little about science and engineering. We do fly both pyro rockets as well as water rockets. Water rockets are a lot cheaper per launch though. ;)
I wonder how much useful thrust those boosters add. Granted they look cool parachuting back but perhaps lengthening the central core would give better efficiency due to the light weight of the "fuel tank"/rocket skin and the associated reduction in complexity would eliminate leakage and potential failure points.
Outdoors in good weather with the kids and no iPod. mobile phone. internet. and science. This is the best thing on the planet. Or off the planet. Top man.. Great to see someone doing something. Kill TV .
i really appreciates the great efforts you guys put into this short excitement though personally i will not feel any fun at all by doing this kind of stuff.
didn't know that there really are water rocket scientists! Anyhow, neat job you got back there! Wish i could also create mine and would be very happy if it reach 100ft.
Hello Air Command, nicely composed video as always. I like the fact that you talk us through the mechanisms and how the rocket works. Its simple, clever devices that really do the trick. The launch was AWESOME! If this is just the small one I can't wait to see how high the Polaron goes! Interesting though, how high the Axion G5 went with a 9mm nozzle at a high pressure.
Thanks Jamie. We too are keen to see how the Polaron G2 will fly, although it is not being built for altitude. It is being built for a long duration burn. The boosters are needed to get it up to speed as the small nozzle would not get it off the ground with sufficient speed. We're happy with how the Axion G5 performed, and it should be possible to push that performance a little further when launched at 250psi. We'll have to wait until next time to try again.
AirCommandRockets Would there be any benefit of connecting the boosters together (in the same arrangement that you have them) so they share the same liquid and gas pressure, as well as release together ?
This is something we considered early on in the design, but for that you need high pressure linkages between the boosters. The problem then is that they are permanent and it makes it difficult to separate from the rocket without the fins getting caught up on the linkages. You could have detachable linkages but that adds weight and complexity. In the end we just went with the launcher manifold doing the pressure equalization between the boosters. There is a tube inside each nozzle that emerges above the water level in each booster that allows the pressure to equalize without transferring any of the water. Here are more details: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters For the higher pressure launches the stress on the central nozzle is too high to hold the main stage and boosters like described above. So for this reason we have a new launcher that holds everything individually. G2 Cluster Launcher Tests but we still use the pressure equalizing manifold.
I loved your video , I am a middle school math teacher in the state of Florida and I would like to construct a rocket very much like your own. do you have plans to construct a launcher and the rockets where i can convince my school district to purchase? It would be very appreciated. Again Thank you for the video on RUclips.
There is a lot of rocket science even with the pressurized water rockets. I do a lot of simulations involving differential equations. I wonder what these guys did.
"one day you'll hit the dome" said a flat-eather somewhere when he watched this... even if he was finding this way to cool to say it. Nice video, bring back childhood memories with a booster pack xD
+Gunther Ultrabolt Novacrunch Yes there are. If you are flying below 400' then you can pretty much launch anywhere. Anything higher and you need permission. We mostly fly with the NSW Rocketry Association at our approved launch sites where we have permission from: CASA (Air Services), Insurance, land owners and council. Because a lot of the members fly rockets to significant altitudes we have to do that away from built up areas and as a result you end up having to travel further. We bring our bigger rockets to these locations, and smaller rockets to our Sydney launch site.
Hi, this is not a 2 stage rocket, but a main stage with boosters. This means that the main stage fires at the same time as the boosters on launch, rather than firing when it is already in the air like a normal 2 stage rocket. Having said that the release on the launch pad is electronic. The main stage is released just slightly later than the boosters so that the boosters remain connected to the main stage. When the booster stops producing thrust it falls away by itself.
Thanks Jairo, No the parachutes stayed attached to all boosters and the sustainer. One of the boosters broke off a fin on the sustainer as it released. The fin was the only damage, which is easy to glue back on.
Here are some ideas how to measure altitude: ruclips.net/video/lrkyBcf7h58/видео.html The most accurate way is to use a commercial altimeter. You can get them in the $30-$50 range.
Really nice rocket. Good job! In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full. I know that, that's hard, but please try it at least. Or a three stage rocket.
Thanks Peter. This rocket we are building (Polaron G2) is specifically designed for a long burn rather than to go as high as possible. Because we are using a small nozzle, the rocket doesn't have enough thrust to get off the pad fast enough, and hence the need for boosters to get it up to speed. Static tests of the Polaron G2 rocket have given us burn times of over 10 seconds. "In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full." Something like this? :) : 2-Stage Water Rocket to 864 feet - A project from several years ago.
No, I mean that there is a pipe or something that drains the fuel from the booster and use it in the sustainer, so that the sustainer is still fully fueled when the boosters detatch.Such systems are used in real(space) rockets,that have liquid fuelled boosters(hydogen,oxigen). And please build another high preassure rocket.
Peter Simon Bohner But the shuttle external tank is not a booster, it is essentially just like a drop tank on military aircraft. With the Soyuz, I wasn't aware that there was any transfer fuel/oxidizer between the liquid boosters and the main stage. With the Delta IV I assume you are referring to the Delta IV Heavy as that has liquid fuel boosters? I also wasn't aware that there was any transfer of fuel/oxidizer between the cores. Am I understanding correctly the configuration you mean?
The construction of the launcher and rocket seems to be verry good. Do you think that he's going to have a height above 300 meters? I have a little suspicion that this is going to happen. What a great launchsite with great space. Meanwhile I've launched Antares 3 B again and I've had the seem problem . LEAKS!!! These are fixed and ready for a next attempt as you will certainly do. The GoPro hero is still making nice shots. All well done.
Hi teamlucrockets, I think once the rocket is flying properly, and at the designed 250psi pressure we should get over the 300m mark. The final large rocket will be interesting as it will have a small nozzle, but we are trying to get a long burn out of the rocket rather than have it go to a high altitude. We prefer the long slow burns. The new launch site is great, we are looking forward to trying some other projects we are working on there. :) Best of luck with the next Antares 3B flight. I'm looking forward to the video. :)
Hi George! Well ill try to be straight: i recently bought sikaflex construction and tried to make splices with it...i made 4 splices and 2 of them have not hold more thane 70psi with water!!! D: I let them sit fro a week or so and , if it matters, here where i live is realllllly humid. Do you know what shall i do to evict such problems? Shall i wait more time?did i buy the wrong glue (ps i can't get 11fc or pl premium around)? PLs help im quite helpless since im trying to finish my 2 stage rocket. Waiting your answer asap Shiva.
Hi Shiva, Sikaflex is not a good glue to hold splices together. It is good as a sealant, but that's about it. PL premium is what you want as it is at least 3 times stronger than Sikaflex. You may want to have a look around for other polyurethane glues and test with those. Unfortunately I don't know what glues you have available to you.
AirCommandRockets Yeha D: Im unbelievably sad at the moment i made THE best rocket I've ever made, it took me 2 week to make with working staging system+staging parachute and then bam the splice doesn't work D= sooooo sad i made it specially to upload vids since it was really beautiful..... Guess ill just go back to epoxy.Also i found out a new glue which takes 10 minutes to dry and my friend(also a rocketeer) told that his splices with this glue held up to the bottle to explode O.o. interesting i will check out and send details. Wish me Luck! Greetings from India! shiva,
SPN WaterRockets Sorry to hear about the amount of work you put into it go up like that. You should always pressure test the splice a little past it's intended launch pressure before you assemble it into a rocket. This will save you a lot of time. We hydro-statically test each spliced pairs of bottles to make sure there are no leaks or failures. The ones that fail we just throw out or use for nosecones. Good luck with the tests, but fair warning on Epoxy, it also isn't a very good glue to use for splicing as it is sets fairly hard and may crack after a few pressure cycles or harder landings.
Actually i doesn't….. Im quite experienced with epoxy and it held some 50-60 launches with is good enough i guess…. i Will work out new methods any ways. I kinda hate living in india for this fact: You can't get shit here(quite straight forward sentence) But ill keep you guys updated. Starting Building today :D wish me luck!! Shiva =D
SPN WaterRockets Good to hear you've had success with your epoxy. What kind of launch pressures were you launching with? Also what brand of epoxy did you use? Having limited resources can be difficult, but it also sets you a good challenge to work with or adapt what you can get your hands on. Keep up the good work! :)
Very nice video and some good test to see where you can improve, i can not wait when you launch the complete G2! But the booster have a own locking system on the launcher why would you made those steel rings if there is no fore on that section? Because the booster are held in place by the launcher it self.
Thank you Basrockets. :) That's a good question why we need the strong connection on the boosters when they are held by the launcher. The individual booster retaining mechanisms are there for safety. They reduce the stress on the central nozzle while filling the rocket. If the central nozzle failed while the rocket is only partially filled that may be worse than if it failed at full pressure. However, with the boosters being released slightly before the main stage, the full static force is then transferred through the retaining mechanism for a few milliseconds before the main stage is released. When it leaves the pad the peak thrust is actually higher than the static force (I think in the order of 550N peak per booster), although at that time the main stage is also producing thrust (~180N peak) which partially cancels this force on the retaining mechanism. We also wanted to incorporate a safety margin in the strength of the connections. We tried thin aluminium sheet for the pins and loops, but they were too susceptible to bending.
trick shots999 The boosters passively separate when they produce less thrust than the main stage. Here is the full explanation: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
AirCommandRockets thank you I`ll try to do that and I'm splicing and I live in Melbourne so I used liquid nails and it works great I should come and see one of your launches
Is it just me or does that seem like obsurd overkill for a non-flamable rocket made of plastic. I would have just walked to a local park or empty lot, anything with a radius above 450 feet on a day with mild wind.
Well, think of a worst case scenario: the rocket immediatly going sideways, maybe one of the boosters getting jammed and opening after impact and then hitting someone on the head sideways while still half full. Or worse: hitting a car, scaring the driver and make him evade the obstacle hitting a person as a result.... The fact that the risk of something like that happening could be reduced to 0 simply by finding a more suited location makes it impossible to see it as an accident afterwards.
Herr Schmidt Yeah but you gotta weigh the risk by multiplying it by the probability of occurance, I dont expect you to do the math but its just something to consider, and often will lead you to take larger risks rather than go to greater lengtjs to avoid them. Just a logical way of balancing things for the best average result.
Hi George! sorry to bother ou guys again but i found that the glue that my friend was using is synthetic rubber glue?!!!! What do you guys make of it??? Well, as for what he told when the splice exploded only the bottle was damaged, not the splice....For me that seems promising.Any way im trying out by myself today ill give details about the result. I just wish to know what is your opinion?Do you think it might work? Did you ever tried? Thanks, Shiva =D
Hi Shiva, I don't have any experience with synthetic rubber glue, so I can't comment how effective it is. But if pressure tests have been done and it is holding up to the intended pressures, then it should be good to use. Does it get affected by moisture? We get our PL premium from the US. Every time we go over we bring some tubes back with us. People here have ordered it through their local hardware store as well. Perhaps you may be able to do the same?
this CarolinaWaterRockets and i must say even though you had a pretty big mishap with the 2nd launch aswell as a fin breaking off, the rocket didn't seem to care it was missing one
Yup, that was surprising. The rocket is over stable so the extra missing fin didn't bother it that much. What was interesting though with the fin gone, the rocket had an rotation behaviour that was starting and stopping.
Wow the lighter weight rocket sure gets off that launch pad in a hurry. Might be easier to sync the larger rocket since it will launch slower. I've found even with a mechanical linkage release (steel bar), multiple rockets will not launch together unless everything is exactly the same-weight water, nozzle, release mechanism, friction on the launch tube etc. So much so, I'd say any leak on the boosters should be cause to abort. Good luck, that is one impressive rocket.
Thanks bugwubber. It always surprises me too how quickly it does get going. At lift-off the rocket with the water weighs ~11kg (24lbs). The final rocket will be over 20Kg. The sync issue was due to us just trying to release the sustainer as close to the boosters as possible. On earlier flights with the launcher and normal pressure rocket we had a longer delay and there were no problems. The timing worked okay on this first launch but there is a little variance between launches I guess so we'll just delay the sustainer perhaps another 5ms, and should be all good. On the big rocket launch we'll make sure all leaks are eliminated before launch. One of the reasons we are trying with a smaller rocket first. :)
What the hell is Al-lu-min-i-um? Where I come from we just call it "Pepsi bottles." One might get them at any grocery store. FYI. Also, did it achieve LEO (Low Earth Orbit)?
Thanks for doing this. I've wondered for years if plastic soda bottles could be inflated to high pressures to make powerful water rockets. I'm sure you know this already, but a typical soda bottle inflated to 100psi will explode like a bomb if it gets the slightest puncture, so be careful. My own research isn't as constructive as yours -- I was trying to make a fireless super-firecracker!
Hola podrías explicarme el paso a paso para hacer uno tengo un proyecto de física para la universidad y quiero lograr tus mismos resultados y luego explicarlos saludos desde ECUDOR
Wait. You're in Australia. People keep telling me that only the U.S., Liberia, and Myanmar use "U.S. customary" units. Yet you measure your pressure in PSI.
Yeah, its a funny thing. In water rockets we measure altitude in feet, weight in grams, nozzle size in mm, pressure in psi. I think its mainly because the magnitude of the units are easier to deal with. Converting back and forth during calculations is annoying. :)
should one be standing so close to a highly pressurized fiber glass tank? Should one be standing so close to a rocket that has the tendency to spew boosters in every direction moments after launch? very cool rocket none the less.
Hi George congrats to all the team for these great launches….I was wondering why do you put the fligthcamera facing downwards?Is it because it gives a better notion of distance and speed of the flight? Becouse personally i find that facing the camera sideways is faaaar more beautifull at least the view is. Also i wanted to thank you guys for the amazing tutorials, since I'm finishing my 2 stage rocket =D and I'm getting MUCH MORE professional and perfectionist thanks to you guys and raketfued….Keep up the amazing work and btw as I've written high gloss paint paints the rocket perfectly and id doesn't flake off, although it takes 3-5 days to dry depending on your climate. AMAZING VID Congrats from India!!! ;D Shiva
Thank you Shiva. :) Great question about why we point the camera downwards. There are a few reasons. We find there are more interesting things to look at on the ground than up in the air. Also if the rocket is spinning on the way up looking sideways gives you a more smeared video. The other reason is that we attach the parachute cord so the rocket falls sideways so on the way down the camera can film the horizon or essentially the "sideways" shot. I think the ideal view would be mostly down with perhaps the horizon at the top of the frame, a lot easier to do with wide angle lenses. But having said that, I'm all for multiple camera angles. Also thanks for the paint tip. I have replied to your other post.
Prsssure burst is greater then flame, flame consumes an atmosphere rappitly to be exploited as momentum in say, a cone, although pressure burst can get out of control or over exirt. If you could manage to covert density level of fuel, say from multi mix or single solid to liquid to gas phase chambers, eventually reaching a pressure unit, it would save thrust duriation time, before the final chamber/booster to exirt. While separation of fatal high combo fossils, to link only during thrust chamber areas.
Cheers. :) Actually it is a proper launch site. It took the club close to a year to get the paperwork done to be able to launch at this site. You need to get permission from the council, land owner, fire brigade, CASA (air services), and the insurance company.
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Years ago, when these plastic bottles first appeared, I wondered if you could make a water rocket with them. You fellows have answered that question for all time. Great video.
Nice performance...it's amazing how close water rockets get to the range of usual solid-fuel models.
For the second launch to be a "failure" it turned out pretty well! That was really fun to watch.
+TAOFLEDERMAUS nice meme
Im a big fan of your channel...!!!!
I really love your channel. Now I'm wondering if you can manage to test this big "slug" lol
@@tootk90 im thinking the same thing!..😂
i'm a fan too. i always love the mercury and pachinko balls in syrup, so soothing i can fall asleep to that over and over :D
I don't know what is more exciting to watch - the altitude reached, or the beauty of parachute opening. Keep good job!
Cheers +Wild Maniac :)
Thank you for taking the time to document and share your hobby with the ret of the world.
Cheers Jeff :)
I have never seen such expert organisation in all levels of your rocket project. Very impressed.
Cheers :)
Amazing, I had not idea water rockets could be developed to that degree! Great work!
I used to make the easy version of this as a kid. I can hardly believe you actually have discarding fuel tanks?! That's brilliant!!
Well done George, incredible.
It shined short
but very
*beautiful...*
That was really amazing, Super fast and well built. Water is so cool. I been floating steam around not sure how safe it would be. H2o is so magical..
Steam is definitely a little more tricky and also a little bit more dangerous, though it can have better performance. Hot steam around kids is only slightly more dangerous then a fully pressurised rocket. :)
I am big fan of your channel sir. ( Love from *INDIA* ) and I want to become a scientist , my age - 14.. Thanks..
Seeing U have Acces To RUclips at 14
U could gain More Of It, Till you Get To study Ur Bachelor's
Someone do the math, please. How many of these boosters would it take to launch the space shuttle?
I'm not a rocket scientist, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I never knew you could build multi-stage water rockets, and even though you claim both launches were not without their problems, to me that was SERIOUSLY impressive!
Cheers :)
Very impressive Job!
Could you please explain me some things i haven't understood yet?
The boosters will seperate from the main rocket because they dont applie force upwards anymore and the way they are attached to the main stage. (will slide downwards)
What i really dont get yet ist this: How were you able to launch the mainstage controlled after the boosters? Is this also solved mechanically somehow?
Here is how the boosters work: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters the launcher is electronic and the timing is adjusted so that the main stage releases slightly after the boosters. Here is a video where we adjust the timing: ruclips.net/video/mEhpUWyGZlo/видео.html
I like the different colored booster propellants :)
Nice video's very good narration. I wish you luck. May I ask, At the end of this journey, what is the prize? other than it seems to be something that the whole family is enjoying.
why not something burns why water. ? is it because of safety issues.
+AmIonArock Thanks, ... there is an end to this Journey? :) The prize is getting out with the kids and away from their computers and iPods, and learning a little about science and engineering. We do fly both pyro rockets as well as water rockets. Water rockets are a lot cheaper per launch though. ;)
I wonder how much useful thrust those boosters add. Granted they look cool parachuting back but perhaps lengthening the central core would give better efficiency due to the light weight of the "fuel tank"/rocket skin and the associated reduction in complexity would eliminate leakage and potential failure points.
They add about 30% to the overall altitude when compared to the sustainer alone.
Outdoors in good weather with the kids and no iPod. mobile phone. internet. and science. This is the best thing on the planet. Or off the planet. Top man.. Great to see someone doing something. Kill TV .
I dont know how you mad the stages sepreate but very cool, adn seams to work very well.!!
www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
Just what was that whistling after the mainstage burnout?
Well thought out. Good job.
i really appreciates the great efforts you guys put into this short excitement though personally i will not feel any fun at all by doing this kind of stuff.
I can watch these launches all day :)
You have to make them land again (without parachute) ^^- just jokin - well done!
لرابوا
Very impressive engineering. Great launch.
Very well guys, All successful launches in my eyes.
didn't know that there really are water rocket scientists! Anyhow, neat job you got back there! Wish i could also create mine and would be very happy if it reach 100ft.
Hello Air Command, nicely composed video as always. I like the fact that you talk us through the mechanisms and how the rocket works. Its simple, clever devices that really do the trick. The launch was AWESOME! If this is just the small one I can't wait to see how high the Polaron goes! Interesting though, how high the Axion G5 went with a 9mm nozzle at a high pressure.
Thanks Jamie. We too are keen to see how the Polaron G2 will fly, although it is not being built for altitude. It is being built for a long duration burn. The boosters are needed to get it up to speed as the small nozzle would not get it off the ground with sufficient speed. We're happy with how the Axion G5 performed, and it should be possible to push that performance a little further when launched at 250psi. We'll have to wait until next time to try again.
great, sustainable rocketry! no polution, less noise, fast reusable boosters, no dangerous chemicals/heat/burning stuff. Cool!
The background music is so good..can anyone mention the original soundtrack?
AirCommandRockets Would there be any benefit of connecting the boosters together (in the same arrangement that you have them) so they share the same liquid and gas pressure, as well as release together ?
This is something we considered early on in the design, but for that you need high pressure linkages between the boosters. The problem then is that they are permanent and it makes it difficult to separate from the rocket without the fins getting caught up on the linkages. You could have detachable linkages but that adds weight and complexity.
In the end we just went with the launcher manifold doing the pressure equalization between the boosters. There is a tube inside each nozzle that emerges above the water level in each booster that allows the pressure to equalize without transferring any of the water. Here are more details: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
For the higher pressure launches the stress on the central nozzle is too high to hold the main stage and boosters like described above. So for this reason we have a new launcher that holds everything individually.
G2 Cluster Launcher Tests but we still use the pressure equalizing manifold.
I loved your video , I am a middle school math teacher in the state of Florida and I would like to construct a rocket very much like your own. do you have plans to construct a launcher and the rockets where i can convince my school district to purchase? It would be very appreciated. Again Thank you for the video on RUclips.
Sorry don't have specific plans for any of our rockets or launchers. They are always evolving and changing.
@badley wrong : Thanks, yeah it was sad to see Antares disassemble like that today.
l got a long way to go yet, still on single stages.
Keep up the good work, you have to commercialize all your good work.
Follow up question: How fast do you think the main stage is traveling after reaching 500 feet? (speed of rocket @500-520ft)
There is a lot of rocket science even with the pressurized water rockets. I do a lot of simulations involving differential equations. I wonder what these guys did.
We use simulators that use differential equations.
i would say you are on par with blue orgin
Really cool! What do you use to launch the rockets?
In terms of the launcher, or how we pressurise them?
Just the launcher, I was curious how something holds the pressure in but can release it so easily.
Here are some details:
ruclips.net/video/mEhpUWyGZlo/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/LFB-CTjYJWM/видео.html
Beautiful work - do you find the boosters offer any lifting advantage? How high will it go without the boosters?
+Jamie Clay Yes they do. They add around 40% more altitude to the main stage.
Nice first launch! And the second one wasn't too bad... :D!
Greetings from Germany!
"one day you'll hit the dome" said a flat-eather somewhere when he watched this... even if he was finding this way to cool to say it. Nice video, bring back childhood memories with a booster pack xD
Very impressive, as always!
Thank you Dick:) Had lots of fun flying this one, even if the 2nd flight was sub-optimal.
Failure or not it was a good watch. Cheers.
Insane
Truly extraordinary
What is the background music called (starting at ~2:30)?
+unknown6656 See end of video credits for music details.
+AirCommandRockets I am sorry - I have skipped the last 10-5sec. or so.....
How much of this technology did you get from the AWARS from back in the 1990. Pretty impressive.
AWARS?
This is so cool! Well done!
Cheers :)
Are there laws in Australia that prohibit flying those anywhere? Seems you guys always drive crazy distances to a "launch" site of some sort.
+Gunther Ultrabolt Novacrunch Yes there are. If you are flying below 400' then you can pretty much launch anywhere. Anything higher and you need permission. We mostly fly with the NSW Rocketry Association at our approved launch sites where we have permission from: CASA (Air Services), Insurance, land owners and council. Because a lot of the members fly rockets to significant altitudes we have to do that away from built up areas and as a result you end up having to travel further. We bring our bigger rockets to these locations, and smaller rockets to our Sydney launch site.
Thanks for answering!
Water Rocket That have strong power.
So how long will take to bring my Rc-model roadster to mars...?
Hi, what was the second stage drive mechanism you used? Was it electronic or mechanical?
Hi, this is not a 2 stage rocket, but a main stage with boosters. This means that the main stage fires at the same time as the boosters on launch, rather than firing when it is already in the air like a normal 2 stage rocket. Having said that the release on the launch pad is electronic. The main stage is released just slightly later than the boosters so that the boosters remain connected to the main stage. When the booster stops producing thrust it falls away by itself.
Congrats ! Keep on rockettin' !
How you can reach that pressure? Using normal bottles my max. pressure was only 5 bar
The bottles are reinforced with fiberglass.
For the Axion G2?
Beautiful.... concept, design, function, very well done, wish I could play with such things >)
Ingenious mechanism and design.. :)
Congratulations George ... Oops tremendous force in the last release was the parachute that broke off ?
Thanks Jairo, No the parachutes stayed attached to all boosters and the sustainer. One of the boosters broke off a fin on the sustainer as it released. The fin was the only damage, which is easy to glue back on.
How does the parachute deploy on the main rocket?
www.aircommandrockets.com/construction_7.htm
Our school is doing a similar thing for a stem project does anyone have an effective way to measure the height reached by the water rockets?
Here are some ideas how to measure altitude: ruclips.net/video/lrkyBcf7h58/видео.html The most accurate way is to use a commercial altimeter. You can get them in the $30-$50 range.
Thanks
Really nice rocket. Good job!
In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full.
I know that, that's hard, but please try it at least.
Or a three stage rocket.
Thanks Peter. This rocket we are building (Polaron G2) is specifically designed for a long burn rather than to go as high as possible. Because we are using a small nozzle, the rocket doesn't have enough thrust to get off the pad fast enough, and hence the need for boosters to get it up to speed. Static tests of the Polaron G2 rocket have given us burn times of over 10 seconds.
"In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full."
Something like this? :) : 2-Stage Water Rocket to 864 feet - A project from several years ago.
No, I mean that there is a pipe or something that drains the fuel from the booster and use it in the sustainer, so that the sustainer is still fully fueled when the boosters detatch.Such systems are used in real(space) rockets,that have liquid fuelled boosters(hydogen,oxigen).
And please build another high preassure rocket.
Peter Simon Bohner Interesting, I wasn't aware there was such a configuration. Do you have a link, or an example of the rocket that uses this system?
The soyuz rocket (1st stage) used that or the space shuttle(the main shuttle drains first the fuel from the big orange tank) or the delta IV rocket
Peter Simon Bohner But the shuttle external tank is not a booster, it is essentially just like a drop tank on military aircraft. With the Soyuz, I wasn't aware that there was any transfer fuel/oxidizer between the liquid boosters and the main stage. With the Delta IV I assume you are referring to the Delta IV Heavy as that has liquid fuel boosters? I also wasn't aware that there was any transfer of fuel/oxidizer between the cores. Am I understanding correctly the configuration you mean?
The construction of the launcher and rocket seems to be verry good. Do you think that he's going to have a height above 300 meters? I have a little suspicion that this is going to happen. What a great launchsite with great space. Meanwhile I've launched Antares 3 B again and I've had the seem problem . LEAKS!!! These are fixed and ready for a next attempt as you will certainly do. The GoPro hero is still making nice shots. All well done.
Hi teamlucrockets, I think once the rocket is flying properly, and at the designed 250psi pressure we should get over the 300m mark. The final large rocket will be interesting as it will have a small nozzle, but we are trying to get a long burn out of the rocket rather than have it go to a high altitude. We prefer the long slow burns. The new launch site is great, we are looking forward to trying some other projects we are working on there. :)
Best of luck with the next Antares 3B flight. I'm looking forward to the video. :)
Hi George!
Well ill try to be straight: i recently bought sikaflex construction and tried to make splices with it...i made 4 splices and 2 of them have not hold more thane 70psi with water!!! D:
I let them sit fro a week or so and , if it matters, here where i live is realllllly humid. Do you know what shall i do to evict such problems? Shall i wait more time?did i buy the wrong glue (ps i can't get 11fc or pl premium around)?
PLs help im quite helpless since im trying to finish my 2 stage rocket.
Waiting your answer asap
Shiva.
Hi Shiva,
Sikaflex is not a good glue to hold splices together. It is good as a sealant, but that's about it. PL premium is what you want as it is at least 3 times stronger than Sikaflex. You may want to have a look around for other polyurethane glues and test with those. Unfortunately I don't know what glues you have available to you.
AirCommandRockets Yeha D: Im unbelievably sad at the moment i made THE best rocket I've ever made, it took me 2 week to make with working staging system+staging parachute and then bam the splice doesn't work D= sooooo sad
i made it specially to upload vids since it was really beautiful.....
Guess ill just go back to epoxy.Also i found out a new glue which takes 10 minutes to dry and my friend(also a rocketeer) told that his splices with this glue held up to the bottle to explode O.o. interesting i will check out and send details.
Wish me Luck!
Greetings from India!
shiva,
SPN WaterRockets Sorry to hear about the amount of work you put into it go up like that. You should always pressure test the splice a little past it's intended launch pressure before you assemble it into a rocket. This will save you a lot of time. We hydro-statically test each spliced pairs of bottles to make sure there are no leaks or failures. The ones that fail we just throw out or use for nosecones. Good luck with the tests, but fair warning on Epoxy, it also isn't a very good glue to use for splicing as it is sets fairly hard and may crack after a few pressure cycles or harder landings.
Actually i doesn't….. Im quite experienced with epoxy and it held some 50-60 launches with is good enough i guess…. i Will work out new methods any ways. I kinda hate living in india for this fact: You can't get shit here(quite straight forward sentence)
But ill keep you guys updated. Starting Building today :D wish me luck!!
Shiva =D
SPN WaterRockets Good to hear you've had success with your epoxy. What kind of launch pressures were you launching with? Also what brand of epoxy did you use? Having limited resources can be difficult, but it also sets you a good challenge to work with or adapt what you can get your hands on. Keep up the good work! :)
what would happen if you used carbonated water?
+richard t. Dobrowolski Not sure, but it would be worth testing.
+pleindespoir Then you would have to go to the naughty corner.
+pleindespoir It wouldn't ignite unless they had a heat source
Very nice video and some good test to see where you can improve, i can not wait when you launch the complete G2! But the booster have a own locking system on the launcher why would you made those steel rings if there is no fore on that section? Because the booster are held in place by the launcher it self.
Thank you Basrockets. :) That's a good question why we need the strong connection on the boosters when they are held by the launcher. The individual booster retaining mechanisms are there for safety. They reduce the stress on the central nozzle while filling the rocket. If the central nozzle failed while the rocket is only partially filled that may be worse than if it failed at full pressure. However, with the boosters being released slightly before the main stage, the full static force is then transferred through the retaining mechanism for a few milliseconds before the main stage is released. When it leaves the pad the peak thrust is actually higher than the static force (I think in the order of 550N peak per booster), although at that time the main stage is also producing thrust (~180N peak) which partially cancels this force on the retaining mechanism. We also wanted to incorporate a safety margin in the strength of the connections. We tried thin aluminium sheet for the pins and loops, but they were too susceptible to bending.
What a beautiful hobby!!
Great analysis!
nice roll of the main stage after boost stages drop
All this from water. Way too cool!
I want to know which he spray in bottle to make rocket
how do the boosters come off are they connected to servos
trick shots999 The boosters passively separate when they produce less thrust than the main stage. Here is the full explanation: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
AirCommandRockets thank you I`ll try to do that and I'm splicing and I live in Melbourne so I used liquid nails and it works great I should come and see one of your launches
You drove two hours to a field?!
+Richard Hawkes No, this launch site is ~5 hours from home. :)
AirCommandRockets LOL, that's OK then! Nice launch though.
Is it just me or does that seem like obsurd overkill for a non-flamable rocket made of plastic. I would have just walked to a local park or empty lot, anything with a radius above 450 feet on a day with mild wind.
Well, think of a worst case scenario: the rocket immediatly going sideways, maybe one of the boosters getting jammed and opening after impact and then hitting someone on the head sideways while still half full. Or worse: hitting a car, scaring the driver and make him evade the obstacle hitting a person as a result.... The fact that the risk of something like that happening could be reduced to 0 simply by finding a more suited location makes it impossible to see it as an accident afterwards.
Herr Schmidt Yeah but you gotta weigh the risk by multiplying it by the probability of occurance, I dont expect you to do the math but its just something to consider, and often will lead you to take larger risks rather than go to greater lengtjs to avoid them. Just a logical way of balancing things for the best average result.
Hi George!
sorry to bother ou guys again but i found that the glue that my friend was using is synthetic rubber glue?!!!!
What do you guys make of it???
Well, as for what he told when the splice exploded only the bottle was damaged, not the splice....For me that seems promising.Any way im trying out by myself today ill give details about the result.
I just wish to know what is your opinion?Do you think it might work? Did you ever tried?
Thanks,
Shiva =D
And lastly from where do you guys buy pl premium?
Hi Shiva, I don't have any experience with synthetic rubber glue, so I can't comment how effective it is. But if pressure tests have been done and it is holding up to the intended pressures, then it should be good to use. Does it get affected by moisture?
We get our PL premium from the US. Every time we go over we bring some tubes back with us. People here have ordered it through their local hardware store as well. Perhaps you may be able to do the same?
So how did you get the boosters to fall off during the flight?
+Jesse Lam Here is how we do it: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
+AirCommandRockets Oh okay thanks
Did you use fiberglass?
Yes, we wrapped the PET bottles with a couple of wraps of 200gsm fiberglass.
great video guys - are you using a kit or is it all home made
Jucknor Reyne All home made. :)
this CarolinaWaterRockets and i must say even though you had a pretty big mishap with the 2nd launch aswell as a fin breaking off, the rocket didn't seem to care it was missing one
Yup, that was surprising. The rocket is over stable so the extra missing fin didn't bother it that much.
What was interesting though with the fin gone, the rocket had an rotation behaviour that was starting and stopping.
Soooooo Amazing! Nice job!!!
Rocketry, where failures are just as fun to watch as successes.
pschroeter1 And neither are cheap as well.
right? like when the challenger exploded
Unless your nasa
Wow the lighter weight rocket sure gets off that launch pad in a hurry. Might be easier to sync the larger rocket since it will launch slower. I've found even with a mechanical linkage release (steel bar), multiple rockets will not launch together unless everything is exactly the same-weight water, nozzle, release mechanism, friction on the launch tube etc. So much so, I'd say any leak on the boosters should be cause to abort. Good luck, that is one impressive rocket.
Thanks bugwubber. It always surprises me too how quickly it does get going. At lift-off the rocket with the water weighs ~11kg (24lbs). The final rocket will be over 20Kg. The sync issue was due to us just trying to release the sustainer as close to the boosters as possible. On earlier flights with the launcher and normal pressure rocket we had a longer delay and there were no problems. The timing worked okay on this first launch but there is a little variance between launches I guess so we'll just delay the sustainer perhaps another 5ms, and should be all good. On the big rocket launch we'll make sure all leaks are eliminated before launch. One of the reasons we are trying with a smaller rocket first. :)
What the hell is Al-lu-min-i-um? Where I come from we just call it "Pepsi bottles." One might get them at any grocery store. FYI. Also, did it achieve LEO (Low Earth Orbit)?
He meant the braces tho. LOL
If you can't get Aluminium where you live, just try some Aluminum - - it's almost as good.
Amazing. Very good indeed.
Thanks for doing this. I've wondered for years if plastic soda bottles could be inflated to high pressures to make powerful water rockets. I'm sure you know this already, but a typical soda bottle inflated to 100psi will explode like a bomb if it gets the slightest puncture, so be careful. My own research isn't as constructive as yours -- I was trying to make a fireless super-firecracker!
What a great hobby
How much money and time does it cost from watching a video to launching a rocket this big?
To build a rocket like this from scratch would take a couple of weeks, and several hundred dollars.
Sure. All of the bottles used on this rocket are recycled.
You guys are amazing!
Hola podrías explicarme el paso a paso para hacer uno tengo un proyecto de física para la universidad y quiero lograr tus mismos resultados y luego explicarlos saludos desde ECUDOR
You drove 6 hours to shoot off water rockets? That's commitment!
can we purchase it only rocket another we can made
Sorry our rockets are not for sale, but they are quite easy to construct at home.
Wait. You're in Australia. People keep telling me that only the U.S., Liberia, and Myanmar use "U.S. customary" units. Yet you measure your pressure in PSI.
Yeah, its a funny thing. In water rockets we measure altitude in feet, weight in grams, nozzle size in mm, pressure in psi. I think its mainly because the magnitude of the units are easier to deal with. Converting back and forth during calculations is annoying. :)
should one be standing so close to a highly pressurized fiber glass tank? Should one be standing so close to a rocket that has the tendency to spew boosters in every direction moments after launch? very cool rocket none the less.
Hi George congrats to all the team for these great launches….I was wondering why do you put the fligthcamera facing downwards?Is it because it gives a better notion of distance and speed of the flight?
Becouse personally i find that facing the camera sideways is faaaar more beautifull at least the view is.
Also i wanted to thank you guys for the amazing tutorials, since I'm finishing my 2 stage rocket =D and I'm getting MUCH MORE professional and perfectionist thanks to you guys and raketfued….Keep up the amazing work and btw as I've written high gloss paint paints the rocket perfectly and id doesn't flake off, although it takes 3-5 days to dry depending on your climate.
AMAZING VID
Congrats from India!!!
;D Shiva
Thank you Shiva. :) Great question about why we point the camera downwards. There are a few reasons. We find there are more interesting things to look at on the ground than up in the air. Also if the rocket is spinning on the way up looking sideways gives you a more smeared video. The other reason is that we attach the parachute cord so the rocket falls sideways so on the way down the camera can film the horizon or essentially the "sideways" shot. I think the ideal view would be mostly down with perhaps the horizon at the top of the frame, a lot easier to do with wide angle lenses. But having said that, I'm all for multiple camera angles.
Also thanks for the paint tip. I have replied to your other post.
That pounding, penetrating bass background is just too much ! ! Ditch it !
Where do you get bottles for this
local supermarket.
I have interested in it but I cant get bottles can you deliver me
@@Horerrdiffrent We are unable to supply any bottles. You may be able to order them online if you can't buy locally.
Can you suggest any website or application where I can afford those bottles which are strong enough to do this
Prsssure burst is greater then flame, flame consumes an atmosphere rappitly to be exploited as momentum in say, a cone, although pressure burst can get out of control or over exirt. If you could manage to covert density level of fuel, say from multi mix or single solid to liquid to gas phase chambers, eventually reaching a pressure unit, it would save thrust duriation time, before the final chamber/booster to exirt. While separation of fatal high combo fossils, to link only during thrust chamber areas.
This is impressive stuff.
great stuff guys! one funny bit tho-'launch site'=a random field!
Cheers. :) Actually it is a proper launch site. It took the club close to a year to get the paperwork done to be able to launch at this site. You need to get permission from the council, land owner, fire brigade, CASA (air services), and the insurance company.
make more sturdy boosters from pbc/ cement. hope everything goes well.
"From failing you learn. From success, not so much." Great work
Physics quiz: If you added salt to the water to increase weight, would the rocket go higher?
Probably not: Here is an explanation and experiment that shows why: ruclips.net/video/Fu3rIiPy_18/видео.html
or use mercury instead of water
The mercury would probably weight it down more due to the much more weight, I think water is the best choice in my opinion