Engineering Design Process
Define the Problem
Generate Concepts
Criteria:
1. Must create engine powered model rocket
2. Must use limited materials, due to budget
3. Must create a recovery system to safely land an egg back on Earth
4. Must generate public interest for rocket program
5. Must document progress on Wix website
6. Must determine Center of Pressure
7. Must reach Earth's orbit
8. Must document prices on Expenditure Sheet
9. Must create a 2D orthographic drawing
10. Must create a 3D Sketch-Up Model
Constraints:
1. Time: complete rocket and website due before Christmas Break
2. Resources: Limited materials for use (additional materials must be brought in with a $10,000 fee)
3. Budget: Limited amount of money to spend on materials
4. Size: Engine must fit inside of rocket
5. Shape: Rocket must be aerodynamic
Construct Prototype
When researching rocket designs and egg drop contraptions, we had to research more on forces, pressure, center of pressure, and aerodynamics. To see our research and other sources that inspired our design, click on the button below.
In creating a solution, we had to consider all of our earlier research. To see the materials we used and our 2D/3D models, click on the buttons below.
Develop a Solution
Our solution consisted of two 6.5 inch tubes glued together with three clipped delta fins (this changed, and is shown in the Construct Prototype section). For the nose cone we used light Styrofoam and put our straw contraption inside of it. Our straw contraption was a pyramid made of straws and covered with bubble wrap with parachutes attached to the bottom of the nose cone (see the above drawings, our 2D model, and our 3D model for more on how our rocket was constructed).
Some of the ideas that we originally came up with included:
1. An cylindrical shaped body for the rocket
2. Three or four fins on the rocket
3. Different shapes of nose cones, including the parabolic cone, elliptic cone, and a pointed cone
4. What kind of contraption we wanted to use. For this, we started out using a tennis ball and newspaper, then we saw a few videos using toothpicks, and straws (see link above).
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We also had multiple doodle and drawings that we used during the process, including the following (click on them to enlarge them):
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Test Prototype
When creating our prototype, we had to consider the document our work and calculate the center of pressure for our rocket. We also ran into problems with weight on the day before rocket launch. Below are the links to the Documentation, Center of Pressure, and Weight Modifications pages.
Our rocket launched today! Our launch video and pictures are posted below:
Click on the link below to see our individual reflections.
