Name: _________________________________________
Period: ________
Water Bottle Rocket Project
Design Brief
Step 1: Identify the Problem
Problem:
Design, construct, test, and analyze a water bottle rocket using the materials provided and
based on your research of various science principles that will have the longest flight
duration. Demonstrate science processing skills, an ability to use technological design, and
an ability to identify factors that affect motion and forces.
Specifications:
Work in teams of two (2) to construct a water bottle rocket
Include a body, fins, and cone on your rocket
Customize your rocket through the use of materials and decorations
Constraints:
The size of the rocket is only limited to the materials being used
Do Not puncture or cut the bottle that will hold the water
Materials:
1-liter OR 2-liter empty soda bottles
Cardboard
Card Stock Paper
Clear Packing Tape
Washers
Rulers, Scissors, Hot Glue
*other teacher approved materials from home*
Step 2: Research
Google Search: “NASA water bottle rocket”
Click on the first link: Water Rocketry - About Bottle Rockets - Nasa
exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/BottleRocket/about.htm
 On the left hand side of the screen, click on “Start your Journey”
 Click on “Rocket Research 101”
 Read the page and then click continue (at the bottom) to move on
Propulsion-Thrust
1. How do rocket motors generate “thrust?”
2. Which Law of Motion best fits the statement found in the yellow box towards the top of the
screen?
3. What is the definition of the Law of Motion from question 2?
4. Thrust is another word for what?
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
Propulsion-Acceleration
1. If you want to be “launched” what must be greater than your weight?
2. Weight is the force of what on your body?
3. Extra ______________ will make you _____________________ upwards.
4. Which Law of Motion best fits the statement in the yellow box at the top of the page?
5. What is the definition of the Law of Motion from question 4?
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
Use the simulator to answer all of the following:
1. Do I have to use water in my rocket and WHY?
2. Why can’t I just use pressurized air?
3. Is more in the bottle water better and why?
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
Rocket Research 102
1. What provides stability to a rocket?
 Click on “Open the Wind Tunnel” and click on “Start” – watch what happens.
2. What did you observe? Click on the answer on the screen and describe what you observe below:
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
4. What is our bottle rocket missing? Click on the answer on the screen and write it below:
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
 Click “open the wind tunnel” and click start
3. What happened when you added the nose cone? (Circle one)
a. It helped to stabilize the rocket.
b. Nothing happened – it was still unstable
 Click “Back – try another selection” and choose fins in the list
 Click on “Open the Wind Tunnel” and experiment
6. What is the best fin configuration? (circle one)
a. Small fins, top of the rocket
b. Small fins, middle of the rocket
c. Small fins, bottom of the rocket
d. Large fins, top of the rocket
e. Large fins, middle of the rocket
f. Large fins, bottom of the rocket
WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS SO??
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
 Read through the stability and weather vane information
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
Rocket Research 103: “Kind of a Drag”
1. What is drag?
2. What are two advantages of having a rocket with low drag?
 Click “continue” at the bottom of the screen to move on
3. What are three features of a water rocket that affect drag?
1.
2.
3.
4. Why is a nose cone important to have on your rocket?
5. Why does a flat nose cone not perform as well as other nose cones?
6. Is a sharp, pointed nose cone better to use? WHY?
7. What is a fairing?
Use the simulators to answer all of the following:
 Test a rocket with a fairing and a rocket without a fairing
8. How does a fairing affect a water bottle rocket?
HOMEWORK
Fins and Altitude: Install and Run the 3D Simulator
a. Test the different types of fins. Record the altitudes of each type of fin in the chart below:
b. Reminder: When changing one variable (fins), keep all the other variables the same.
Maintain the same air pressure, water level, take-off weight, nose cone, and fairing for all
your fin experiments.
9. Which Fin
shape
produced
the highest
altitude?
Use data to
support
your
answer!
Vocabulary
Use your notes to create a vocabulary list for yourself for this unit.
*Rocket Parts
1. Rocket: _________________________________
_____________________________________
2. Thrust: _________________________________
_____________________________________
3. Gravity: ________________________________
_____________________________________
4. Propulsion: ______________________________
_____________________________________
5. Acceleration: _____________________________
_____________________________________
6. Newton’s First Law of Motion: _________________
_____________________________________
7. Newton’s Second Law of Motion: ________________
_____________________________________
8. Newton’s Third Law of Motion: _________________
_____________________________________
9. Aerodynamic: _____________________________
_____________________________________
10. Drag: __________________________________
_____________________________________
11. Fins*: __________________________________
_____________________________________
12. Nose Cone*: ______________________________
_____________________________________
13. Fairing*: ________________________________
_____________________________________
14. Payload*: _______________________________
Step 3: Brainstorming
In the space below sketch several designs of your Water Bottle Rocket. Be sure to label approximate
sizes and where specific materials will be used as well as how your rocket will be constructed –
experiment with different types and sizes of fins, cones, and body lengths.
Plan A:
Plan B:
Step 4: Design
Choose your rocket solution and draw the top, front, and side view of your design.
Step 5: Build
Construct your rocket solution using the materials given in class or approved by the teacher that can be
brought from home.
Step 6: Test and Analyze (Flight #1)
Launch day! Launch your rocket and see how it does. Answer the following questions:
1. How long did your bottle rocket flight last?
Flight Time = ______________________________________________
2. What happened to your rocket during it’s flight? (Record your observations here)
3. What factors in your design do you think contributed to the duration of the flight? Why?
4. What, if any, environmental factors on the day of launch could have affected the duration of flight?
Why?
5. What elements of other teams do you think made their flights successful? Why?
6. How could you change your design to make it more successful and make your flight duration
longer? Explain.
Step 7: Redesign
Using the observations that you made during your first flight, you now have the opportunity to
redesign/rebuild/retest what would you do differently? What materials would you use instead?
Based on your answers to the questions above and the observations on the day of launch, redraw your
new redesigned bottle rocket solution and draw the top, front, and side view of your design below.
Flight #2: Flight Time _________________________________________
Observations:
Final Launch Analysis
Flight Time #1 ___________
Flight Time #2 __________
1. Compare / contrast the results of your flight times,
trajectories, behaviors, etc between flight one and flight
two. What might account for those results? Explain.
2. Could any outside factors have interfered with your flight?
(Ie environmental issues, equipment problems, etc)
Explain.
3. What was the purpose of your nose cone in your design
(think back to your research)? Explain.
4. What was the purpose of your fins in your design (think
back to your research)? Explain.
5. How did / might altering your nose cone and fins between
design one and two affect your flight results? Explain.
6. How did/might changing the amount of water in your bottle
affect your flight results? Explain.
7. To make any ultimate and final alterations to your rocket
design, what would you do to make the perfect bottle
rocket? Explain / Draw.
Step 8: Share Solution
Please submit each of the following on separate sheets of paper and include with your packet.
1. Using technical vocabulary, write a “sales pitch” to NASA. Explain why they should incorporate
your rocket design into a future NASA project. Discuss things such as flight stability and key
science factors your learned throughout your research and testing. **This is a technical
explanation using your vocabulary and scientific knowledge gained throughout this project**
2. Compose at least two paragraphs giving details on how you decided on the original designs for
your rocket as well as the modifications you would make to your rocket for future testing. Justify
your ideas with support from your research.
3. Describe the differences found in one other group’s rocket compared to your rocket and the
performance quality of the two rockets.