rocketry 101 jeremy young american institute of aeronautics and astronautics at ucf
TRANSCRIPT
Jeremy Young
Outreach Coordinator
AIAA UCF
Placed 1st in FSGC Hybrid Rocket Competition
Fin Shapes
RECTANGULARSimple to make, least aerodynamic
SWEPTSimple to make, slightly better aerodynamics
TAPERED SWEPTMoves Center of Pressure back, good design for fast moving rockets.
CLIPPED DELTAGood aerodynamic fin, used on low-drag, high-performance rockets
TRAPEZOIDALGood aerodynamic fin for payload rockets, moves the Center of Pressure forward.
ELLIPTICALBest aerodynamic fin, difficult to construct.
Nose Shapes
Having a smooth finish on the nose is more important than shape (for rockets flying under the speed of sound).
Streamers
The best length to width radio is 10:1 to create the most drag as the streamer flaps in the wind.
Streamer recovery is faster than parachute recovery and reduces the recovery area.
Measuring Altitude of Rocket
x y
71 tan(31.8) = y
44.02 ft = y
•Altimeter – measures the changing air pressure to calculate apogee. Must have vent holes in airframe in order to operate properly.