Ping Pong Parachute B/C

[Airco2020]

Are any of you using backsliders? Would that still follow the rules regarding the nosecone?

What's a backslider?

[DatSciolyBoi]

Are any of you using backsliders? Would that still follow the rules regarding the nosecone?

I'm not sure how a backslider should work for this event. The goal is for the parachute to stay in the air, not the rocket.

[Bobby123]

I'm confused on the desige of the nose cone, how are you supposed to attch the payload?

[DatSciolyBoi]

I'm confused on the desige of the nose cone, how are you supposed to attch the payload?

Most people seem to be going with the "payload on top of the nose cone" idea. Not sure if there's any better way to do it though.

[ginajewelkim]

What are the best materials for this event?

[CookiePie1]

I reccomend standard-shaped 1L soda bottles, thin material for parachutes, and dollar store ping-pong balls. The reason for using dollar store ping-pong balls is because they are lighter that professional ping pong balls and cheap. For the fins, I would use either corrugated plastic or cardboard. The rockets for this event don't have to be super aerodynamic, since you can't hit the celing.

[Pranoob]

For out parachute, could we use balloons to slow the descent?

[gz839918]

For out parachute, could we use balloons to slow the descent?

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking. If you mean cutting up a balloon and repurposing the rubber to craft a parachute, that'll probably be allowed. However, if you mean using inflated balloons in addition to or instead of a parachute, I'd imagine that would be frowned upon, since the nature of the event is specifically about using parachutes but not about balloons. The official FAQ on soinc.org defines a parachute as "a device for slowing the descent of an object through the air that consists of a canopy beneath which the object is suspended," so inflated balloons probably won't count as parachutes.

[DatSciolyBoi]

I've been messing around with my rocket, and it refuses to fly straight up or come straight down, rendering the parachute useless. I checked, and the nose cone is perfectly straight, is there a way to fix this?

[sciolyperson1]

I've been messing around with my rocket, and it refuses to fly straight up or come straight down, rendering the parachute useless. I checked, and the nose cone is perfectly straight, is there a way to fix this?

Make sure that your launcher is perpendicular to the ground, as well if the fins are even in mass (so it doesn't lean to one side).