Ping Pong Parachute B/C

[xiangyu]

What are your guy's opinion about buying manual instruction books about building rockets? How helpful are they?

In my opinion you don't need any rocket manuals. I did very minimal research on rocket design, and the research I did was mostly on the fin designs and a little bit on the nosecone. Aside from that, I didn't feel like much research is neccessary as you can't really modify the rocket body shape. (Also I didn't think the shape mattered that much)

An answer to your previous question: We bought a launcher from online since we were lazy to build our own. However, I'm sure you can find plans online and build you own, it's just that it may take a little more work.

Hope that helps.
Xiangyu

[megrimlockawesom]

In my experience, using trashcan liner and sewing thread for the parachute is best.

As for the rocket, go nuts with how you want to do it.

Also, does anybody from NC know if there are any dramatic changes in rules from NC last year to the National Level?

[klastyioer]

In my experience, using trashcan liner and sewing thread for the parachute is best.

As for the rocket, go nuts with how you want to do it.

Also, does anybody from NC know if there are any dramatic changes in rules from NC last year to the National Level?

take the liner and sew it onto your parachute? so it can expand and retract?

[DatSciolyBoi]

In my experience, using trashcan liner and sewing thread for the parachute is best.

As for the rocket, go nuts with how you want to do it.

Also, does anybody from NC know if there are any dramatic changes in rules from NC last year to the National Level?

Wait, how does that even work?

[eagerlearner102]

Thanks.
How expensive was the launcher for you? My team doesn't have a clear budget. It is more like if we want to order something, the science department is ok.
I saw some high quality launchers online but they were very expensive like more than $200 dollars.

[eagerlearner102]

What are your guy's opinion about buying manual instruction books about building rockets? How helpful are they?

In my opinion you don't need any rocket manuals. I did very minimal research on rocket design, and the research I did was mostly on the fin designs and a little bit on the nosecone. Aside from that, I didn't feel like much research is neccessary as you can't really modify the rocket body shape. (Also I didn't think the shape mattered that much)

An answer to your previous question: We bought a launcher from online since we were lazy to build our own. However, I'm sure you can find plans online and build you own, it's just that it may take a little more work.

Hope that helps.
Xiangyu

Thank you Xiangyu.
For the fins, what did you use? My engineering room at school has wood but I am not sure what is the best material.
Sorry for asking so many questions on this forum.

[DatSciolyBoi]

Thanks.
How expensive was the launcher for you? My team doesn't have a clear budget. It is more like if we want to order something, the science department is ok.
I saw some high quality launchers online but they were very expensive like more than $200 dollars.

Just build one with PVC pipes and pvc cement. It only costs about 20 bucks. There are some videos on Youtube but they're not that hard to find.

[andrewwski]

Really? That seems really good to me! I've been getting about ~4ish second dropping off from that same height. I know you probably don't want to give much away, but are there any tips/other info you are willing to share?

This is a basic tip that applies to all builds, but perfection is key, especially for ppp. The more exact your parachute measurements are, the better it will perform.

What do you mean by parachute measurement? Is there a specific size that we should make the parachute as close as possible to? Is it about making the parachute as close to a certain shape as possible? Like for some of my other events I understand the importance of percision (like wright stuff with plane weight and CG etc), but I'm having a hard time basing the parachute design off a certain factor.

Do you kind of see what I mean? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Think about the physics. More parachute area = more drag = slower descent. Naturally, you want to make it as big as possible.

Shape is an interesting question and I think that's one parameter that a lot of teams experiment much with, but which could help you out. Designing your parachute such that it stays open (inflated) as best as possible ensures you get the most drag. A flat circular chute isn't always the best choice for this. For example, in amateur rocketry, the "SkyAngle" line of parachutes (pictures here: http://www.b2rocketry.com/) is very popular because they inflate easily and do not collapse upon themselves easily.

[megrimlockawesom]

In my experience, using trashcan liner and sewing thread for the parachute is best.

As for the rocket, go nuts with how you want to do it.

Also, does anybody from NC know if there are any dramatic changes in rules from NC last year to the National Level?

take the liner and sew it onto your parachute? so it can expand and retract?

We cut a circle out of the trash bag and used the sewing thread to attach the circle to the ping pong ball

When I say trashcan liner I'm referring to the trashbags

[klastyioer]

In my experience, using trashcan liner and sewing thread for the parachute is best.

As for the rocket, go nuts with how you want to do it.

Also, does anybody from NC know if there are any dramatic changes in rules from NC last year to the National Level?

take the liner and sew it onto your parachute? so it can expand and retract?

We cut a circle out of the trash bag and used the sewing thread to attach the circle to the ping pong ball

When I say trashcan liner I'm referring to the trashbags

ummm oh oh okay