Years ago, when these plastic bottles first appeared, I wondered if you could make a water rocket with them. You fellows have answered that question for all time. Great video.
Steam is definitely a little more tricky and also a little bit more dangerous, though it can have better performance. Hot steam around kids is only slightly more dangerous then a fully pressurised rocket. :)
I'm not a rocket scientist, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. I never knew you could build multi-stage water rockets, and even though you claim both launches were not without their problems, to me that was SERIOUSLY impressive!
i really appreciates the great efforts you guys put into this short excitement though personally i will not feel any fun at all by doing this kind of stuff.
"one day you'll hit the dome" said a flat-eather somewhere when he watched this... even if he was finding this way to cool to say it. Nice video, bring back childhood memories with a booster pack xD
Hello Air Command, nicely composed video as always. I like the fact that you talk us through the mechanisms and how the rocket works. Its simple, clever devices that really do the trick. The launch was AWESOME! If this is just the small one I can't wait to see how high the Polaron goes! Interesting though, how high the Axion G5 went with a 9mm nozzle at a high pressure.
Thanks Jamie. We too are keen to see how the Polaron G2 will fly, although it is not being built for altitude. It is being built for a long duration burn. The boosters are needed to get it up to speed as the small nozzle would not get it off the ground with sufficient speed. We're happy with how the Axion G5 performed, and it should be possible to push that performance a little further when launched at 250psi. We'll have to wait until next time to try again.
didn't know that there really are water rocket scientists! Anyhow, neat job you got back there! Wish i could also create mine and would be very happy if it reach 100ft.
Outdoors in good weather with the kids and no iPod. mobile phone. internet. and science. This is the best thing on the planet. Or off the planet. Top man.. Great to see someone doing something. Kill TV .
I wonder how much useful thrust those boosters add. Granted they look cool parachuting back but perhaps lengthening the central core would give better efficiency due to the light weight of the "fuel tank"/rocket skin and the associated reduction in complexity would eliminate leakage and potential failure points.
Really nice rocket. Good job! In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full. I know that, that's hard, but please try it at least. Or a three stage rocket.
Thanks Peter. This rocket we are building (Polaron G2) is specifically designed for a long burn rather than to go as high as possible. Because we are using a small nozzle, the rocket doesn't have enough thrust to get off the pad fast enough, and hence the need for boosters to get it up to speed. Static tests of the Polaron G2 rocket have given us burn times of over 10 seconds. "In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full." Something like this? :) : 2-Stage Water Rocket to 864 feet - A project from several years ago.
No, I mean that there is a pipe or something that drains the fuel from the booster and use it in the sustainer, so that the sustainer is still fully fueled when the boosters detatch.Such systems are used in real(space) rockets,that have liquid fuelled boosters(hydogen,oxigen). And please build another high preassure rocket.
Peter Simon Bohner But the shuttle external tank is not a booster, it is essentially just like a drop tank on military aircraft. With the Soyuz, I wasn't aware that there was any transfer fuel/oxidizer between the liquid boosters and the main stage. With the Delta IV I assume you are referring to the Delta IV Heavy as that has liquid fuel boosters? I also wasn't aware that there was any transfer of fuel/oxidizer between the cores. Am I understanding correctly the configuration you mean?
Very impressive Job! Could you please explain me some things i haven't understood yet? The boosters will seperate from the main rocket because they dont applie force upwards anymore and the way they are attached to the main stage. (will slide downwards) What i really dont get yet ist this: How were you able to launch the mainstage controlled after the boosters? Is this also solved mechanically somehow?
Here is how the boosters work: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters the launcher is electronic and the timing is adjusted so that the main stage releases slightly after the boosters. Here is a video where we adjust the timing: ua-cam.com/video/mEhpUWyGZlo/v-deo.html
Nice video's very good narration. I wish you luck. May I ask, At the end of this journey, what is the prize? other than it seems to be something that the whole family is enjoying. why not something burns why water. ? is it because of safety issues.
+AmIonArock Thanks, ... there is an end to this Journey? :) The prize is getting out with the kids and away from their computers and iPods, and learning a little about science and engineering. We do fly both pyro rockets as well as water rockets. Water rockets are a lot cheaper per launch though. ;)
There is a lot of rocket science even with the pressurized water rockets. I do a lot of simulations involving differential equations. I wonder what these guys did.
Very nice video and some good test to see where you can improve, i can not wait when you launch the complete G2! But the booster have a own locking system on the launcher why would you made those steel rings if there is no fore on that section? Because the booster are held in place by the launcher it self.
Thank you Basrockets. :) That's a good question why we need the strong connection on the boosters when they are held by the launcher. The individual booster retaining mechanisms are there for safety. They reduce the stress on the central nozzle while filling the rocket. If the central nozzle failed while the rocket is only partially filled that may be worse than if it failed at full pressure. However, with the boosters being released slightly before the main stage, the full static force is then transferred through the retaining mechanism for a few milliseconds before the main stage is released. When it leaves the pad the peak thrust is actually higher than the static force (I think in the order of 550N peak per booster), although at that time the main stage is also producing thrust (~180N peak) which partially cancels this force on the retaining mechanism. We also wanted to incorporate a safety margin in the strength of the connections. We tried thin aluminium sheet for the pins and loops, but they were too susceptible to bending.
this CarolinaWaterRockets and i must say even though you had a pretty big mishap with the 2nd launch aswell as a fin breaking off, the rocket didn't seem to care it was missing one
Yup, that was surprising. The rocket is over stable so the extra missing fin didn't bother it that much. What was interesting though with the fin gone, the rocket had an rotation behaviour that was starting and stopping.
Wow, that's a really well made video. Especially the combination of background music and the video files is great! It seems like the Axion G2 performs very well, I'm sure you can fix the problems at the second flight. :) I really like the parachute mechanism for the boosters, it looks very easy and reliable. We will use a similar mechanism at our Swallow 2 rocket, thank you for the great idea. Can't wait to see the flight of the Polaron G2. :) Cheers Julian from Raketfued PS: If you are interested, I would make a nice little video/trailer for you and your rockets. I'm so thrilled of your rockets and your videos, it would be a pleasure to do something like that. Just say if you're interested, and choose a nice piece of (free to use) music.
Thank you Julian. We were happy with how the Axion rocket performed in these tests. The couple of small issues are easy to fix, with just a new washer and slight adjustment to the timing. We are taking small steps with the launcher and rocket as we want to see how each of the systems behaves before flying the big rocket. The rocket and launcher are designed for 250psi, but the big rocket will first be launched at 200psi, and then if the flight is successful we'll try again at 220psi and then at 250psi. At the higher pressures there is a much greater risk of something breaking so we want to at least get a couple of flights in first. Re videos, I'll send you a PM. :)
AirCommandRockets Alright, thank you for the information. Have you ever considered about painting your rockets? It would look absolutely awesome. Cheers
RaketfuedRockets We haven't had a lot of luck with painting PET bottles because the paint seems to flake off after several pressure cycles. We've tried vinyl paint which is stretchy, but expensive. The other reason is that we use a lot of tape on the outside of the rockets to hold things on, and when we remove it the paint can peel. When building rockets like the Shadow with a nice finish, then yes we paint them. :)
AirCommandRockets George about the paint i had the same problem…. what i found out is that high gloss paint does the job after some 20 launches it stills hold pressure perfectly
SPN WaterRockets Good to know, thanks for the information, we may have to give that a try. Do you know how well it holds out against applying and removing sticky tape/electrical tape?
Wow the lighter weight rocket sure gets off that launch pad in a hurry. Might be easier to sync the larger rocket since it will launch slower. I've found even with a mechanical linkage release (steel bar), multiple rockets will not launch together unless everything is exactly the same-weight water, nozzle, release mechanism, friction on the launch tube etc. So much so, I'd say any leak on the boosters should be cause to abort. Good luck, that is one impressive rocket.
Thanks bugwubber. It always surprises me too how quickly it does get going. At lift-off the rocket with the water weighs ~11kg (24lbs). The final rocket will be over 20Kg. The sync issue was due to us just trying to release the sustainer as close to the boosters as possible. On earlier flights with the launcher and normal pressure rocket we had a longer delay and there were no problems. The timing worked okay on this first launch but there is a little variance between launches I guess so we'll just delay the sustainer perhaps another 5ms, and should be all good. On the big rocket launch we'll make sure all leaks are eliminated before launch. One of the reasons we are trying with a smaller rocket first. :)
Thanks for doing this. I've wondered for years if plastic soda bottles could be inflated to high pressures to make powerful water rockets. I'm sure you know this already, but a typical soda bottle inflated to 100psi will explode like a bomb if it gets the slightest puncture, so be careful. My own research isn't as constructive as yours -- I was trying to make a fireless super-firecracker!
The construction of the launcher and rocket seems to be verry good. Do you think that he's going to have a height above 300 meters? I have a little suspicion that this is going to happen. What a great launchsite with great space. Meanwhile I've launched Antares 3 B again and I've had the seem problem . LEAKS!!! These are fixed and ready for a next attempt as you will certainly do. The GoPro hero is still making nice shots. All well done.
Hi teamlucrockets, I think once the rocket is flying properly, and at the designed 250psi pressure we should get over the 300m mark. The final large rocket will be interesting as it will have a small nozzle, but we are trying to get a long burn out of the rocket rather than have it go to a high altitude. We prefer the long slow burns. The new launch site is great, we are looking forward to trying some other projects we are working on there. :) Best of luck with the next Antares 3B flight. I'm looking forward to the video. :)
I love how on the second launch, the first stage just goes completely haywire but the second stage makes a full recovery and continues its mission. Very KSP!
I loved your video , I am a middle school math teacher in the state of Florida and I would like to construct a rocket very much like your own. do you have plans to construct a launcher and the rockets where i can convince my school district to purchase? It would be very appreciated. Again Thank you for the video on UA-cam.
AirCommandRockets Would there be any benefit of connecting the boosters together (in the same arrangement that you have them) so they share the same liquid and gas pressure, as well as release together ?
This is something we considered early on in the design, but for that you need high pressure linkages between the boosters. The problem then is that they are permanent and it makes it difficult to separate from the rocket without the fins getting caught up on the linkages. You could have detachable linkages but that adds weight and complexity. In the end we just went with the launcher manifold doing the pressure equalization between the boosters. There is a tube inside each nozzle that emerges above the water level in each booster that allows the pressure to equalize without transferring any of the water. Here are more details: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters For the higher pressure launches the stress on the central nozzle is too high to hold the main stage and boosters like described above. So for this reason we have a new launcher that holds everything individually. G2 Cluster Launcher Tests but we still use the pressure equalizing manifold.
Here are some ideas how to measure altitude: ua-cam.com/video/lrkyBcf7h58/v-deo.html The most accurate way is to use a commercial altimeter. You can get them in the $30-$50 range.
trick shots999 The boosters passively separate when they produce less thrust than the main stage. Here is the full explanation: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
AirCommandRockets thank you I`ll try to do that and I'm splicing and I live in Melbourne so I used liquid nails and it works great I should come and see one of your launches
Hi George congrats to all the team for these great launches….I was wondering why do you put the fligthcamera facing downwards?Is it because it gives a better notion of distance and speed of the flight? Becouse personally i find that facing the camera sideways is faaaar more beautifull at least the view is. Also i wanted to thank you guys for the amazing tutorials, since I'm finishing my 2 stage rocket =D and I'm getting MUCH MORE professional and perfectionist thanks to you guys and raketfued….Keep up the amazing work and btw as I've written high gloss paint paints the rocket perfectly and id doesn't flake off, although it takes 3-5 days to dry depending on your climate. AMAZING VID Congrats from India!!! ;D Shiva
Thank you Shiva. :) Great question about why we point the camera downwards. There are a few reasons. We find there are more interesting things to look at on the ground than up in the air. Also if the rocket is spinning on the way up looking sideways gives you a more smeared video. The other reason is that we attach the parachute cord so the rocket falls sideways so on the way down the camera can film the horizon or essentially the "sideways" shot. I think the ideal view would be mostly down with perhaps the horizon at the top of the frame, a lot easier to do with wide angle lenses. But having said that, I'm all for multiple camera angles. Also thanks for the paint tip. I have replied to your other post.
Hi George! sorry to bother ou guys again but i found that the glue that my friend was using is synthetic rubber glue?!!!! What do you guys make of it??? Well, as for what he told when the splice exploded only the bottle was damaged, not the splice....For me that seems promising.Any way im trying out by myself today ill give details about the result. I just wish to know what is your opinion?Do you think it might work? Did you ever tried? Thanks, Shiva =D
Hi Shiva, I don't have any experience with synthetic rubber glue, so I can't comment how effective it is. But if pressure tests have been done and it is holding up to the intended pressures, then it should be good to use. Does it get affected by moisture? We get our PL premium from the US. Every time we go over we bring some tubes back with us. People here have ordered it through their local hardware store as well. Perhaps you may be able to do the same?
Hola podrías explicarme el paso a paso para hacer uno tengo un proyecto de física para la universidad y quiero lograr tus mismos resultados y luego explicarlos saludos desde ECUDOR
Thanks Jairo, No the parachutes stayed attached to all boosters and the sustainer. One of the boosters broke off a fin on the sustainer as it released. The fin was the only damage, which is easy to glue back on.
Hi, this is not a 2 stage rocket, but a main stage with boosters. This means that the main stage fires at the same time as the boosters on launch, rather than firing when it is already in the air like a normal 2 stage rocket. Having said that the release on the launch pad is electronic. The main stage is released just slightly later than the boosters so that the boosters remain connected to the main stage. When the booster stops producing thrust it falls away by itself.
Hi George! Well ill try to be straight: i recently bought sikaflex construction and tried to make splices with it...i made 4 splices and 2 of them have not hold more thane 70psi with water!!! D: I let them sit fro a week or so and , if it matters, here where i live is realllllly humid. Do you know what shall i do to evict such problems? Shall i wait more time?did i buy the wrong glue (ps i can't get 11fc or pl premium around)? PLs help im quite helpless since im trying to finish my 2 stage rocket. Waiting your answer asap Shiva.
Hi Shiva, Sikaflex is not a good glue to hold splices together. It is good as a sealant, but that's about it. PL premium is what you want as it is at least 3 times stronger than Sikaflex. You may want to have a look around for other polyurethane glues and test with those. Unfortunately I don't know what glues you have available to you.
AirCommandRockets Yeha D: Im unbelievably sad at the moment i made THE best rocket I've ever made, it took me 2 week to make with working staging system+staging parachute and then bam the splice doesn't work D= sooooo sad i made it specially to upload vids since it was really beautiful..... Guess ill just go back to epoxy.Also i found out a new glue which takes 10 minutes to dry and my friend(also a rocketeer) told that his splices with this glue held up to the bottle to explode O.o. interesting i will check out and send details. Wish me Luck! Greetings from India! shiva,
SPN WaterRockets Sorry to hear about the amount of work you put into it go up like that. You should always pressure test the splice a little past it's intended launch pressure before you assemble it into a rocket. This will save you a lot of time. We hydro-statically test each spliced pairs of bottles to make sure there are no leaks or failures. The ones that fail we just throw out or use for nosecones. Good luck with the tests, but fair warning on Epoxy, it also isn't a very good glue to use for splicing as it is sets fairly hard and may crack after a few pressure cycles or harder landings.
Actually i doesn't….. Im quite experienced with epoxy and it held some 50-60 launches with is good enough i guess…. i Will work out new methods any ways. I kinda hate living in india for this fact: You can't get shit here(quite straight forward sentence) But ill keep you guys updated. Starting Building today :D wish me luck!! Shiva =D
SPN WaterRockets Good to hear you've had success with your epoxy. What kind of launch pressures were you launching with? Also what brand of epoxy did you use? Having limited resources can be difficult, but it also sets you a good challenge to work with or adapt what you can get your hands on. Keep up the good work! :)
Nice performance...it's amazing how close water rockets get to the range of usual solid-fuel models.
Years ago, when these plastic bottles first appeared, I wondered if you could make a water rocket with them. You fellows have answered that question for all time. Great video.
For the second launch to be a "failure" it turned out pretty well! That was really fun to watch.
+TAOFLEDERMAUS nice meme
Im a big fan of your channel...!!!!
I really love your channel. Now I'm wondering if you can manage to test this big "slug" lol
@@tootk90 im thinking the same thing!..😂
i'm a fan too. i always love the mercury and pachinko balls in syrup, so soothing i can fall asleep to that over and over :D
I don't know what is more exciting to watch - the altitude reached, or the beauty of parachute opening. Keep good job!
Cheers +Wild Maniac :)
Amazing, I had not idea water rockets could be developed to that degree! Great work!
Thank you for taking the time to document and share your hobby with the ret of the world.
Cheers Jeff :)
Well done George, incredible.
I have never seen such expert organisation in all levels of your rocket project. Very impressed.
Cheers :)
I used to make the easy version of this as a kid. I can hardly believe you actually have discarding fuel tanks?! That's brilliant!!
It shined short
but very
*beautiful...*
That was really amazing, Super fast and well built. Water is so cool. I been floating steam around not sure how safe it would be. H2o is so magical..
Steam is definitely a little more tricky and also a little bit more dangerous, though it can have better performance. Hot steam around kids is only slightly more dangerous then a fully pressurised rocket. :)
I'm not a rocket scientist, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
I never knew you could build multi-stage water rockets, and even though you claim both launches were not without their problems, to me that was SERIOUSLY impressive!
Cheers :)
I can watch these launches all day :)
i really appreciates the great efforts you guys put into this short excitement though personally i will not feel any fun at all by doing this kind of stuff.
I am big fan of your channel sir. ( Love from *INDIA* ) and I want to become a scientist , my age - 14.. Thanks..
Seeing U have Acces To UA-cam at 14
U could gain More Of It, Till you Get To study Ur Bachelor's
You have to make them land again (without parachute) ^^- just jokin - well done!
لرابوا
"one day you'll hit the dome" said a flat-eather somewhere when he watched this... even if he was finding this way to cool to say it. Nice video, bring back childhood memories with a booster pack xD
Hello Air Command, nicely composed video as always. I like the fact that you talk us through the mechanisms and how the rocket works. Its simple, clever devices that really do the trick. The launch was AWESOME! If this is just the small one I can't wait to see how high the Polaron goes! Interesting though, how high the Axion G5 went with a 9mm nozzle at a high pressure.
Thanks Jamie. We too are keen to see how the Polaron G2 will fly, although it is not being built for altitude. It is being built for a long duration burn. The boosters are needed to get it up to speed as the small nozzle would not get it off the ground with sufficient speed. We're happy with how the Axion G5 performed, and it should be possible to push that performance a little further when launched at 250psi. We'll have to wait until next time to try again.
I like the different colored booster propellants :)
didn't know that there really are water rocket scientists! Anyhow, neat job you got back there! Wish i could also create mine and would be very happy if it reach 100ft.
Very well guys, All successful launches in my eyes.
Well thought out. Good job.
Congrats ! Keep on rockettin' !
Very impressive engineering. Great launch.
i would say you are on par with blue orgin
Nice first launch! And the second one wasn't too bad... :D!
Greetings from Germany!
Beautiful.... concept, design, function, very well done, wish I could play with such things >)
Outdoors in good weather with the kids and no iPod. mobile phone. internet. and science. This is the best thing on the planet. Or off the planet. Top man.. Great to see someone doing something. Kill TV .
Soooooo Amazing! Nice job!!!
I wonder how much useful thrust those boosters add. Granted they look cool parachuting back but perhaps lengthening the central core would give better efficiency due to the light weight of the "fuel tank"/rocket skin and the associated reduction in complexity would eliminate leakage and potential failure points.
They add about 30% to the overall altitude when compared to the sustainer alone.
I dont know how you mad the stages sepreate but very cool, adn seams to work very well.!!
www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
Really nice rocket. Good job!
In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full.
I know that, that's hard, but please try it at least.
Or a three stage rocket.
Thanks Peter. This rocket we are building (Polaron G2) is specifically designed for a long burn rather than to go as high as possible. Because we are using a small nozzle, the rocket doesn't have enough thrust to get off the pad fast enough, and hence the need for boosters to get it up to speed. Static tests of the Polaron G2 rocket have given us burn times of over 10 seconds.
"In the future please build a rocket with large boosters, that have fuel-crossfeed, so when thoose burn out, the sustainer stage is still full."
Something like this? :) : 2-Stage Water Rocket to 864 feet - A project from several years ago.
No, I mean that there is a pipe or something that drains the fuel from the booster and use it in the sustainer, so that the sustainer is still fully fueled when the boosters detatch.Such systems are used in real(space) rockets,that have liquid fuelled boosters(hydogen,oxigen).
And please build another high preassure rocket.
Peter Simon Bohner Interesting, I wasn't aware there was such a configuration. Do you have a link, or an example of the rocket that uses this system?
The soyuz rocket (1st stage) used that or the space shuttle(the main shuttle drains first the fuel from the big orange tank) or the delta IV rocket
Peter Simon Bohner But the shuttle external tank is not a booster, it is essentially just like a drop tank on military aircraft. With the Soyuz, I wasn't aware that there was any transfer fuel/oxidizer between the liquid boosters and the main stage. With the Delta IV I assume you are referring to the Delta IV Heavy as that has liquid fuel boosters? I also wasn't aware that there was any transfer of fuel/oxidizer between the cores. Am I understanding correctly the configuration you mean?
Failure or not it was a good watch. Cheers.
Great analysis!
Truly extraordinary
This is so cool! Well done!
Cheers :)
Very impressive Job!
Could you please explain me some things i haven't understood yet?
The boosters will seperate from the main rocket because they dont applie force upwards anymore and the way they are attached to the main stage. (will slide downwards)
What i really dont get yet ist this: How were you able to launch the mainstage controlled after the boosters? Is this also solved mechanically somehow?
Here is how the boosters work: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters the launcher is electronic and the timing is adjusted so that the main stage releases slightly after the boosters. Here is a video where we adjust the timing: ua-cam.com/video/mEhpUWyGZlo/v-deo.html
Very impressive, as always!
Thank you Dick:) Had lots of fun flying this one, even if the 2nd flight was sub-optimal.
Nice video's very good narration. I wish you luck. May I ask, At the end of this journey, what is the prize? other than it seems to be something that the whole family is enjoying.
why not something burns why water. ? is it because of safety issues.
+AmIonArock Thanks, ... there is an end to this Journey? :) The prize is getting out with the kids and away from their computers and iPods, and learning a little about science and engineering. We do fly both pyro rockets as well as water rockets. Water rockets are a lot cheaper per launch though. ;)
Ingenious mechanism and design.. :)
There is a lot of rocket science even with the pressurized water rockets. I do a lot of simulations involving differential equations. I wonder what these guys did.
We use simulators that use differential equations.
Insane
What a beautiful hobby!!
Someone do the math, please. How many of these boosters would it take to launch the space shuttle?
Very nice video and some good test to see where you can improve, i can not wait when you launch the complete G2! But the booster have a own locking system on the launcher why would you made those steel rings if there is no fore on that section? Because the booster are held in place by the launcher it self.
Thank you Basrockets. :) That's a good question why we need the strong connection on the boosters when they are held by the launcher. The individual booster retaining mechanisms are there for safety. They reduce the stress on the central nozzle while filling the rocket. If the central nozzle failed while the rocket is only partially filled that may be worse than if it failed at full pressure. However, with the boosters being released slightly before the main stage, the full static force is then transferred through the retaining mechanism for a few milliseconds before the main stage is released. When it leaves the pad the peak thrust is actually higher than the static force (I think in the order of 550N peak per booster), although at that time the main stage is also producing thrust (~180N peak) which partially cancels this force on the retaining mechanism. We also wanted to incorporate a safety margin in the strength of the connections. We tried thin aluminium sheet for the pins and loops, but they were too susceptible to bending.
this CarolinaWaterRockets and i must say even though you had a pretty big mishap with the 2nd launch aswell as a fin breaking off, the rocket didn't seem to care it was missing one
Yup, that was surprising. The rocket is over stable so the extra missing fin didn't bother it that much.
What was interesting though with the fin gone, the rocket had an rotation behaviour that was starting and stopping.
great, sustainable rocketry! no polution, less noise, fast reusable boosters, no dangerous chemicals/heat/burning stuff. Cool!
You guys are amazing!
You drove 6 hours to shoot off water rockets? That's commitment!
All this from water. Way too cool!
@badley wrong : Thanks, yeah it was sad to see Antares disassemble like that today.
l got a long way to go yet, still on single stages.
Keep up the good work, you have to commercialize all your good work.
Wow, that's a really well made video.
Especially the combination of background music and the video files is great!
It seems like the Axion G2 performs very well, I'm sure you can fix the problems at the second flight. :)
I really like the parachute mechanism for the boosters, it looks very easy and reliable.
We will use a similar mechanism at our Swallow 2 rocket, thank you for the great idea.
Can't wait to see the flight of the Polaron G2. :)
Cheers
Julian from Raketfued
PS: If you are interested, I would make a nice little video/trailer for you and your rockets. I'm so thrilled of your rockets and your videos, it would be a pleasure to do something like that. Just say if you're interested, and choose a nice piece of (free to use) music.
Thank you Julian. We were happy with how the Axion rocket performed in these tests. The couple of small issues are easy to fix, with just a new washer and slight adjustment to the timing. We are taking small steps with the launcher and rocket as we want to see how each of the systems behaves before flying the big rocket. The rocket and launcher are designed for 250psi, but the big rocket will first be launched at 200psi, and then if the flight is successful we'll try again at 220psi and then at 250psi. At the higher pressures there is a much greater risk of something breaking so we want to at least get a couple of flights in first.
Re videos, I'll send you a PM. :)
AirCommandRockets
Alright, thank you for the information.
Have you ever considered about painting your rockets?
It would look absolutely awesome.
Cheers
RaketfuedRockets We haven't had a lot of luck with painting PET bottles because the paint seems to flake off after several pressure cycles. We've tried vinyl paint which is stretchy, but expensive. The other reason is that we use a lot of tape on the outside of the rockets to hold things on, and when we remove it the paint can peel. When building rockets like the Shadow with a nice finish, then yes we paint them. :)
AirCommandRockets George about the paint i had the same problem….
what i found out is that high gloss paint does the job after some 20 launches it stills hold pressure perfectly
SPN WaterRockets Good to know, thanks for the information, we may have to give that a try. Do you know how well it holds out against applying and removing sticky tape/electrical tape?
What is the background music called (starting at ~2:30)?
+unknown6656 See end of video credits for music details.
+AirCommandRockets I am sorry - I have skipped the last 10-5sec. or so.....
Great stuffI guess we are looking at a green rocket. LOLKeep up the good work
What a great hobby
Really cool! What do you use to launch the rockets?
In terms of the launcher, or how we pressurise them?
Just the launcher, I was curious how something holds the pressure in but can release it so easily.
Here are some details:
ua-cam.com/video/mEhpUWyGZlo/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/LFB-CTjYJWM/v-deo.html
Wow the lighter weight rocket sure gets off that launch pad in a hurry. Might be easier to sync the larger rocket since it will launch slower. I've found even with a mechanical linkage release (steel bar), multiple rockets will not launch together unless everything is exactly the same-weight water, nozzle, release mechanism, friction on the launch tube etc. So much so, I'd say any leak on the boosters should be cause to abort. Good luck, that is one impressive rocket.
Thanks bugwubber. It always surprises me too how quickly it does get going. At lift-off the rocket with the water weighs ~11kg (24lbs). The final rocket will be over 20Kg. The sync issue was due to us just trying to release the sustainer as close to the boosters as possible. On earlier flights with the launcher and normal pressure rocket we had a longer delay and there were no problems. The timing worked okay on this first launch but there is a little variance between launches I guess so we'll just delay the sustainer perhaps another 5ms, and should be all good. On the big rocket launch we'll make sure all leaks are eliminated before launch. One of the reasons we are trying with a smaller rocket first. :)
nice roll of the main stage after boost stages drop
The background music is so good..can anyone mention the original soundtrack?
Thanks for doing this. I've wondered for years if plastic soda bottles could be inflated to high pressures to make powerful water rockets. I'm sure you know this already, but a typical soda bottle inflated to 100psi will explode like a bomb if it gets the slightest puncture, so be careful. My own research isn't as constructive as yours -- I was trying to make a fireless super-firecracker!
The construction of the launcher and rocket seems to be verry good. Do you think that he's going to have a height above 300 meters? I have a little suspicion that this is going to happen. What a great launchsite with great space. Meanwhile I've launched Antares 3 B again and I've had the seem problem . LEAKS!!! These are fixed and ready for a next attempt as you will certainly do. The GoPro hero is still making nice shots. All well done.
Hi teamlucrockets, I think once the rocket is flying properly, and at the designed 250psi pressure we should get over the 300m mark. The final large rocket will be interesting as it will have a small nozzle, but we are trying to get a long burn out of the rocket rather than have it go to a high altitude. We prefer the long slow burns. The new launch site is great, we are looking forward to trying some other projects we are working on there. :)
Best of luck with the next Antares 3B flight. I'm looking forward to the video. :)
nice work George :)
Thanks Todd. Good to hear from you. :)
I love how on the second launch, the first stage just goes completely haywire but the second stage makes a full recovery and continues its mission. Very KSP!
You guys should make gliders innitially propelled to altitude by water :D
Great videos!
Water Rocket That have strong power.
Beautiful work - do you find the boosters offer any lifting advantage? How high will it go without the boosters?
+Jamie Clay Yes they do. They add around 40% more altitude to the main stage.
Just what was that whistling after the mainstage burnout?
I loved your video , I am a middle school math teacher in the state of Florida and I would like to construct a rocket very much like your own. do you have plans to construct a launcher and the rockets where i can convince my school district to purchase? It would be very appreciated. Again Thank you for the video on UA-cam.
Sorry don't have specific plans for any of our rockets or launchers. They are always evolving and changing.
Good job
Follow up question: How fast do you think the main stage is traveling after reaching 500 feet? (speed of rocket @500-520ft)
This is impressive stuff.
How you can reach that pressure? Using normal bottles my max. pressure was only 5 bar
The bottles are reinforced with fiberglass.
Amazing. Very good indeed.
How much of this technology did you get from the AWARS from back in the 1990. Pretty impressive.
AWARS?
Pretty cool stuff.
nice work !!
Did you use fiberglass?
Yes, we wrapped the PET bottles with a couple of wraps of 200gsm fiberglass.
AirCommandRockets Would there be any benefit of connecting the boosters together (in the same arrangement that you have them) so they share the same liquid and gas pressure, as well as release together ?
This is something we considered early on in the design, but for that you need high pressure linkages between the boosters. The problem then is that they are permanent and it makes it difficult to separate from the rocket without the fins getting caught up on the linkages. You could have detachable linkages but that adds weight and complexity.
In the end we just went with the launcher manifold doing the pressure equalization between the boosters. There is a tube inside each nozzle that emerges above the water level in each booster that allows the pressure to equalize without transferring any of the water. Here are more details: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
For the higher pressure launches the stress on the central nozzle is too high to hold the main stage and boosters like described above. So for this reason we have a new launcher that holds everything individually.
G2 Cluster Launcher Tests but we still use the pressure equalizing manifold.
Our school is doing a similar thing for a stem project does anyone have an effective way to measure the height reached by the water rockets?
Here are some ideas how to measure altitude: ua-cam.com/video/lrkyBcf7h58/v-deo.html The most accurate way is to use a commercial altimeter. You can get them in the $30-$50 range.
Thanks
I want to know which he spray in bottle to make rocket
Looks like flying soda bottles ! Maybe paint those boosters up as your Favorite soda! Just for fun ? LOL
+HANDBALLDIEHARD uhh it IS made from coke bottles, and then wrapped with fiberglass.
how do the boosters come off are they connected to servos
trick shots999 The boosters passively separate when they produce less thrust than the main stage. Here is the full explanation: www.aircommandrockets.com/howitworks_1.htm#DropAwayBoosters
AirCommandRockets thank you I`ll try to do that and I'm splicing and I live in Melbourne so I used liquid nails and it works great I should come and see one of your launches
That is just awesome.
great video guys - are you using a kit or is it all home made
Jucknor Reyne All home made. :)
How does the parachute deploy on the main rocket?
www.aircommandrockets.com/construction_7.htm
Clean énergie! Bravo!
This is Amazing
Hi George congrats to all the team for these great launches….I was wondering why do you put the fligthcamera facing downwards?Is it because it gives a better notion of distance and speed of the flight?
Becouse personally i find that facing the camera sideways is faaaar more beautifull at least the view is.
Also i wanted to thank you guys for the amazing tutorials, since I'm finishing my 2 stage rocket =D and I'm getting MUCH MORE professional and perfectionist thanks to you guys and raketfued….Keep up the amazing work and btw as I've written high gloss paint paints the rocket perfectly and id doesn't flake off, although it takes 3-5 days to dry depending on your climate.
AMAZING VID
Congrats from India!!!
;D Shiva
Thank you Shiva. :) Great question about why we point the camera downwards. There are a few reasons. We find there are more interesting things to look at on the ground than up in the air. Also if the rocket is spinning on the way up looking sideways gives you a more smeared video. The other reason is that we attach the parachute cord so the rocket falls sideways so on the way down the camera can film the horizon or essentially the "sideways" shot. I think the ideal view would be mostly down with perhaps the horizon at the top of the frame, a lot easier to do with wide angle lenses. But having said that, I'm all for multiple camera angles.
Also thanks for the paint tip. I have replied to your other post.
Hi George!
sorry to bother ou guys again but i found that the glue that my friend was using is synthetic rubber glue?!!!!
What do you guys make of it???
Well, as for what he told when the splice exploded only the bottle was damaged, not the splice....For me that seems promising.Any way im trying out by myself today ill give details about the result.
I just wish to know what is your opinion?Do you think it might work? Did you ever tried?
Thanks,
Shiva =D
And lastly from where do you guys buy pl premium?
Hi Shiva, I don't have any experience with synthetic rubber glue, so I can't comment how effective it is. But if pressure tests have been done and it is holding up to the intended pressures, then it should be good to use. Does it get affected by moisture?
We get our PL premium from the US. Every time we go over we bring some tubes back with us. People here have ordered it through their local hardware store as well. Perhaps you may be able to do the same?
For the Axion G2?
Blimey , impressive !!!!!!!
Hola podrías explicarme el paso a paso para hacer uno tengo un proyecto de física para la universidad y quiero lograr tus mismos resultados y luego explicarlos saludos desde ECUDOR
Congratulations George ... Oops tremendous force in the last release was the parachute that broke off ?
Thanks Jairo, No the parachutes stayed attached to all boosters and the sustainer. One of the boosters broke off a fin on the sustainer as it released. The fin was the only damage, which is easy to glue back on.
¿A cuanto uno?
Hi, what was the second stage drive mechanism you used? Was it electronic or mechanical?
Hi, this is not a 2 stage rocket, but a main stage with boosters. This means that the main stage fires at the same time as the boosters on launch, rather than firing when it is already in the air like a normal 2 stage rocket. Having said that the release on the launch pad is electronic. The main stage is released just slightly later than the boosters so that the boosters remain connected to the main stage. When the booster stops producing thrust it falls away by itself.
Hi George!
Well ill try to be straight: i recently bought sikaflex construction and tried to make splices with it...i made 4 splices and 2 of them have not hold more thane 70psi with water!!! D:
I let them sit fro a week or so and , if it matters, here where i live is realllllly humid. Do you know what shall i do to evict such problems? Shall i wait more time?did i buy the wrong glue (ps i can't get 11fc or pl premium around)?
PLs help im quite helpless since im trying to finish my 2 stage rocket.
Waiting your answer asap
Shiva.
Hi Shiva,
Sikaflex is not a good glue to hold splices together. It is good as a sealant, but that's about it. PL premium is what you want as it is at least 3 times stronger than Sikaflex. You may want to have a look around for other polyurethane glues and test with those. Unfortunately I don't know what glues you have available to you.
AirCommandRockets Yeha D: Im unbelievably sad at the moment i made THE best rocket I've ever made, it took me 2 week to make with working staging system+staging parachute and then bam the splice doesn't work D= sooooo sad
i made it specially to upload vids since it was really beautiful.....
Guess ill just go back to epoxy.Also i found out a new glue which takes 10 minutes to dry and my friend(also a rocketeer) told that his splices with this glue held up to the bottle to explode O.o. interesting i will check out and send details.
Wish me Luck!
Greetings from India!
shiva,
SPN WaterRockets Sorry to hear about the amount of work you put into it go up like that. You should always pressure test the splice a little past it's intended launch pressure before you assemble it into a rocket. This will save you a lot of time. We hydro-statically test each spliced pairs of bottles to make sure there are no leaks or failures. The ones that fail we just throw out or use for nosecones. Good luck with the tests, but fair warning on Epoxy, it also isn't a very good glue to use for splicing as it is sets fairly hard and may crack after a few pressure cycles or harder landings.
Actually i doesn't….. Im quite experienced with epoxy and it held some 50-60 launches with is good enough i guess…. i Will work out new methods any ways. I kinda hate living in india for this fact: You can't get shit here(quite straight forward sentence)
But ill keep you guys updated. Starting Building today :D wish me luck!!
Shiva =D
SPN WaterRockets Good to hear you've had success with your epoxy. What kind of launch pressures were you launching with? Also what brand of epoxy did you use? Having limited resources can be difficult, but it also sets you a good challenge to work with or adapt what you can get your hands on. Keep up the good work! :)
So how long will take to bring my Rc-model roadster to mars...?
Rocketry, where failures are just as fun to watch as successes.
pschroeter1 And neither are cheap as well.
right? like when the challenger exploded
Unless your nasa
That's amazeballs! Wow!
can we purchase it only rocket another we can made
Sorry our rockets are not for sale, but they are quite easy to construct at home.