Aqua-Launcher Educational Package

We are a team of university students who have designed and made a rocket and launcher as an educational tool for students doing their A-levels or students in their first year at university (level four). We have comprised an educational package delivered on this page full of all the information and instructions one will need to use and gain data from our product. Our aim was to make a cheap, educational and engaging method of learning basic, but fundamental, principals of aerodynamics to expand the clients knowledge as well as being a fun and stimulating activity to take part in. 

Meet the team and follow our thought process in the video shown below: 

 

For better representation of how and why our final rocket was constructed and designed the way it is, we made a poster highlighting the main components that went into it and some of the though processes behind these. 

Downloadable PDF file: Marketing Poster

We also have an assembly drawing of our CAD rocket, and is what the rocket made by our instructions is designed to look like. 

–
Our launch: 
A video of our launch is shown below, demonstrating how effective our design and launcher are. We are confident that our rocket, launcher and educational package are currently the best you’ll find on the market due to the ease and cheap cost of construction, as well as the incorporation of technology to offer an engaging aid of learning. 

–

– 

The Theory Behind a Water Rocket:

Before making the rocket, it is important to understand why. Below is information on key principals for this project for the students, giving them a deeper understanding of why the rocket is made the way it is when being constructed.

 

Making the Rocket:

A major focus on the practical part of this project is the making of the rocket itself. We suggest the students work in teams for this, but it could also be a challenging individual task. We focused heavily on using easily accessible and cheap materials (for example, cardboard and plastic). A lot of the rocket can also be recycled after the project, which we highly encourage as sustainability is a huge priority of ours. The part that would be a challenge to make would be our nosecone, unless a 3D printer was accessible, which is why this is included in the package. 

Required Materials:

  • Two 2 Liter water bottles
  • 5mm cardboard A3 sheet 
  • A bin bag
  • String 
  • Roll of Tape
  • Nosecone that is included in the pack ( or can be 3D printed after following instructions for the CAD modelling).

–

Follow the instructions below for the construction of the rocket:

Coding the microbit:
 
–
–
–
–
–
Here is a photo of how our
rocket turned out and what
the students will be aiming for. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

–

–

The Launcher:

Without the launcher there is no way the the rocket will be able to be fired and be able to fly. This will take a long time to build and lot of perseverance as well as a lot of testing, but the quality of flight depends almost entirely on the quality of the launcher, and ours is highly effective. 
 
See the instructions below on how to construct our launcher:
Below is a picture of what our launcher looks like. 
Prior to launch, safety must be taken very seriously. This is why we have made a risk assessment detailing any possibly dangerous outcomes. Along with it are mitigation strategies and guides that should be followed to ensure a safe launch for all those present. A few of our design decisions were also based on safety. The students should be encouraged to make a risk assessment of their own to emphasise the importance of safety in this project. 
–
Risk Assessment:
Also prior to the launch, a micro:bit can be added to measure the acceleration so the maximum height the rocket manages to reach can be calculated. We have written up instructions on how to code this micro:bit that students can follow so it can be attached to the rocket during launch to collect data. 
–
–

Testing and Modelling:

Testing and modelling are very important for making sure everything works as best as possible. Testing allows for editing and improving of the design so it works efficiently and without failure. Modelling give a more in-depth knowledge and provide data for mathematic calculations. 

Modelling Instructions:

CAD Modelling: Downloadable PDF instructions for SolidWorks flow simulation 

Testing Instructions: 

Wind tunnel testing: Firstly, measure the drag of the mount at various different speeds before measuring the rocket itself. This is because it will affect the rocket’s drag value and needs to be subtracted from the final value. Measurements of drag and velocity can be plotted on a graph and compared to various other profiles to ensure it is aerodynamic. 

Students can collect result using a table like the one shown below:

Launcher testing: It is important to stress the benefits of testing the launcher multiple times before launching the final rocket as there may be unknown issues or things forgotten that could drastically affect the final launch. It is important to have prototypes for these tests because the final rocket is likely to become damaged when landing. 

 

Click here for information on our Design Development Process. 

Click here for information on our Testing and Modelling. 

Click here for information on our Projects Management.