The rocket

Our equipment consists of a launching pad and of a rocket. The rocket is essentially a common plastic bottle while the launching pad is made of a wooden plank supported by four wooden feet to work as spacers from the ground.
The types of rocket we became acquainted with are made up of a bottle and a valve (for the inflation of air) inserted into the cap of the bottle: the valve, together with the cap (itself corked on the bottleneck), gives body to tail of the rocket.
This solution presents the following disadvantages:

a) the rocket departs when the pressure reaches the values for which the bottle "uncorks" itself

b) just because of this, it is impossible to measure the air pressure

c) valve for air inflation is located under the launching pad, this giving rise to some difficulties in the various operations preceding the launch.
The construction plans of the launching pad, of pumping up the bottle and locking onto of the rocket are the original building versions that allow easier prepearing steps for the rocket launch. In particular it is easier to measure the pressure of the air pumped into the bottle.

Components

• N° 1 Plastic bottle (1,5 litres capacity)
• N° 1 Plank (at least 1.5x20x25 cm)
• N° 3 10 cm long screws
• N° 6 Nuts
• N° 6 Washers
• N° 2 20 cm long iron bar
• N° 1 Spring
• N° 1 Car tyre inner tube (with valve)
• N° 1 nosecone
• Directional rudder