To determine which number of fins will enable the Viking Model Rocket to reach the highest altitude with the largest thrust (or fastest speed.

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2 To determine which number of fins will enable the Viking Model Rocket to reach the highest altitude with the largest thrust (or fastest speed.)

3 You are a mechanical engineer that has been working on a new rocket design, and are hoping to get hired as a rocket scientist with the new organization called NASA.

4 The Board of Directors at NASA

5 It is 1958 and NASA has just been formed. American s are excited that the first satellite is in space. NASA is looking to send a new type of rocket into space. They are calling this rocket, the VIKING rocket. You have been experimenting with the Vanguard Rocket design and are eager to launch your rocket, but you aren t sure how many fins would be the most effective to create the greatest lift and the largest thrust. NASA has heard about all of your work in the engineering field and are wanting to recruit you to help them find which number of fins will be required to help them reach the highest altitude at the fastest speed so that they will be able to orbit the Earth! Obviously this is only a model and the real one NASA will be recreating will be made to go into Space!

6 A properly built Viking Model Rocket with either 3, 4, or 5 fins along with completed pre and post launch tasks.

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8 Drag= the resistance of air against anything that moves through it. Weight = the downward thrust that Earth s Gravity exerts on all objects. Thrust= any force that moves a rocket upward.

9 Parts of the Model Rocket Body Tube Fin Engine Mount Engine Ejection Charge Recovery Wadding Nose Cone Streamer Launch Lug Shock Cord What does it do and what is its function? How does it apply to what we have learned? Unbalanced Force Balanced Force Law of Gravity Type of Forces: Contact Non-contact

10 Body Tube The body tube is the frame of the rocket. It contains an engine mount to hold the motor, and space for the recovery system. The body tube helps keep the rocket balanced and assisting in guiding the rocket through air resistance.

11 Fin The fins of the rocket provide aerodynamic stability in flight so that the rocket will fly straight. The fins along with other parts help the rocket resist the law of Gravity.

12 Engine Mount The engine mount keeps the rocket motor from moving forward into the rocket body during the thrusting phase of the flight. The engine mount is there to resist against unbalanced forces. When the engine is thrusting forward, the mount resists. (Newton s 1 st and 3 rd Laws)

13 Engine The engine is what propels the rocket forward and causes lift. The engine is the example of Newton s 3 rd Law. When engine is ignited, thrust occurs which causes the rocket to lift in the opposite direction, against the Law of Gravity.

14 Ejection Charge The ejection charge ignites the engine when sufficient electrical current is passed through it. The thin wire heats, igniting the pyrogen, which then ignites the motor propellant. The ejection charge is an example of Conservation of Energy. Electrical energy converts into thermal energy which turns into kinetic energy.

15 Recovery Wadding Recovery wadding is flame-resistant material that protects the streamer from the hot blast of the motor ejection charge. The recovery wadding is there to resist against contact forces. (ie. Fire)

16 Launch Lug The launch lug is what allows the model rocket to slide along the rod to guide the rocket through Gravity and assist with aerodynamics until the fins can control the rocket. The launch lug helps create a balanced force before takeoff.

17 Nose Cone The nose cone of the rocket has a shape that causes the air to flow smoothly around the rocket. The nose cone is specifically designed to help with thrust as the rocket is going against the Law of Gravity

18 Streamer All rockets require a recovery system to slow their descent and return them safely to the ground. The streamer is there to create drag against the Law of Gravity once the rocket has reached it s highest altitude.

19 Shock Cord The shock cord holds the parts of the rocket together after they separate at ejection. The shock cord is an example of Newton s 3 rd Law, when the nose cone pops off, the shock cord brings it back.

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