Water Rockets and Water Rocket Launchers
Water Rockets have been around since way before I was a kid, but they have improved dramatically over the last little while. This site focuses on anything and everything to do with water rockets.
Water Rocket Components
The main parts of any water rocket are of course the water bottler (propellant container), the water rocket fins (stabilizer fins), the rocket nozzle, the rocket nose cone. There are optional parts that can make most water rockets go even higher and just like on a real rocket they are called stages (see photo of a 2 stage water rocket). Of course an avid hobbyist will not be content with just these parts as they will want to make additional cool add-ons such as parachutes, and real cameras.
All of the parts mentioned above can either be purchased as a water rocket kit or separately. If you feel a bit more adventurous you can make your own from scratch, however I would not recommend this for someone just starting off in the hobby.
Water Rocket Launchers
A water rocket launcher consists of an air pump (a bicycle pump will work), a launching rod to keep the rocket aimed in the right direction (usually up), and a launch hose with release mechanism. While you can get many different types of launchers and rockets I recommend the ones from AGR as they are very inexpensive and easy to use.
Different types of water rockets
Currently there are many different types of water rockets available on the market. To make things easier for you we have compiled a list of the different manufacturers and options available for you to get started in this hobby right the first time.
Water Rockets Arrived in the Mail Today
I got my water rockets in the mail today and they look awesome! I took a couple of pictures of the water rocket in its package before opening it. Keep in mind that they are the new type made in china not the good old ones that you could get twenty years ago or so.
First Impressions of the New Water Rockets
My first impression so far of these water rockets is that they look cheap, but will be more than adequate for the job. Since you will need to fill the aqua capsule with water the makers of the aqua rocket have provided a funnel to go along with the water rocket kit. Also included is the air pump and instructions for launching the water rockets.
Water Rockets show how the laws of physics work
Today my 12 year old brother in-law and I lunched our new water rockets and we have some exciting photos that capture the moment. Not to be out done on the camera I have some great photos of our water rockets as they take to the air and after some careful consideration we have the right way and the wrong way to launch a water rocket. Shooting our purple and yellow water missiles skyward we learned that a good launch area should be clear from trees and buildings. We learned some of the laws of physics such as what comes up must come down and we had a lesson in Murphy's law.
Selecting a good launch pad for your water rockets
Water rockets love to follow Murphy's law, meaning that what can go wrong will go wrong, or in our case the rockets will land on the roof. This brings up a good point and that is that you should anticipate where your H2O rockets might land and if you have to launch where there are obstacles, try and minimize the chance of your water missiles landing in trees or on the roof of your house or even worse the dreaded neighbors yard.
If your H2O rocket can fly up to a 100 feet then you should make sure there is nothing that can pose as a hazard to your flight for a hundred and fifty feet all around the spot that you are blasting off.
Water Rockets Look Great in Photos
With the help of my brother I was able to get some good photos of our water rockets. You would not believe how hard it is to get the timing down just right so you can get a photos of water rockets lifting off. It took us almost all afternoon to get enough usable photos and we were about to give up on the idea when we started to get our timing synced between the water rocket launcher release trigger and the shutter button on the camera.
The first photo is taken just at take off. you can see the jet stream of water shooting out of one of these water rockets is quite powerful.
 |
In the picture to the left the aqua rocket is on its way and under its own power.
|
