Today in class we had our first sucessful launch.  My partner and I didn't want our bottle to be lost over the cliff of Midkiff so we decided to only launch at 30 psi.  On our first attempt of pulling our string we failed but then continued pumping until our bottle finally shot up.  Our bottle stayed in the air for about 4 seconds.  I think that we need to add fins in order to keep the rocket going up in one direction rather than  tailing of to the side.  We also are going to need to add some sort of parachute and find a deployment method to reach or goal of 10 seconds.  We also need to add some sort of cone to the top to make the bottle more aro-dymanic.  We were thinking of putting a cone that would fall off when the bottle starts to decelerate, so that when the cone comes off it will pull the parachute which would cause it to activate.  

Water bottle rocket

As we begin researching different water bottle designs, I came upon this website. (http://lanceorloff.s5.com/rocket.html) The design of this water bottle rocket is very simple. However, there is useful information that we can all benefit from. This design tells us that fins are required for stable take off. Fins help the bottle rocket to spin in a straight line. Also, the website shares with us that there should be a counterweight in the front part of the rocket. This will also help keep the rocket balanced as it takes off. What the website doesn't have any information about, is the parachute. So we will have to come up with our own design about it.