• Rocket Test Review

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - agency that directs the U.S. space program.

    Launch Pad – where a rocket takes off from.

    Launch Lug - provides guidance of the rocket during the first few feet of flight.

    Body Tube - the part of the model rocket that all other parts are attached.

    Fins - attached at the end of the rocket to provide guidance after the rocket takes off from the launch pad. Fins should be spaced evenly to prevent the rocket from flying crooked, twirling, and spinning out of control.

    Shock Cord - the part of the model rocket that connects the nose cone to the body tube.

    Recovery System – used to slow the rocket down during the ejection phase of flight. Parts include nose cone, shock cord, streamer/parachute, and wadding.

    Nose Cone- guides air flow smoothly around the rocket.

    International Space Station – Satellite orbiting the earth maintained by 16 nations to research space.

    Aerospace- branch of engineering concerned with development of aircraft and spacecraft.

    System - a combination of parts working together to accomplish a goal.

    Thrust - force that moves the rocket forward. A rocket accelerates quickly during the thrusting phase.

    Aerodynamics - study of airflow around an object.

    Drag - aerodynamic force that opposes an aircraft’s motion through the air. The nose cone of the rocket reduces drag the most during a rocket flight.

    Propellant - the source of energy in a rocket engine; a mixture of a fuel and an oxidizer.

    Apogee - the peak altitude of a model rocket.

    Sputnik- launched in October of 1957, this was the first man made satellite to orbit the earth.

    Airfoil - is a shape designed so that air flowing around it produces useful motion.

    Federal Aviation Administration - The government agency that has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of American civil aviation. 

    Payload -is the passengers, crew, instruments, explosive charge or equipment carried by an aircraft, spacecraft, or rocket.

     

     

    Rocket