Outreach

ESRA conducts rocket demonstrations for K-12 students, showing the excitement of rockets and space and motivating them to study math and science.

Suitcase Hybrid Rocket

For in-class demonstrations, we fire a small classroom-scale hybrid rocket that uses gaseous oxygen and synthetic rubber fuel grains (and sometimes sausages) to illustrate the safety and simplicity of hybrid rockets. This is a static firing in that the motor is fired in place; no rocket is launched. Photos and video coming soon.

Rocket Trailer

We also conduct a larger outdoor demonstration using our rocket trailer. This trailer has a 3-inch-diameter hybrid rocket motor that produces a 4-5-foot flame and generates approximately 200 pounds of thrust. It is a very exciting (and bright and LOUD) demonstration of an actual rocket motor firing (also a static firing; no rocket launch). Photos and video also coming soon.

2-Liter Hybrid Rockets

The Utah State University Experimental Sounding Rocket Club (USU Rocket Club for short) and ESRA are currently developing 2-liter bottle rockets that are real hybrid rockets, using gaseous oxygen in the bottle and caramel as the fuel. These rockets burn for approximately 6 seconds and can reach altitudes approaching 300 feet.

The caramel is melted on a stovetop and cast into PVC motor cases with graphite injector plates and converging/diverging rocket nozzles. Oxygen flow is initiated by opening a 1/2" PVC ball valve modified to thread onto a 2-liter soda bottle. Ignition is by steel wool energized by a battery.

Our most recent classroom and launch activity was held on January 26 and February 5, 2009, at the InTech Collegiate High School in North Logan, UT. The USU Rocket Club students, with help from the Rocket Senior Design class students at USU, cast the hybrid motors ahead of time. In the classroom, they explained basic rocket propulsion and the principles behind hybrid rockets:

   

They had the InTech students install the injectors into the motors and seal the forward motor caps:

They also discussed aerodynamic stability, gave the Intech students some basic design parameters, and had them design and build corrugated-core laminated cellulose-based composite (cardboard) fins and mount them to the motors:

   

After an aerodynamic stability test (balancing the rockets at their center of mass and spinning them around on a rope and seeing that they point nose-first), the rockets were launched in a field near the school:

    

The students got a chance to inspect their motors after the flights. The most successful rocket flew straight up to approximately 300 feet but had a burnthrough in the motor case (second picture and YouTube video below).