Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Arts and Crafts/Model Rocketry - Advanced

Model Rocketry - Advanced
Arts and Crafts
General Conference
Skill Level 2
Year of Introduction: 1970

Instructor Required

1. Have the Model Rocketry Honor. edit

Instructions and tips for earning the Model Rocketry honor can be found in the Arts and Crafts chapter.


2. From a kit, build, successfully launch, and recover a boost glider. edit

A boost glider is a model having a rocket-powered ascent, transitions to a glider at the apex of its flight, and then glides (usually in circles) back to the ground using aerodynamic surfaces (wings). Most boost gliders locate the rocket engines towards the front of the aircraft, as this eases many of the design challenges involved in powered flight. The rocket portions are ejected from the craft during transition (gliders that do not separate are called rocket gliders rather than boost gliders). The Space Shuttle is an example of a boost glider (though it is most decidedly not a model!) Estes makes a model Space Shuttle which is a boost glider. See here for more information about boost gliders.

Though these models are among the most challenging rocket models to build, a modeller with careful attention to detail has every reason to expect success.

3. Design, build (not from a kit), finish, and paint a single-stage rocket. Check for stability, and successfully launch and recover this rocket. edit

4. Do one of the following edit

a. From a kit build, finish, and paint a two-stage rocket. Successfully launch and recover this rocket. edit

b. From a kit, build, finish, and paint a three-engine clustered single-stage rocket. Successfully launch and recover this rocket. edit

5. Design an electrical launch system. When this has been approved by your instructor, build this system and use it to launch rockets at least five times. edit

6. Describe and demonstrate single station altitude tracking. With the aid of a helper, track the same rocket three times using three different sizes of engines and compare altitudes with an altitude finder. edit

7. Compare the velocity and altitude of two different weights of rockets using the same size engine. edit