Day Fifteen (CoP)

Today we are cleaning up our website and creating a Twitter account, which we will use to communicate with the public. Clay calculated the center of pressure for our rocket, which is the point the rocket rotates around while in the air. The center of pressure was about 5.377 inches from the reference point (the bottom of the rocket). To calculate the center of pressure, Clay utilized the formula:

cp*SA=ad(nose) + ad(tube) + ad(fins). This formula may seem confusing, it is actually quite simple. or center of pressure of the rocket. SA stands for the surface area of the entire rocket, and this is multiplied by the cp or center of pressure. The a represents the surface area of the parts, and the d represents the distance form the reference line measured to the midpoint.

Thankfully, it was in the correct spot for aerodynamic stability, behind the center of mass but ahead of the stabilizing fins. Andrew figured out how to keep the clear tube, which holds the engine assembly, stable. We utilized cardboard with circles cut out in the middle to connect the smaller 1" tube to the larger 2 3/4" body tube.