Assignment 07: Model Rocketry Name:

Robarios, John Ericsson I.

Instructor: Date: 09-Jun-20 Page: 1 of 5
Engr. Noruane Daileg Grade: Issue No. 01

Assignment 07: Model Rocketry

1. What started Model Rocketry? What made it a prominent hobby for many
enthusiasts?

There’s no doubt that model rockets are quickly gaining momentum in the mainstream, even
to the extent of being popular. However, model rocketry as a hobby is thought of to be more
of a recent trend whereas in fact, the modern model rockets have been around for decades.

Although rocketry as a concept was around since the 13th century, model rockets came into
existence only much later. It was not till World War II did model rocketry flourish. Like many
other fields, rocketry too was affected by World War II. The great war had ended and in the
early 1930s it looked like the world was ready for war again. This time the differentiator would
be aerial attacks. Special emphasis was given on missiles that could destroy the enemy
hundreds of miles away. It was Germany, that was able to build the first fully operational long
range guided ballistic missile capable of suborbital space flight, called the V2. Germany used
the V2 to bombard England. The world now looked at awe at the superpowers that possessed
such military strength.

A natural progression of this was the Space Race, where sub orbital paths were being given
special attention. Post WW II, the Space Race continued between the USA and the Soviet
Union, with each nation trying the best the other. It was during this time that model rockets
started garnering mainstream regard. Post WW II people were looking for hope and they
looked up to the skies. The launch of the Sputnik put the Soviet Union in the lead in the space
race and also led to a lot of young people trying to build their own rockets at home. The awe
that rockets held, seeped into the common man and every backyard became a workshop.
Some of these attempts were dramatized in the fact-based movie October Sky.

As model rockets grew in popularity, much research and experimentation was done by
enthusiasts, specifically on improving the efficiency of the model rockets and more specifically
the model rocket motor. It was in 1954 that Orville Carlisle, a shoe salesman/ licensed
pyrotechnician and his brother Robert, a model rocket enthusiast, built the first modern model
rocket. They initially designed the rocket motor for Robert to use in lectures on the principles
of rocket-powered flight.

It was while flicking through the pages of Popular Mechanics magazine that Orville stumbled
across articles by G. Harry Stine. In these articles, Stine argued the lack of safety while
building model rockets at home and their spectacular failure. The Carlisle bothers soon
realized that the rocket motors they had developed, would help provide a safe outlet for this
new beorgening hobby. In January 1957 they sent samples of single use rocket engines to be
used in reusable model rockets to Mr. Stein. Stein constructed, launched and fell in love with
them.
 Assignment 07: Model Rocketry Name:
Robarios, John Ericsson I.
Instructor: Date: 09-Jun-20 Page: 2 of 5
Engr. Noruane Daileg Grade: Issue No. 01

Their partnership was predestined and together, along with a few others, they started the first
american model rocket company in their basement called “ Model Missiles Incorporated
(MMI)”. The company saw great success, so much so that they had a hard time keeping up
with the demand. Their suppliers, specifically of the rocket engines were local firework
manufacturers and hence ran into reliability and delivery troubles. Stein finally found Vernon
Estes. Vernon Estes loved the idea of a model rocket and came up with a custom built
automated machine to specifically to make solid fuel model rocket engines for MMI. The
machine, nicknamed “Mabel”, made low-cost motors with great reliability, and did so in
quantities much greater than Stine needed.
 Assignment 07: Model Rocketry Name:
Robarios, John Ericsson I.
Instructor: Date: 09-Jun-20 Page: 3 of 5
Engr. Noruane Daileg Grade: Issue No. 01

Orville Carlisle

MMI, unfortunately, didn’t stand the test of time and collapsed. However, Vernon Estes found
success in manufacturing and marketing the model rocket engines independently, eventually
setting up Estes Industries in Colorado. Eventually by the 1960s Estes Industries started
marketing model rocket kits as well and began dominating the market. Many competitors like
Centuri and Cox tried to find success in the market but to no avail. Even to this day, Estes
Industries is the leader in rockets, motors, and launch equipment for the low- to medium-
power rocketry.

In 1957, Stein and Orville Carlisle, founded the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) which,
even today, is the premier organization dedicated to consumer safety, youth education, and
the advancement of technology in the hobby of sport rocketry in the United States. It has a
global following, with people of various nation being active members. The NAR has grown to
become an international authority on model rockets with their performance and reliability
certification of consumer rocket motors and for the certification of high-power rocket fliers
held in high regard. Their model rocket safety code is said to have eliminated all possibilities
of accidents and injury. The NAR has since launched 500 million model rockets.

By the time the world entered the 1970s, model rockets were a phenomenon. Enthusiasts
started heavily experimenting with alternate materials and were also making their own model
rocket motors. However, model rocketry was still largely unregulated. It was here that
organizations like the NAR, Estes Industries and many others came together to bring about a
provision in the laws of the land and regulate model rocketry. The introduction of these
regulations had a positive effect in the acceptance of rocketry. Novice students now could
become amateur enthusiast and could practice rocketry safely.

Since then, many companies have come and gone that have specialized in model rocketry.
More recently, high powered rocketry has gained popularity with vehicles breaking Mach 1 and
 Assignment 07: Model Rocketry Name:
Robarios, John Ericsson I.
Instructor: Date: 09-Jun-20 Page: 4 of 5
Engr. Noruane Daileg Grade: Issue No. 01

reaching heights of 3000 m. Custom built model rocket even experiment with reaching
dizzying height of 17,000 m and producing colored and glittering plume of exhaust.

The history of model rockets is colorful and very interesting to observe. Most of the historical
breakthroughs have happened in the USA. However, the other countries are not far behind
with South Africa, UK, Canada, Switzerland and many other countries starting their own
legalized model rocketry governing bodies. India as well is seeing a rise in interest in model
rockets.

Hopefully, the day is not too far along that we have our own model rocket governing body
that inspires minds to see the magic that is model rocketry.

2. Make a comparison between a model Rocket to an actual Rocket operation. List

and discuss their similarities/difference, systems or factors that are unique only to
each other.

A model rocket is subjected to four forces during flight; weight, thrust, and lift and drag. The

same forces operate on a full scale rocket as it moves through the atmosphere. The flight
trajectory of a full scale rocket takes it out of the atmosphere as quickly as possible.
Therefore, the aerodynamic lift and drag are less important for a full scale rocket relative to a
model rocket. The magnitude of the aerodynamic forces depend on the air density and air
density decreases to near zero at the edge of the atmosphere. For model rockets, the entire
flight is conducted in the lower atmosphere and the aerodynamic effects are very important.

During powered flight both model rockets and full scale rockets use a rocket
propulsion system. Model rockets employ a variety of small solid rocket engines. There are
some larger "amateur" rockets which use liquid or hybrid engines, but these are intended for
older, more experienced rocket builders and are not discussed at this site. Full scale rockets
may employ either solid or liquid rocket engines. On full scale rockets, solid engines are often
used as "strap-ons" during the first minutes of flight, with liquid engines used for sustainers
and upper stages. For a model rocket, the propellant is a small fraction of the weight of the
entire rocket, typically, 10 - 15%. For a full scale rocket the propellant represents a
large mass fraction of the weight of the vehicle, typically,80 - 85%. Part of the reason for
this difference is that model rocket engines burn very quickly, usually less than two seconds. A
full scale rocket engine may fire for 10 minutes to get into orbit.

During flight both model rockets and full scale rockets must provide some system of stability
and control. Stability indicates that if the flight path is slightly perturbed, the rocket will
return to the previous path and not fly erratically. Control is the ability to maneuver the
rocket during flight. Both models and full scale rockets are designed with passive
stability within the atmosphere. The "passive" part means that the rocket will return to the
flight path without moving any control surfaces. The conditions for stability are that the center
of gravity must be located above the center of pressure. Model rockets have no provisions for
control. After the rocket leaves the launch rail, it can go anywhere. You watch a model rocket
fly; you can't control it. Model rockets often turn into the wind, in a maneuver called weather
cocking, because of aerodynamic forces on the stability fins. Real rockets use very
sophisticated instrumentation, computers, and high speed actuators for flight control. The
early V2 had small vanes in the rocket nozzle which would deflect the thrust during flight.
 Assignment 07: Model Rocketry Name:
Robarios, John Ericsson I.
Instructor: Date: 09-Jun-20 Page: 5 of 5
Engr. Noruane Daileg Grade: Issue No. 01

Most full scale rockets use a system called engine gimbals, in which the whole nozzle is
rotated while the engine is firing.

Model rockets fly at relatively low speeds (<250 mph) so aerodynamic heating is not a
concern. Model rockets are made of inexpensive materials like balsa wood, cardboard, or
plastic. Full scale rockets fly very fast (> 10,000 mph) so aerodynamic heating is a big
concern. Exotic, expensive materials are used in the construction of real rockets; materials like
titanium, and nickel alloys. On some rockets, like the Space Shuttle external tank (ET), special
insulating material is applied to the metal skin to prevent damage due to aerodynamic
heating. That's why the ET is orange-colored.

References

Benson, T. (2014, June 12). NASA. Retrieved from Model Rockets and Real Rockets:
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/rocket/rktcompare.html

Daileg, N. (2020). AE 522 Technical Elective. Propellants and Model Rocketry. Philippines.

Rocketeers. (2019). The Rise and Rise of Model Rocketry | A Brief History of Model Rockets .
Retrieved from Rocketeers: https://www.rocketeers.in/the-countdown/the-rise-and-
rise-of-model-rocketry-a-brief-history-of-model-rockets/