Getting Started
OK, maybe a few of your questions
have now been answered. Now you'd like to know a little more detail about
the hobby of model rocketry. This page will give you some more background
and it will list steps that you can follow to get yourself started building
and flying your own rockets.
Equipment You Will Need
To get yourself going, you'll have
to stock up on some gear. Much of the equipment listed on this page you may
already own. The additional gear that you purchase will likely last you your
entire rocketing career. We'll start by listing the equipment, then give
you some actual places to go to get it. So go out and do some shopping and
get your rocket program started....
 Required
and Optional Tools
Most of the rockets you'll own will
come to you in the form of kits. They are not difficult to construct, but
you will need a few basic construction items in order to get them together
right. Here are some to start with; you may want to add to this list some
of your own favorites:
- Strong glue - typically
white glue will get you started. You may move on to epoxies later
- Sandpaper - many kits
use balsa fins that must be sanded to shape. Get some fine and medium grit
papers
- Model knife - most use
the Xacto models. You'll need one to cut out parts and do some trimming
- Masking tape - used to
temporarily hold parts together and for masking when painting
Ground Support Equipment
Once you've completed your first
kit, you'll be anxious to find out how well it flies. You'll need some ground
support equipment (GSE) before you launch. You can usually purchase most
of this in the form of a starter set, which can cost less than buying the
parts individually. However you get them, make sure you get good quality
and they'll last you for your lifetime of rocketry.
Here's what you need:
- Launch pad with launch
rod (make sure the rod size works with your rocket)
- An electronic launch controller (ignition
system) using a safety key system (check your batteries!)
- A good supply of motors (We
usually have several different sizes for varying conditions and locations)
- Igniters for the motors
(at least one each; it's better to have a few spares because they sometimes
fail)
- Recovery wadding - this
is fire resistant paper that protects the parachute when the ejection charge
fires
- It wouldn't hurt to have a nice case
with a handle to hold all of this equipment and move it around
Rocket Construction Materials
Here's a quick overview of the materials
used in today's model rocket kits. The actual materials used varies from
one manufacturer to another, so these are only examples of what you might
find in a given kit:
- Nose cones - often made
of balsa, but many plastic ones are used, as well
- Rocket bodies - these
are often heavy cardboard; others are fiberglass or phenolic resin
- Fins - on smaller kits
these tend to be balsa; higher-end kits use fiberglass
- Parachutes - used for
recovery, these are usually a thin plastic or nylon material
Typical
rocket components (from Estes Educator pages)
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Technical - the physics of a rocket 
Before we go on to the details of
purchasing and building your first kit, you ought to know at least a little
about model rockets and how they work. This is a very short overview; you'll
find much more if you spend some time checking the Resources & Links page.
Physics of the motor
A model rocket (or a full-sized
rocket, for that matter) is propelled forward by gases escaping from the
engine (or motor). This is basic Newtonian physics at work: Newton's third
law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
You see examples of this principle all the time in real life. When you inflate
a balloon and then release it, it moves because of the air escaping from
the opening. Many lawn sprinklers are turned by the force of the water escaping
from small nozzles. The gases escaping from the rocket motor via the nozzle
create a force in the opposite direction that drives the rocket upwards.
We call this force "thrust".
Modern model rockets use disposable
motors that are safe and reliable. These motors have the nozzle built into
the motor casing (see graphic below). After an initial thrust phase (which
usually lasts only about one second), there is a delay to allow the rocket
to coast to maximum altitude. If things time out correctly, an ejection charge
will fire as the rocket reaches its apogee and the recovery system will be
deployed.
 From
the Estes Educator site
If you would like to
know more about the physics of the motor and rocket flight, this
NASA site has a lot of good information.
Flight characteristics
There are a number of principles
at work once a rocket is launched. The design of the rocket will determine
whether or not it is stable in flight. The four key forces involved with
a rocket are thrust, drag, weight, and lift. See these NASA
educational pages for more detail.
You won't need to worry about this
much when building a kit -- these have been carefully tested and proven through
multiple launches. If you decide at some point to create your own rocket
design, you'll want to learn a bit about the aerodynamics and physics of
the moving rocket. You'll also learn some ways to test your design prior
to a real launch and this can save your rocket and maybe lower the excitement
level just a bit.
Recovery systems
We've talked quite a bit already
about launching a rocket. What about after it's sky-high? Then what happens?
This is where recovery systems come into play. You'd like to get that fine
rocket back to fly again. After all, you spent hours putting it together;
you're not going to want it to be a one-shot wonder.
Recovery systems come
in several types, but here are a few of the more common ones:
- Streamer recovery - this
one uses a simple streamer (usually a couple of feet long) to slow the
rocket as it falls to earth. This system is a good compromise between tumble
and parachute recovery systems. Streamer recovery is sometimes used on
rockets that are intended to launch when significant winds are present.
Because it's coming down faster than a 'chute, it won't drift as far in
the gale.
- Parachute recovery - chute
recovery systems are used quite frequently on all sizes of model rockets.
The engine's ejection charge pops the nose cone off and out comes a parachute
(plastic or nylon) to slow the rocket on its way down. If you're launching
in stiff winds, you have to get the launch rod angle just right in order
to have your precious model come down in the same county you launched it
from. In calm launches the chute will provide a gentle return to earth
that is least likely to hurt the rocket when it lands.
- Helicopter recovery -
a few kits use innovative blades that pop out, making a simple helicopter
that autorotates back to earth. We have no experience with these yet, but
they look quite interesting.
- Glide recovery - there's
a whole branch of the sport that takes simple gliders and uses rocket engines
to get them up high. Some rockets carry a small glider as a payload and
then release it at its apogee. The rest of the rocket uses another recovery
system, typically a small parachute.
- Tumble recovery - this
is probably the simplest of the recovery systems. The rocket simply falls
(or tumbles) back to earth after the engine has fired and it has coasted
to its maximum altitude. You normally see this system used on the smallest
of rockets (for what should be obvious reasons).
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Getting Your Starter Equipment
If you've worked your way through
the Beginning Model Rocketry site, you now have a good idea of what the hobby
is about. You may now be wondering what to do next. This page offers some
ideas for you on how to proceed. Good luck in your rocketeering!
Choosing a kit vs. a starter set
Now you have a few choices to make.
Do you want to assemble your rocket inventory by purchasing individual parts,
or should you start with a complete kit? Going with a starter kit has the
advantage of getting you going the fastest and it can also save you some
money. On the other hand, if you select your equipment individually, you
may be more satisfied with your gear. Our recommendation is go to with an
inexpensive starter set first, then you can upgrade later if you find that
this is the hobby for you.
One very basic starter set that
many of us learned the basics with is the Estes Alpha Starter set. This kit is
inexpensive and will have you in the air quickly. It includes the basic launch
equipment as well as the rocket and engines. This is an easy way to try the
hobby to see if it's for you, without investing a lot of time and money first.
Here are some more suggestions on starter kits...
Where to order
Manufacturers
Some manufacturers sell direct to
customers. If you're not too limited in hobby funds, a good intermediate
starter set can be found at the Aerotech
site. This set comes with the Initiator rocket and a medium-duty launch
pad. The price will be close to $200 after shipping, which is more than the
kit described below. But this gear appears to be top-notch and would last
you a long time. You can also purchase this kit from a dealer online. See
the Initiator
System Starter Kit.
Dealers and Hobby Shops
Starter sets at the low end of the
price range are often sold at hobby shops and larger department stores. Here's
an example of a starter set that is inexpensive and yet quite complete:
Estes
Stars & Stripes Starter Set.
Here are a couple of
web-enabled hobby shops that can sell you a similar kit (the Alpha III Starter
Set): Uptown
Sales and Discount
Rocketry . You may be able to find even better deals by doing a little
searching on the web.
Next....
We won't have to help
you with receiving the kit, doing the assembly, and that exciting first launch.
The instructions that come with your gear will do just fine. Be sure to follow
the instructions closely. If you have questions, most companies have support
phone lines and email addresses that you can use to get help. If you take
your time and do a good job, your first launch will go off smoothly. It could
be the start of an exciting and life-long journey.
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