In this post, I’ll cover the unboxing and getting the right tools for assembly.
The kit basically contains all the parts needed to build a model rocket (minus the engine), a launch pad and launch controller (the red parts below).
The bottom half of the picture are mostly the rocket parts. In general, all rockets have the following parts:
- Body tube/ airframe. A hollow, lightweight plastic or paper tube, which is the main structural part of the rocket.
- Nose cone. A hollow plastic or wooden cone that fits on the front of the rocket body.
- Rocket motor. A small, one-time use only (non-reusable) motor, which looks kind of like a roll of quarters and is packed with solid propellant.
- Launch lug. A small tube, like a straw, attached to the outside of the body tube. It slips over the launch rod on the launch pad to hold the rocket upright before launch.
- Recovery device. A thin plastic parachute or streamer, which is packed inside the body tube and deployed only once the rocket hits maximum height.
- Recovery wadding. Similar to thin tissue paper but fireproof, wadding is crumpled inside the body tube to protect the recovery device from the motor.
- Electric igniter. Starts the rocket motor.
I also bought a few supplies, for assembling this and other rockets in the future.
The main supplies here are wood glue and plastic cement/ epoxy; a modeling or hobby knife; some sandpaper for shaping and smoothing wooden parts; and a few cans of spray paint, as well as primer.
In my next post, I’ll walk through the assembly of my first model rocket!
Improbable Ventures 