This
is a beta 1.2 version of the RocketModeler program written by
Eric Bishop from the Ohio State University. You are invited
to participate in the beta testing. If you find errors in the program or
would like to suggest improvements, please send an e-mail to benson@grc.nasa.gov.
RocketModeler
With this software
you can investigate how a model rocket flies
by changing the values of different design variables.
If you are an experienced user of RocketModeler, you may prefer
a slightly different
version of RocketModeler
which does not include this manual and loads a little quicker in your browser.
There is newer version of the program, called
RocketModeler II,
which is also available. The newer program simulates a wider variety of
rockets.
If you experience difficulties when using the sliders
to change variables, simply click away from the slider and then back to
it.
If
the arrows on the end of the sliders disappear, click in the areas where
the left and right arrow images should appear, and they should reappear.
If you see only a grey box at the top of this page, be sure that Java is
enabled in your browser. If Java is enabled, and you are using the Windows XP
operating system, you need to get a newer version of Java. Go to this link:
http://www.java.com/en/index.jsp,
try the "Download It Now" button, and then select "Yes" when the download box from Sun
pops up.
SCREEN LAYOUT
The program screen
is divided into two main parts:
On the left
of the screen is the graphics window in which you will see your rocket
design and test flight. You can switch to the launch graphics by pushing
the blue "Launch Rocket" button. Details are given in Graphics.
On the right
of the screen are the input sliders and boxes that you use to change
your design or to set flight conditions. Details of the input
variables are given below.
GRAPHICS
There are two main
graphics displays. During the design of a model rocket you will see a
drawing of the current design. As you change tube length, or fin geometry
the graphic will change. On the rocket you will see two circles. The circle
with the black diamonds is the location of the center
of gravity (CG). The circle with the black dot is the location of
the center of pressure (CP). The location of
the CG and CP will change during design. For a stable
rocket, keep the CP below the CG.
When the blue "Launch Rocket" is
pushed on the design screen, the
graphics change to display the location and orientation of your rocket during flight.
Initially the rocket is sitting on the ground on its launch rail. When the red "Begin Launch" button is
pushed, a countdown from T-3 sec. begins. At T= 0, the engine fires and
you will see some small "flames" at the base of
the rocket. The flames remain burning during the powered portion of the flight but are
extinguished during the coasting ascent. If you are flying a 2 or 3 stage rocket, you
will see the spent stage fall away from the stack following staging.
When the ejection charge is ignited, the
nose cone is discharged and a small parachute is deployed for slow descent.
On the left and bottom of the graphics are some numbers which
indicate the location of your rocket relative to the launch rail. The
scales are in meters. When your rocket return to earth, a message
appears telling you how high your rocket flew. Clicking on the blue "Design Rocket"
button will return you to the design graphics.
INPUT
VARIABLES
The input variables
are located on the right side of the screen. During rocket design, you have
two choices of input screens; Design and Materials. You
can select the input screen using the buttons at the top. At the bottom
of the input screen you will see numerical values of the CG, CP,
and the rocket weight.
By convention, input boxes have a white background and black numerals,
while output boxes have a black background and green numerals. However,
if your rocket is unstable, the color of the output numerals will change
from green to red.
If you are designing a multistage rocket, you will need to check the
stability of both the launch (upper stage plus booster) and the flight
(upper stage only) configurations by using the menu button at the bottom.
You can also display the the CG and CP locations relative to the bottom
of the rocket or the bottom of the stage by using the menu button.
Pushing the blue "Launch Rocket" button changes the input
variables which are displayed.
The default input
screen is the Design screen.
You can select a one, two, or three stage rocket for design by using the menu
button at the top of the design screen.
You can use the sliders and input
boxes to change the length and diameter of the body tube, the length of
the nose cone, and the length, width and height of the fins. You can use
the selection buttons to choose either three or four fins located at equal
intervals around the rocket. Most of the
variables on this screen will influence the location of the CP. The "Zoom"
input controls the size of the graphics. To change the value of an input
variable, simply move the slider. Or click on the input box, select and
replace the old value, and hit Enter to send the new value to the
program.
The Materials
screen is used to provide information which affects the weight and CG
location of the rocket. You can select from a variety of materials for
the nose and fin using the pull down menus. If you choose "Custom" materials,
you must provide the density of that material in the input boxes in units
of grams per cubic centimeter. On this screen, you also specify the engine
to be used during your flight, and the weight of the recovery system.
You can select from three parachute sizes, which will affect the terminal
velocity of your descent. The drag
coefficient is based on the cross sectional area of the rocket and
has a default value of .7. You can enter a different value for your own
rocket design. (In future versions, this number will be computed by RocketModeler
based on your design.)
During Rocket
Launch several buttons, text fields, and sliders appear in the input
screen. The blue "Design Rocket" button returns you to design mode and
resets the graphics and input screens. The red "Begin Launch" button starts
the countdown for a new flight.
At any time during the flight,
you can push the white "Reset" button to return the rocket to the pad.
Pushing the yellow "Pause" button freezes the rocket in flight so that you
can record data from the flight. A purple "Resume" button is pushed to continue
the flight.
To the right of the buttons are output text fields showing the
elapsed time of the flight, the current velocity, and the maximum altitude attained.
During ascent, the maximum altitude is the current altitude.
Using the sliders beneath the buttons, you are able to set the angle of the launch rail, and to set
the wind speed. Positive velocity is from the right of the graphic.
The "Percentage Real Time" slider allows you to control the speed of the animation. 100% is real time,
and higher values cause the animation to proceed more slowly. (Because of a refresh problem in
Internet Explorer, we recommend using a value greater than 400% for that browser. Otherwise the
instantaneous time, velocity, and altitude outputs are not properly updated. Hitting the "Pause"
button will display the correct values, however.)
Have fun!
NEW FEATURES
The Learning Technologies
Project will continue to improve and update RocketModeler based on user
input. The history of changes is included here:
On 14 Jan 03,
version 1.2 was released. This version includes the multi-stage capability and
some bug fixes associated with the calculation of the engine weight.
On 14 Dec 01,
version 1.1 was released. This version includes controls on the speed of the animation,
options for the number of fins, output of instantaneous velocity and altitude, and a
countdown to launch.
