Search My Blog

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Candybar (Milkyway) Rocket Engine

Im a bit of a geek of all trades. Of late most of my free energy has going into Making sure our hacker/makerspace is awesome! Come check us out!

Quelab (My local Hackerspace in Albuquerque NM), Had a project theme of "Hacking Chocolate" for the month of February. I'm allergic to eating chocolate, so I wanted to think of a use that was a bit more exciting than just watching others eat the stuff.

So I decided to experiment with making a chocolate (candybar) powered rocket engine. A quick googling showed me that I was remembering right that people do make Sugar and Potassium Nitrate rockets. (And even pixi stick rockets), so I decided to see if i could do it too but using a candybar! (you know how many calories there are in them Right?

Figuring sticking with a space theme, and avoiding complex compounds such as peanuts. That a Milkyway candybar was just the ticket. (turns out that was a lucky decision, more on that later)

Read More...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Candybar-Milkyway-Rocket-Engine/?ALLSTEPS

Milkyway candybar rocket engine

Video Link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2vldXM1Inc0

Might be a little anticlimactic, since we didn't actually put it in a rocket and launch it, or even strap a stick to it and make a big bottle rocket. but we currently have some burn restrictions here (drought), so we are keeping it on the ground for now. That will come in the future.

Please Support your local hackerspaces! look them up on Hackerspaces.org, donate money, or supplies, or attend meetings or become a member! We are inventing the future!

Pretty Cool!:) I use to build Model Rockets, when I was a Kid. Mine were all kits from Estes Rockets. I ordered them by mail. No Internet Back then. I grew up in the 60s - 70s. I tried making my own Rocket Engine or um... Really Big Fire Cracker one time. I took the Gun Powder out of some Shot Gun Shells. Don't Ever Try this Kids! You could Blow your Face Off!:O I know... Your not Scared! And that's exactly the Problem. You need to have a healthy fear and know what kinds of things can kill you! And judging by the News Today... Few young People do. So, back to the story... Then I packed it all into a Large Cardboard Daisy BB Case. If I remember right I packed some Paper in the ends and glued them to make them and the fuse stay better. I was trying to back it tight. Like a Real Back Cat. I had some long fuse left over from some regular Black Cat Fire Crackers and I used a long piece of it as my fuse. I mounted it on a Stick. Like a Bottle Rocket. Just to have a way to stick it in the ground. I was really trying to build a Big Fire Cracker. I never dreamed that it would burn slow and might fly! But, when I lite the thing... It just started spewing out of one end. Just like a Bottle Rocket. There's no telling how high that thing would of gone. If it hadn't been stuck in the ground so hard and fast. It did finally come loose and chase me a bit! Before it ran out of Powder though!:O I didn't build another one. That one gave me a "Health Fear" of Gun Powder. And Yes, I knew, just how dangerous, Digging Gun Power out of a Shot Gun Shell could be. Just one slip or a tap on that Igniter on the end of the Shell... Besides... I think I used all of the Shells that I could get a hold of, on that Big Fire Cracker - Rocket Engine...

Don