Most model rockets blast off at a much higher acceleration rate than full size rockets. Is it possible to have model rockets take off slowly to more closely mimic the acceleration speed of full scale rockets?

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Most model rockets blast off at a much higher acceleration rate than full size rockets. Is it possible to have model rockets take off slowly to more closely mimic the acceleration speed of full scale rockets?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

No, not really. Some things just don’t scale very well, and model rockets don’t for a number of reasons.

If you balance a broom on your palm (vertically), it’s pretty easy to do and it’ll stay upright even if your movements are pretty slow. If you try the same with a pencil, it’s way harder and you need to be very quick.

It’s the same story with rockets. The smaller you make it, the more quickly it wants to tip over. Compare the way a pen falls to the way a cut tree falls.

Getting a small model rocket to almost hover in the air without tipping over would be very challenging and would probably require a very fast active stabilization system of some kind. Or you may need gyroscopic stabilizers. If the rocket flies fast enough, the fins at the bottom will stabilize it, but that doesn’t work at low speeds.

There would be other problems as well, such as dialing in the thrust just right, and getting a long enough burn time.

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