1. What challenges did you encounter in this project, and how did you navigate those challenges? -The biggest challenge that I encountered during this project was not being on the same page as my partners. Though me and my partners were able to design a good blueprint, we were not able to work on the actual rocket because of the lack of balance betweens the work in other classes and this one. Also we had moments where our group member was absent. We had zero coordination as a group. Sometimes it felt like we were in completely different worlds and were doing whatever we wanted to without a solid plane which delayed building our rocket by quite a bit. But after a few days we sat down together and communicated on what we had to do and assigned ourselves tasks. Because we communicated, we successfully finished building the rocket and ultimately had a successful launch.
2. What were your successes in this project, and how would you relay those successes to next year’s sophomores? -The biggest success of my rocket project was the fins. We used big Arizona tea cans to make the fins. I suggested using big cans as fins because one, they are pretty easy to obtain and two, they are very cheap. On top of that I knew that the material the can was made out of is aluminum. And aluminum is very light weight and that's very good because the lighter the rocket the further it can go, every gram matters in this project. We then cut out the finn design from the cans, then stacked and taped 3 of them together to make the fins stronger. We then taped and glued those reinforced fins on the rockets. We also made the fins curved so when the rocket is falling down the curved fins catch the wind which makes it spin and slowdown the falling, which gives the slider enough time to deploy the parachute. So I would highly recommend the future sophomores to use aluminum cans as fins.
3. What was a turning point for you in this project and why? -The turning point for me in this project was when I sat down with my group mates and communicated about what we each needed to do. We split different tasks within ourselves to be as efficient as possible. For example I was incharge on making the splice and gluing it on while my partners were assigned to make the fins. Because we did this, we were able to be on the same page and worked together on the rest of the rocket. I think this was the turning point for me because we all had a solid idea on what needs to be accomplished, plus we divided the workload to get things done faster. We also came to the realization that we depended on each other, which pushed us to give our absolute best because we did not want to disappoint each other.
4. What lessons did you learn while doing this project, and how could you apply those lessons in your future projects and life? -The biggest lesson I learned was how important communication is, especially when it comes to working in groups. Because in the beginning of this project me and my groupmated did not communicate well we fell behind and did not get our stuff done like we initially planned, but because we communicated we were able to get back on track and finish the project. I think that this is a lesson I will be applying a lot not only in school but in life itself, because working with people is unavoidable and having good communication skills will help and take me far.
5. If you were to do this project again, what would you do differently and why? -If I had to do this project all over again, I would definitely not splice my plastic bottles. Although having a bigger bottle that holds more water and air seems like a good idea, it’s a hassle to do the actual splice, on top of that even the slightest mistake means that your rocket will probably explode. Another reason I would use a non spliced bottle is because it can withstand a lot of air pressure, and I one thing I have learned is that having more air pressure is better than having more water when launching a rocket, making it so that the rocket goes higher.