What are bottle rockets made of?

Answer 1

The earliest rockets were made from black powder. The Chinese invented black powder and used them in simple rockets like you would buy today to celebrate the Fourth of July. The loose black powder was packed into rolled paper and a fuse was inserted that is made from paper and black powder. Later, rockets were made by forming black powder into a paste and molding it as a solid into a rocket chamber. This requires a little more skill and is very dangerous operation.

Answer 2

A bottle rocket consists of three major parts including:

• The rocket engine. This will typically use a black powder-type fuel, possibly with additives to produce a decorative spark trail as the rocket ascends, but they have also used other chemical reactions for thrust. The fuel is pressed to form a solid grain inside a cardboard Lube tube; this tube is sealed at the top, but open at the bottom. When the fuel is ignited from the bottom, hot gases are expelled downwards, propelling the rocket upwards. Other fuels are possible. A common alternative choice is whistle mix, to produce a whistling rocket.

• The nose cone. In addition to serving its aerodynamic role, the nose cone typically contains the rocket's payload. This may include exploding fireworks, colored stars, a parachute, confetti, or other decorative items.

• The guide stick. A typical bottle rocket, with no fins or other stabilizers, relies entirely on its stick for stability in flight. The stick's length and weight are chosen to achieve this.