The Payload water rocket / pop bottle rocket may be used to take aerial photographs. Before flying your expensive camera, make a wooden mockup camera the same size, shape and weight, and fly it several times to improve your technique. When you are confident of your ability, then fly your real camera at your own risk.
It’s best to use a small, light digital camera with a very fast shutter speed (1/2000 sec), a very wide angle lens, and a continuous burst mode that keeps taking photos during the entire flight (like a GoPro Hero cam). Press the shutter button to start the camera recording high resolution photos, then pump up and launch the rocket. After the camera lands, upload the useful photos to your computer.
It’s an excellent view from 150 feet up. AntiGravity’s Payload Water Rocket.
At the top of the flight, the camera falls up off of the rocket and pulls the parachute and cup with it. The parachute inflates and the camera comes down slowly and gently, taking photos all the way down, spinning around slowly as it descends. The rocket returns to the ground separately and it is so light it does’t need a parachute.
You can get the best aerial photographs on a bright sunny day because the camera’s aperture will be the smallest (for best focus) and the shutter speed will be the fastest (for crisp stop-motion). Since you can’t aim the camera while it is up in the sky, make sure to take lots pictures so that you can choose the best ones.
Choose a launch area that has no trees nearby so that your expensive camera doesn’t become lodged on top of one of them. And choose a day that has very little wind so the camera comes straight down instead of being carried far away.
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- It’s an excellent view from 150 feet up.
