Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

[Mustermark]

Fantastic enginuity. It always seems that the first try exceeds my expectations, yet you strive for something more precise every time. That will make this build the best ever...

[roma847]

Hello Mark, my faithful companion, and thanks for your continued interest and the joy of my work. 

I think the best is just good enough and so I'm often striving for the perfect solution, no matter what kind of material is needed and how long it takes, because only the result is important, and nothing is impossible. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

before starting with the rounding of the longer gutters according to the new method with the plastic core strip, I have tried here the lateral gutter end from a rounded rectangle strip 0.25 mm x 1.5 mm. The strip will be cut off only after gluing.

 

 

But now to the longer part of the Gutter 1, which was pre-rounded first in the largest half-pipe (Ø 7.5 mm) with an aluminum core (Ø 4.0 mm). 

 

 

And this went on in several stages with diminishing diameters of the semiconductors and core wires, starting with 

 

Ø 6,4 mm, 

 

 

Ø 6,0 mm,

 

 

Ø 4,7 mm. 

 

 

down to Ø 3,0 mm.

 

 

The following rounding with the plastic core strip (1.75 mm) was then carried out on the foam strip,

 

 

and then by pressing it together in the Balsa "vise".

 

 

And then it went on with the 1.5 mm core wire on my "pin board" using my Balsa-Clamp technique, with which I have bent already the SSWS pipes.  

 

By cleverly clamping, the core wire can be held down with the inserted gutter, while at the same time in the interspace the gutter wall can be smoothed almost perfectly by swaying the balsa board back and forth.   And by re-clamping the arrangement one can also reach the previously covered areas of the gutter for smoothing them. 

 

 

The rounding could then be further smoothed on the other also rounded side of the core strip by pulling a fixed rubber over the gutter rounding.

 

 

And this is the result of all this tender loving care,

 

 

 

which can really be impressive and so is also taken from the quality control of the FSC.

 

 

And since I now know the fact how it works, I can calmly dedicate myself to the other gutters.

[RichO]

This is really great stuff Manfred.  Love watchin' your scratchin' techniques.  We seem to learn something new all the time with you.  Thanks!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich for your compliments, 

 

I have also learned a lot from your builds so far. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

let's have a short break, because I have got an interesting post by a nice fellow (DaveS) in the NASASpaceFlight.com Forum, who has written as follows ...

 

Manfred, I have found something that will require you to go back a few steps. It concerns the grid structure on the north walls of the SRB exhaust holes. It isn't launch equipment. It was in fact a temporary support or bracing structure for the walls when MLP-2 was undergoing some rebuild work back in 2004. I have attached a photo from STS-135 which was MLP-2's last launch which clearly shows that the structure isn't there.

 

together with this image.

 

 

Here is a better photo of his stumbling block, what hasn't been surprising me, because I have seen lots of such images already, and I know them very well ...

 

Source: flickr.com (Jen Scheer)

 

This refers to my previous rear walls of the SRB Exhaust Chambers, as created by David Maier, which can be seen here at the adaptation of the Water Bags.  

 

 

In connection with this this image of a SSWS Test (2004) on the MLP-2 was always on my mind, on which these rear walls are to see. 

 

Source: NASA

 

At some time I had even scratched these grid structures,   

 

 

which unfortunately had fallen a victim to my emergency surgery for the adjustment of the SRB shafts , but which I have kept so far.  

 

But since I decided to install the Water Bags, I had to renounce it for reasons of space and therefore I used the rear walls from the Paper Kit. 

 

Interesting would be the question to David Maier, why he decided for these rear walls ...

 

As an explanatory answer, I sent DaveS the above picture of the SSWS test and said that the back walls also looked like this after the conversion of the MLP-2 in the year 2004 and probably also before were not different, but what still turned out as a fallacy.

 

When viewing the image series of this SSWS test in NASA Media Archive was clarified to me by the detailed information that 2004 some equipment at the MLP-2 were converted or exchanged, as can be read there ... 

 

This test is being conducted following the replacement of the six main system valves, which had been in place since the beginning of the Shuttle Program and had reached the end of their service life. Also, the hydraulic portion of the valve actuators has been redesigned and simplified to reduce maintenance costs.  

 

especially because the Shuttle missions after the Columbia Disaster (STS-107, 2003) were interrupted for a year and a half.

 

And in his following answer, DaveS has also confirmed that with two pictures for me comprehensibly.

 

In this image of the STS-90 (1998) the known structure of the rear wall of the MLP-2 is to see,  that means before the overhaul in 2004.

 

Source: NASA

 

This image of the STS-115 (2006) shows the same structure of the rear wall in closer detail in the rear SRB shaft.    

 

Source: NASASpaceFlight.com Forum (DaveS)

 

And if one looks at the following image from the overhaul phase, this frame structure was, in my opinion, should be the uncovered substructure of the rear  wall, onto which the standard wall cladding was installed again after the overhaul, which was the same on all three MLPs. 

 

Source: NASA

 

So I guess that the rear walls of the MLP-2 at the STS-6 at that time also looked like this and I have to redecorate my rear walls accordingly, but that is no problem, because I still have copies of it.

[roma847]

Then let's go on,

 

of course this was reason enough to mend matters right away, which is gone, is gone!

 

Here one can see once again the old, but wrong rear wall (right) of the SRB shaft from the Paper kit, which is now to be exchanged by a piece from the area on its left, which is suitable very well.

 

 

Here, the two new rear wall panels are already cut out, 

 

 

which were immediately tried on the "High seat", but please with greatest caution!

 

 

And that looks very well already,

 

 

 

and also gives a completely different picture, that I like much better.

 

 

How good that DaveS has still raised his hand, although late, but not too late.

[Mustermark]

Great teamwork. Thank goodness that NASA liked to photograph everything!

Edited July 22, 2017 by Mustermark

[roma847]

Thanks Mark, 

 

unfortunately there are only few good photos from the STS-6 for my detail search ... 

[Mustermark]

Hi Manfred, just a quick aside... is that Schumacher's Ferrari I see next to your computer monitor? I have a kit of his F1-2000 still to build, from the year he clinched the title in Japan on the last race of the season... I already made the figure of Michael with the decals from 2000. Not quite on the same level as your NASA research, but quite painstaking nonetheless.

 

Back on topic... the SSWS looks great and the back wall does look very nice.

[roma847]

Thanks Mark, 

 

yes, it is Michael Schumacher's Ferrari 248 F1, as you can see here on a very old photo five years ago ...

 

 

when my MLP still had white and gray LH2 pipes and was still very healthy without any emergency surgeries ... 

[RichO]

The new chamber walls do look a little more pleasing.  Not as much visual tension, a cleaner look.  Good call.

[roma847]

Especially the rear walls are now true to the original, what is crucial. 

[xffw45343tg]

Hmm Schumacher. I know that name from somewhere. Wasn't he No. 2 driver at Mercedes before Lewis joined??

 

Mind-bending model by the way.

 

 

[roma847]

 

Thanks Kirk, 

 

but sorry, are you pulling my legs? That hurts ...  

 

If you speak in riddles about Michael Schumacher, then I would have to ask, who is Lewis? 

 

[xffw45343tg]

Didn't mean to cause you pain Manfred. 

I'm just one of those people who suspects that Michael (brilliant as he was on a driver) is flattered a little too much by the record books. For much as I remember that amazing race (I think it was Spain 1994) where he came second in the race in the wet with only 5th gear, I also remember Adelaide 94 and Jerez 97 and Monaco 06 and so on - incidents which were not fitting of a man with his talents. 

Lewis is the chap who is going to win the F1 driver's championship this year. 

 

Enough of this diversion though - keep building!! 

 

Kirk

[roma847]

Hi Kirk,

 

I knew that you only were kidding me,  your smiley unmasked you. 

 

But now back to the stressful gutters with their tiny supports, 

 

Source: Raumcon (eumel)

 

which I want to scratch today. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

let's go back to the gutters and their supports.

 

These were the first patterns,

 

 

whose proportions were still too inaccurate to me.    

 

 

That is why I have checked the dimensions more precisely with the aid of this photo since I had not considered some of the perspective distortions so far, which inevitably lead to errors. 

 

Source: Raumcon (eumel)

 

And afterwards I drew this template with the new dimensions to get an accurate overview.

 

 

And as one can easily see, there is nearly nothing to be detectible in the scale 1:1, but in 5:1 one can see it much clearer, and so the shape could then also be approximately right.  

 

This is now the new support that should fit to the gutter dummy,

 

 

which could fit well.  

 

 

And with that I could go into the mini-production, I think, or are there objections or any hints?

 

But maybe the lower part is still a bit too high ...

[roma847]

Hello friends,

 

in hindsight the lower part seems almost a bit too high for me, if I look at other pictures. 

 

Source: Raumcon (eumel)

 

Source: Raumcon (eumel)

 

But perhaps it is only an optical trick of light & shadow and the viewing angle, because the lower flange always covers a part of the height. 

[RichO]

For me Manfred, it is hard to tell if the proportions are correct.  In the photo, the original is constructed of two pieces if you look closely.  Try cutting a paper pattern with two parts and you will get the proportions closer I think.

[roma847]

Thanks Rich, 

 

the thing is a little bit difficult. 

 

While the lower parts of the most supports are T-profiles, which are welded onto the girders,

 

Source: Raumcon (eumel) 

 

 

the supports at the beginning and end of the side walls are welded directly onto the angle profiles.

 

Source: Raumcon (eumel)

 

Unfortunately, one can not measure these dimensions directly, since the images are mostly perspectively distorted, and that's the problem. 

[RichO]

You are correct, you can't measure directly, but you can guesstimate the distances by careful observation.

[roma847]

Hi Rich, 

 

that's right. 

 

These dimensions are needed for the Gutter-Supports, and based on the Reference dimensions one can calculate them, but this is a bit tricky because of the perspective distortions and the hidden edges of the gutter, so one has to estimate the most important ones. 

 

 

BTW, at the overhang I would have almost allow myself to be deceived, because the bright strip in front in the sunlight is only one half, the other half is in the shadow. 

[RichO]

Careful with the lighting,  But you will prevail with these tiny pieces, just struggle through, and once again, nice Tech. photos!

[roma847]

Thanks Rich, 

 

as you know, unfortunately I have only photos and no kit templates,  and therefore I must keep a cool head, and only when things are clear and I'm convinced of it, I can get started.