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Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6


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On 18/12/2017 at 11:25 PM, roma847 said:

 

Thank you for your advice on the Newware Detail set for the 1/144 Revell Shuttle stack and the Decal sets by Steven Jochums, which I know, but I lost sight of it. :rolleyes:

 

BTW, have you a building report of your Shuttle stack, and how would you rate the quality of the kit, especially of the resin parts? hmmm.gif

 

It would be very interesting to see the details and decals on your model. up040577.gif

Sorry only just seen this, the resin parts are very fine, tricky for my skill level but well worth it mainly on the SRBs and ET.  The revell kit has the SRBs too short, the resin set replaces/extends the tops and also replaces the lower parts.  I didnt create a build report, to concerned about my build being not good enough.  I can post some images though that I have?  I built a very basic launch pad from paper but it is poor and I aim to create a newer one from pre-printed paper.

 

Some photos I'd forgotten about of my build:  

 

20170121_174707.jpg

20170121_174656.jpg

20170121_172917.jpg

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Hello everybody between the years,

 

and back to the Aft Skirt Thermal Curtains (ASTC) and my friend Joe (crackerjazz) from the ARC Forum, who wanted to model these pieces in 1:144 for 3D printing at Shapeways. cool.gif

 

And he actually has kept his word and presented his first 3D models, which look quite passable.   speak_cool.gif

 

39342695612_faf3962a77_b.jpg
Source: arcforums.com (crackerjazz)

 

39342701642_556e36eb60_b.jpg
Source: arcforums.com (crackerjazz)

 

Since the initially intended quality White Strong & Flexible (WSF) might be too grainy for these small parts, Frosted Ultra Detail (FUD) might be more favourable, although a bit more expensive. huh.gif

 

The ASTC rings from the Newware-Enhancement Kit (NW131) Space Shuttle with Boosters for the Revell Stack (1:144) look like these, which was used by another ARC friend. top.gif

 

up048428.jpg
Source: arcforums.com (egt95)

 

The width of the seams between the 24 segments I measured once again in this Hi-Res photo and should be only approx. 0.1 mm in 1:144, cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon.gif which might be indicated by fine grooves.  gruebel.gif

 

up060608.jpg
Source: NASA

 

My friend wants to upload his 3D model to Shapeways, and then we'll see how much it'll turn out ... up040577.gif

At this point I wish you all a Happy New Year! 00002527.gif
 up054237.gif

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Hey Manfred,

 

  I used the "Frosted Ultra Detail" for the Crawler treads.  Very good product to work with. Very good detail.  At the size you are working with, the cost should not be to bad at all.  Go for it!

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Hello friends,

 

the clock is running down slowly, so I would like to thank all of you for the loyalty and continued interest in my work up040576.gif and wish me and all of us that we stay healthy and have a lot of fun together in the New Year. up046887.gif

 

happy-new-year-colorful-fireworks-over-c

 

smileycheersblank-vi.gif

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Hello everybody,

 

let's do it again. abklatschen.gif

 

My friend Joe was busy again and before uploading to Shapeways he had only one question to the height of the AFTC rim,  huh.gif

 

24581775587_0c525f5d45_b.jpg
Source: arcforums.com (crackerjazz)

 

which was quickly answered, after I had still again measured exactly the height of the small step inside the Aft Skirt, which is 1,5 mm. Consequently, the height of the printed disc should be slightly lower, if possible ≤ 1,2 mm. top.gif

 

hHKMNH.jpg

 

Now please keep your fingers crossed that Shapeways can realize that as well.  JC_doubleup.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello everybody,

 

after a few turbulences in the last time, it can go on now, although after the long holiday break it's not so easy again to fall into the usual tinkering modus. cool.gif

 

The 3D model of my friend Joe's AFTC ring was almost on the way to the Shapeways printers, but what's the name of it? undecided.gif 
Things never turn out the way you expect. rolleyes.gif

 

And that had once again to do with the selection of reference photos, where one should not be intoxicated only by the details of great Hi-Res photos, because also the respective time window of such photos may not be disregarded, if one wants to build a specific mission.  schlaumeier.gif

 

That's what happened to me with the last photos of the AFTCs, such like this one, which comes from the STS-121 (2006) and thus from a rather late mission,

 

up060608.jpg
Source: NASA

 

what inevitably raises the question of whether the Aft Skirts of the boosters at the time of STS-6 have looked similar, or possibly different. hmmm.gif

 

Since I was not able to find any photos that belong to the STS-6 yet, I again searched the Hi-Res archives of NSF Forums (L2) and were very surprised when I have come across this great shot in the thread STS-1: Hi Res Images.

 

iY3oY6.jpg
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (heng44)

 

The conspicuous thing about it are the silver stripes between the ASTC segments, which immediately have reminded me of the SRB Mock-ups on the KSC grounds, top.gif

 

up060371.jpg
Source: NASA

 

but they only have 16 segments, as one can see here.  gruebel.gif

 

3322652.jpg
Source: NASA (KSC/Mapio.net)

 

However, as you can see on the STS-1 photo, there were four segments between the two SRB supports, giving a total of 24 segments, whereas the older Mock-ups had only two, what could be a simplified design with only 16 segments. cool.gif

 

Therefore, I assume that the ASTCs in the STS-6 also consisted of 24 segments each, as in the STS-1 two years ago.

 

At this later photo (2013) of the Mok-ups in front of the entrance to the Atlantis Exhibition Hall on the KSC Visitor Complex there should also be 26 segments, which are covered with stripes at the seams. 

 

4B2AuA.jpg
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Lee Jay)

 

But ultimately, what matters is the ASTC configuration that was present at the launch of the Shuttle stack at the mission, therefore for me the image of the STS-1 is crucial for further 3D modeling. top2.gif

 

By now I have already instructed my friend Joe, so now he only needs the modified Stripe width, which can be determined from the Segment width, resulting from the circumference of the AFTC ring (Ø 30 mm) with 

 

C = 30 mm x 3,14 = 94 mm / 24 = 3,9 mm

 

With this Segment width as the reference value, the STS-1 image results in a width of the stripes of 1 mm above the seams between the segments in the 3D model.

 

FU3IhM.jpg

 

And so I've changed my previous sketch, which now looks like this.

 

gYFQ9g.jpg

 

That agrees well with the resin parts in the Newware-Space Shuttle Enhancement Kit 1/144 (NW131), as one can see from the drawing in the construction manual, wherefore this kit seems to me to be really worthwhile.  cool.gif

 

k0dzIc.jpg

 

So my friend Joe can now customize his 3D model and upload it soon to Shapeways.  up040577.gif

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I sort of have the same problem with getting back into the grove after the holidays.  I know it wont take long to get back tho.

 

Good luck with the 3D printing!

 

 

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Thanks Rich,

 

but you may find comfort in the fact, that this dead season will soon be passing by again too. top.gif The same thing happens to me every time after the holidays. :penguin:

 

Thats why I like to use this time as a warm-up for making analysis, detail studies, Hi-Res. photo search etc. for scratch-building ... up040577.gif

 

BTW, do you know George Gasseway?

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Hello everybody,

 

by a contribution in the ARC Forum meanwhile a few new insights to the AFTCs resulted, over which I would like to report briefly.  cool.gif

 

First of all, there is this photo from an interesting perspective looking at the lower edge of the SRB-Aft Skirt, where the individual ASTC segments are also glued over with silver cover strips, as in the STS-1 photo. speak_cool.gif

 

TC_closeout.jpg
Source: georgesrockets.com 

 

And from the same source also comes this great photo here of the Columbia, but unfortunately without specifying the mission. rolleyes.gif

 

JKyZ6o.jpg
Source: georgesrockets.com

 

This for me so far unknown source is the website  George's Rocket Pages of George Gassaway, which according to my previous overview I deem for the ultimate treasure trove for all shuttle scratch modelers, cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon.gif if only because of the valuable collection of detailed drawings there, which are coming just in time for the modeling of the ASTCs and especially of the ET-Intertank,  up045518.gif which is why I have now modified my sketch for the third time, but of course all good things come in threes. up040577.gif 

 

Nz7Baj.jpg

 

And therefore once more back to this awesome Hi-Res SRB photo from the STS-121 (2006), where one can even see the cords with which the AFTCs were sewn together. But so far I did not know if these seams still were covered with stripes before the launch as one could see on the already shown STS-1 photo.

 

up060608.jpg
Source: NASA

 

But on this photo from Endeavour's last mission STS-134 (2011) one can see the same kind of ASTC segments with cords but without stripes.

 

mmw8nk.jpg
Source: NASA

 

And in this sence now to an awesome NASA video, "Best of the Best" of Shuttle Launches, that many of you will surely know already. speak_cool.gif

 

This video from the Glenn Research Center highlights in stunning imagery in slow motion the launches of three Space shuttle missions:  STS-114, STS-117, and STS-124. eek.gif

 

And there one can see from 6:28 the Aft Skirts with the ASTCs, the segments of which have no cover stripes like in this shot at 7:37

 

qjtO8o.jpg

 

This video is so overwhelming and unique that one can watch it again and again in full length. up040577.gif

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Hello together,

 

and from the last photos like this one, my friend Joe was really excited,

 

up061030.jpg
Quelle: georgesrockets.com

 

and has then immediately modified his 3D model and meant that these strips could be applied best by sticking of thin bare metal foil, instead of painting them silver,

 

up061031.jpg
Source: arcforums.com (crackerjazz)

 

which I can well imagine, e.g. by gluing strips from simple aluminum household foil, or even better with self-adhesive aluminum foil, which one can already buy somewhere, right?gruebel.gif

 

In the meantime, I have been able to narrow down the time window of this photo (without a mission number), since four of the lower SRB rings already have the Instafoam isolation, wherefore it could be earliest at the STS -61C (1986), where this was the case for the first time.

 

And with this result, it is now certain that the ASTCs at the STS-6 (1983) also had these silver foil insulation strips already.  up040577.gif 

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Hello everybody, 

 

meanwhile I have tested some materials for the AFTC strips. cool.gif

 

Ideal would be adhesive metal foil strips with the thickness like TAMIYA Masking Tape, at which I measured 0,03 mm, up045518.gif which would be comparable to aluminum household foil (0,03 mm), which unfortunately does not stick. i5684_no2.gif

 

And then I also tested a silver party streamer (0,06 mm), which were table decoration during our last dinner in a restaurant. top.gif

 

But just cutting 1 mm wide strips of this thin stuff is already getting used to,

 

up061021.jpg

 

not to mention the subsequent gluing on the plastic half pipe, for which I first used thin CA. smiley_worship.gif

 

The left strip is from the party streamer, the two right strips are from the household foil and have about the later required distance of about 4 mm. 

 

up061022.jpg

 

And then I was very daring and glued a 4th strip with MEK, which surprisingly seems to work too. speak_cool.gif

 

up061023.jpg

 

This was not totally surprising for me, because I have already made the experience that the SSWS Pipe Supports let glue itself with MEK on the paper layer of the MLP deck, whereby the installation of the pipe framework is easier of course, since I only need brushing around the support's floor plates without having to lift them. up040577.gif

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Hello everybody,

 

and so once more back to the photo of the Columbia with the AFTC silver strips in the collection of George Gassaway (without mission number), which after intensive research I can assign meanwhile, which is always important to me, and here with the right source.  cool.gif

 

JKyZ6o.jpg
Source: spacefacts.de

 

After I firstly have scoured through the NASA Media Archive and then the website of Capcomespace in the 3rd attempt at Spacefacts, I finally have found out that it deals with the STS-50 (1992). up045518.gif

 

And through this search, I now know that these silver foil insulation strips on the AFTCs were used at least until STS-85 (1997) and disappeared only later.

 

sts-85.jpg 
Source: spacefacts.de

 

On this photo of the STS-89 (1998) one can recognize even at Hi-Res. no more silver strips with security, i5684_no2.gif I imagine at least with my meanwhile trained silver-strip-eye. cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon.gif 

 

3MbNAC.jpg
Source: mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov

 

On the other hand, I think that in this photo of the STS-99 (2000), one can easily see at Hi-Res. that there were no silver strips, what then also remained until the end of the Space Shuttle program with STS-135 (2011). up045518.gif 

 

00pp0230-m.jpg
Source: mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov

 

From the intervening seven missions STS-90, STS-91, STS-95, STS-88, STS-96, STS-93 and STS-103 I could not find any reliable photos unfortunately until now, whereby one should not be wondered about the unsystematic numbering of the missions. rolleyes.gif

 

If any of you find usable photos of it, please let me know.  bow.gif

 

Now that's enough of the long AFTC searches, i.e. one photo I still want to show finally, namely this one here, 

 

Wee2Sq.jpg
Source: Library of Congress (HAER No. TX-116-K-21)

 

with an interesting view at the inside of this ring-shaped hollow flexible flame curtain (George Gassaway), and here once more a larger view.  top.gif

 

y7ifUv.jpg

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Hello friends,

 

from Shapeways came the news that the wall of the doughnut shape is a bit too thin, so my friend Joe has changed it to 0.5 mm. cool.gif

 

And these are now the final dimensions with which he wants to upload his 3D model tonight.

 

39782694901_11234fb000.jpg

39782695021_0b165f7d5b.jpg

39782694911_7eedfe332a.jpg
Source: arcforums.com (crackerjazz)

 

Then we'll see. up040577.gif

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Hello everybody,

 

my friend Joe has uploaded the file to Shapeways and I have bought the first couple. yahoo.gif

 

710x528_21941044_12309450_1516451637.jpg

Source: shapeways.com (Crackerjazz)

 

Now I can't wait to finally be able to hold the two AFTCs in my hands and to have a close look at them. cant-believe-my-eyes-smiley-emoticon.gif

 

Hopefully, Shapeways will soon greenlight it. up040577.gif

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