roma847 Posted June 16, 2019 Author Share Posted June 16, 2019 Hello everybody, but this is just one side of the ET/Orbiter Interface. But the other side on the Shuttle has to fit too. And therewith it looks pretty poor on the Airfix Kit, because the two Orbiter doors are not present, let alone their deepenings in the opened state, just like one needs it for the Stack (ET/Orbiter). Source: NASA The least would therefore be a solution in which one could glue a Decal or a paper printout of the two doors in the opened state onto the appropriate place, which would look a bit better, namely something like here. BTW, if I remember rightly, Hotdog (ARC forum) had provided similar decals in his set. It would be even still better, of course, if the two deepenings were really brought in, however, and then glue the Umbilical decals into, or simply the printout, and the two doors in between, what I could imagine. This is what my friend Mike (egt95) did in the ARC forum on his STS-1 stack. Source: arcforums.com (egt95) But since this place at the finished stack on the MLP can not be seen anyway, glued decals/printouts without the openings, but with glued doors would actually suffice. In the meantime I started with the modification of the Airfix-Longerons, which protrude anyway and do not rest on flat. These are these stripes on both sides at the end of the LH2 Tank, on which the oblique Thrust Struts and the Vertical Struts are mounted, because these parts do not look like in reality, as one could see already on this well-known photo of the ET-8. Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Jester) For me, it seems, that the SOFI patterns has been leveled in this area, with only the front wedge-shaped part is supporting the oblique strut. And this I have modified by sanding off the Kit-Longerons accordingly, whereby now the front slant ramp must be filled accordingly. And here I have tried to adapt the TPS cladding from the Newware Kit, for which I had to sand off approx. half of the lower block of the Airfix-Strut, however, whereby the lower part of the Resin-cladding seems too clunky to me, which is why it still has to slim down a bit. But every beginning is difficult, just do not panic ... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalekCheese Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 ie. finished high/ width of model once completed/assembled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted June 16, 2019 Author Share Posted June 16, 2019 These are the planned dimensions of my LC-Diorama. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DalekCheese Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Hello everybody, who wants to know more about the ET cabling as well as about the Cable trays and their Thermal protection system (TPS), here one still can find some interesting information. Source: System Definition Handbook SLWT (Lockheed Martin) Source: System Definition Handbook SLWT (Lockheed Martin) As one can see in the first picture, it was distinguished between Internal and External LO2/LH2 Cabling. But there is another important interface, namely the ET/SRB interface between the ET and the SRBs, about whose cables, sensors, etc. the separation of the burned SRBs has been activated. And unfortunately, this interface with the associated Cable Tray is also missing in the Airfix Kit and therefore also needs to be scratched. In this photo of the ET-8 one can see the transition of the Cable Tray from the vertical strut to the SRB Support, where the wiring passes through the Upper Attach Strut. Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (woods170) This also makes it clear what these strange extensions at the end of the vertical strut mean, which I have noticed time and again. Source: nasaspaceflight.com (woods170) These are the cable ends running from the root point of the Upper Attach Strut to the Aft ET/SRB Attach Ring (see previous picture). And these are those cables that can be seen in this photo, which can be seen at the bottom of the SRB Cable Tray in the previous image, Source: NASA and then run into the booster via the Upper Attach Strut. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FPDPenguin Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 This whole thread is amazing. Great work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 Thanks, my friend, for your compliment, I try to keep the level. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 Hello everybody, although there is now clarity about the SRB struts, I still have problems with the shape of the Vertical strut of the ET/Orbiter Attachment, because the lower part of the Newware TPS-Facing looked a bit too clunky, why I've dealt with this assembly once again and have analyzed further photos. For this I have repeatedly compared these two photos of the ET-8 (STS-6) and first tried to reconstruct the contours of the struts and to bring into agreement, which is not so easy, because the images were taken from different positions and thus certain details are partially obscured. Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Jester) Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (woods170) In particular, the two yellow and blue marked areas have puzzled me, whereby the yellow marked wedge-shaped foot looks somehow different than the one on the Newware strut. Whose chunky form is more akin to the struts used in later missions, as seen here in STS-134 (ET-122). Source: NASA Irritating is also the lower contour directly at the yellow arrowhead in the first image, which does not belong to the strut, but to the flattened SOFI pattern area of the Longeron, which is illustrated in this image by the yellow contour. Furthermore, it can be seen from the blue dimension arrows that the lower foot part is not wedge-shaped as the Newware part. And with this the vertical strut gets this blue drawn contour with a flowing transition to the SRB Cable Tray, which extends to the Upper Strut. This still leaves this question mark at the blue marked recess from the first picture open, which one unfortunately can not see in this last view. This wedge-shaped part seems in my opinion to be a part of the TPS facing which has been retrofitted, this recess probably having been finished later. In contrast to the SOFI Spray applications, these TPS parts were molded separately and mounted individually, just like the Intertank Closeouts. And these are now the estimated dimensions for the scratch construction of the Vertical Strut, which show that especially the chunky foot part of the Newware facing does not fit the mould of the ET-8 and therefore has to be modified. As reference dimension (yellow) was used the diameter of the rear part of the Thrust Strut, which is 16,6" at the original, which roughly corresponds to 3 mm of the Airfix part. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 Hello everybody, what you will have noticed already, but unfortunately I have to slow down a bit, because I have to take care more of my sick wife and our poodle Gino, who suffered two cruciate ligament tears in no time, whose second cruciate ligament tear will be operated next week. But nonetheless, it should go on on the Launch pad. I'm still dealing with the rear ET/Orbiter Attachments, especially since besides the adaptation of the Newware Kit parts, also some things of the Airfix Kit have to be corrected or modified. What looks so nice and vivid on the Reference detail photos, Source: NASA is in scale 1:144 everything much smaller and therefore does not appear so readily feasible by Scratch-building. That's why I've put on the orbiter, and as one can easily see, there's a hell of few place to accommodate the LH2/LO2 Umbilicals and associated Cable Trays as well as GH2/GO2 Press. Lines. And thus immediately to a curiosity of the Airfix kit, after which the GH2 Press. Line directly discharges into the LO2 Feedline (see the small hole just before the bow), which in reality would be a disaster of course. While the GO2 Press. Line is correctly laid and leads to LO2 Umbilical, the GH2 Press. Line runs below the Crossbeam to the other side to the LH2 Umbilical. Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (DDG40) Here are two other views with the still too chunky TPS cladding of the Vertical Strut, which I have sanded so that it fits better into the picture. And now more details come into play, which also want to be accommodated. These are the Diagonal Strut, as well as the LO2 Feedline/Umbilical Support Brackets, of which there is also one on the other side of the bow, but which is missing, as one can see on this image. On this drawing one can indeed see the different versions of these LH2/LO2 Feedline/Umbilical Support Brackets very nicely, Source: System Definition Handbook SLWT (Lockheed Martin) however, it should be noted that all these parts are provided with a TPS cladding, which must be taken into consideration when scratching them. Source: NASA Source: NASA These two rings here are needless, because they do not exist on the real LO2 Feedline, as one can see on this image. Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (DDG40) On it one can see the last two (out of five) LO2 Feedline Supports with the rings in front of them, which are missing at Airfix, excepting the ring in the next picture, but after that nothing like that comes up before the LO2 Umbilical. And finally to the chunky TPS cladding of the Vertical Strut, which I've slimmed down even further (right), as one can see here. Now I have still to modify the left strut and its cladding accordingly, so that both sides look identically. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 Hi friends, for a better idea of the true size of these parts I've put my Cent coin on the tank. And with some patience, I then have placed the coin on the Crossbeam, so you have a good comparison with the size of the Umbilical Plates. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Great report Manfred! I don't get to check your reports as often as before, but as always, great job on the research. I can tell you are going to have a good time scratching these small details. Have fun! I'll stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 8, 2019 Author Share Posted July 8, 2019 Thanks Rich for looking in on me, as I've said, I have also to make smaller steps, but it still will go on ... Scratch-building of these tiny parts is a great challenge, but is also great fun, that's why I'm building the Challenger! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xffw45343tg Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 NASA only named it "Challenger" because "Marvel at how much detail Manfred will get into a model of this thing" was a bit of a mouthful and wouldn't fit on the mission patches. Kirk 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 9, 2019 Author Share Posted July 9, 2019 Thanks Kirk, I do not feel much like laughing right now, but I'm trying to make the most of the situation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xffw45343tg Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 10 hours ago, roma847 said: I do not feel much like laughing right now, but I'm trying to make the most of the situation. Sorry Manfred - I didn't mean to be inappropriate. Is everything OK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 Okay Kirk, since my wife became diseased and our dog had to be operated on both cruciate ligaments, unfortunately, not everything is OK ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xffw45343tg Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Sorry to hear your sad news Manfred - and again apologies if my humour was inadvertently inappropriate. I wish you well and hope for the best outcome. Kirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 10, 2019 Author Share Posted July 10, 2019 Thanks Kirk for your understanding, it will also be getting better again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 Hello everybody, now I will start scratch building of the LH2/LO2Umbilical plates, which look quite nice on the drawing, but in 1:144 these are only about 7 mm x 5 mm small plates, for which I have used Styrene (1 mm). Normally, 1,5 mm thickness would be more correct, but it should be remembered that the upper part of the Umbilical Plates protrudes into the orbiter openings, whose recess I want to avoid, because this place will not be seen later anyway on the shuttle Stack. That's why I'll use 1 mm thick platelets on which then the orbiter rests flat. Source: NASA Since I have to take into account the distance to the Orbiter during testing the small Umbilical plates and tiny Cable trays, I've considered a small stencil (1 mm Styrene, which is much easier to handle. On this stencil I have drawn the openings for the ET/Orbiter Attachment as well as for the two LH2/LO2 Feedlines from my scaled down drawing (1:144), as well as have cut out small paper stencils of both umbilicals. After the plate fits quite well already (the red ones are the Cable trays), now follows the production of the two Umbilical plates, whose drawings I have glued with transparent tape on the 1 mm Styrene plate. In order to be able to cut out and file the small plates, I first drilled the holes (Ø 3 mm) for the Feedlines and plugged in rod plugs, so that the templates can not slip during handling. And then I cut out the little plates, whereat I've always compared it with the contours of the two umbilicals in this larger photo, because the parts are really tiny and also difficult to hold, which was much facilitated by the inserted holding rod. Source: NASA And then I've carefully cut the contours of the stencils with the diagonal cutter and then gradually filed and ground the final shape all around, which was quite tedious. I started with the LO2Umbilical plate. Then the holding stopper could finally be removed, and this is now the finished part. And in the same way followed the production of the LH2 Umbilical Plate. And these are the two finished Umbilical plates, which can now be test fitted on the Attachment. And as one can see, the two parts fit quite well with the attachment. And now a look ahead to the outer LO2 Support Bracket, which is missing on the Airfix Feedline which I have drawn red. Source: System Definition Handbook SLWT (Lockheed Martin) Little by little, the bird builds its nest ... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 13, 2019 Author Share Posted July 13, 2019 Hello friends, for an even better overview when fitting and assembling the Umbilical plates and Cable trays I have made the same template of Acrylic glass (PPMA), which now allows the total vista, what is certainly an advantage when handling. Okay, I could have come to that immediately ... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 It looks like you are going to make a working model. Like the little brother at the end of the movie, 'Better Off Dead.' Awesome stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 14, 2019 Author Share Posted July 14, 2019 Thanks Thom for looking in on me, yeah, small and tricky details, that has always been my passion, it's like a drug, I can't let go ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustermark Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 More incredible detail! Hoping things get better soon. Wishing you well. 😔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 14, 2019 Author Share Posted July 14, 2019 Thanks Mark for your compliment and the best wishes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roma847 Posted July 15, 2019 Author Share Posted July 15, 2019 Hello everybody, today, I've been dealing with some filing and sanding work, first I had to sand the Vertical Strut of the ET/Orbiter Attachment on the LH2 side for the TPS cladding of the Newware Kit and had to modify the Resin part still a little bit. And then there was also the associated Longeron, which had to be modified too. Since the outer LO2Feedline Support Bracket was missing anyway and the inner did not quite fit and was a bit too small, I've scratched both Support Brackets new. It should be noted, however, that both brackets look similar, but have not the same shape. The inner bracket is a bit lower, because the Diagonal Cross Strut runs over it and needs the appropriate space, as onecan see on this image. Source: NASA Afterwards I've sanded off the two unnecessary wide rings at the end of the Feedline. As one can see here, I have to smooth the line around the stub yet, which has to be removed anyway after the tests and its hole must be filled too, because in reality there were neither the two rings nor this holder. Last night I did not notice the nicks, but even all the more so in daylight. These are the modified parts, whose seat on the ET I've tried next. And as one can see, they fit quite well so far. Now I'm going to modify the too short LH2 Feedline Support Brackets, and then it goes on with the tricky Cable Trays with all due respect. But scaremongering does not apply! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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