Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

first I've tried to convert the smallest Evergreen-H profile (1,5 mm x 1,5 mm) into an angle. 

 

 

which after several cuts was 0,7 mm x 0,7 mm, but with legs 0,2/0,3 mm instead of 0,1 mm.

 

 

 

Then I remembered the Gutters on the MLP upper deck, for which I used Aluminum sheet (0,1 mm). So it was worth a try to make a possible small angle out of it, although the thought of it may seem rather crazy ...

 

As a bending aid, I had thought of steel rulers (approx. 0,5 mm), which should enable a similarly small leg length.

 

No sooner thought than done!

 

 

Since it is almost impossible to immediately bend a 0,5 mm narrow strip at right angles, I've started with a lot of overhang and then clamped the piece of sheet metal onto a sheet of steel, 

 

 

and have bent this strip vertically upwards. 

 

 

Then I've clamped the angled sheet metal upright between two steel rulers, 

 

 

and have bent the strip up and down several times until it broke off. Then I've smoothed the breakline a bit,

 

 

wherewith one leg was already done.  

 

 

Then I've wedged the bent leg between the rulers, 

 

 

and have broken off the remaining strip in the same way.

 

 

Thereby the angle was finished, was about 0,7mm x 0,7mm and looked quite passable.  

 

 

 

And this is how the angle at the lampshade would look. 

 

 

Now I'm curious what you're thinking about it? 

[DalekCheese]

On 11/05/2020 at 00:19, roma847 said:

These are indeed a few more rings than I had counted on my reference photo of the ET-8, but what the hell, my ET is lastly also an unique just like all other ETs flown ... 

An inaccuracy?

How can you live with yourself?

[roma847]

Don't panic, my friend, I can, and  will survive ... 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

but this variant with the folded aluminum bracket will probably not win the race, because it does not seem stable enough to me and the effort seems nearly overdone too. Therefore it was more of a feasibility test than seriously meant.

 

In addition, I really have to rein my mania for crazy details and concentrate on striking details and leave out less important ones. And with these four lamp holders, the last detail is less important, but rather that they serve the purpose and hold the lampshades. And with a length of approx. 2 mm, they can hardly be seen behind the lampshades anyway ...

 

I was rather more likely a bit too euphoric about my discovery that ultimately it was angular profiles what immediately has started my scaling and scratch generator. Therefore a simpler and more stable solution has to be found, as I have already demonstrated with the round rod. 

 

For comparison I have added a Brass angle profile (1,5 mm x 1,5 mm), which, however, seems too big to me in terms of proportion.  

 

 

In short, I will probably use an Evergreen rod (0,7 mm x 0,7 mm), which fits well with the lampshade, is easier to  glue together and should allow a stable hold.

 

 

Let's see  ...

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

finally, the wires (0,1 mm) with the LEDs (0401, 0603) have still to be threaded into the prepared lampshades and glued with UV glue whereby they are sealed and kept safe forever.

 

 

Source: NASA

 

Besides to these two lampshapes as on the MLP-Side 1, there are each on the RSS and on the transition from the FSS lots of these arc lamps, which were mostly mounted on the handrails, 

 

Source: James MacLaren (39B) NASASpaceflight.com

 

whose rustic spherical shape from the Revell Launch Tower Kit I've already "admired" during my first lamps stocktaking analysis.

 

 

 

It looked already better with my lampshade, but compared to the lampshade, the stanchion with Ø 1 mm seemed to be oversized to me.

 

 

On the basis of this photo of my Pad 39B expert James MacLaren, the dimensions could be estimated fairly precisely, using the diameter of the MLP lampshades (Ø 2,8 mm). Only the length of the upper pipe bend (3,1 mm?) should be a little longer due to the shortened perspective.

 

 

From this it can be seen that the curved stanchion with Ø 0,4 mm may actually only be about half as thick as that of the Revell lamp, which I had suspected.

 

 

In order to stay roughly on scale, I will use a brass tube with Ø 0,5 mm (0,09 mm wall thickness) into which I will pull in the two LED wires (0,1 mm) expediently before bending the pipes, because this is not impossible in the bent state, 

 

 

but much more difficult is what a stressful test unfortunately showed me impressively.

 

 

And with a little bit patience and a steady hand, one can even scratch the cable loop on this arc lamp, making the lamp come pretty close to the original in my opinion.  

 

 

I don't want to blaspheme, but when I see the Revell arc lamp I inevitably have to think of the fairy tale of the "ugly duckling" ...

 

And since we are dealing at the moment with dimensions, I would like to briefly refer to the help of my friend James, who I asked about the dimensions of the lamps and the diameter of the handrails on the pad, since at that time he was there day in and day out during building up Pad B. 

 

In this way I wanted to clarify whether the diameter of the MLP lamps with shade (Ø 2,8 mm, 1:160) is right and roughly corresponds to the RSS arc lamps estimated by using my STS-6 reference photos, especially since Ø 2,8 mm corresponds to a real diameter of the lampshades of approx. 450 mm, which seems pretty big to me ...  

 

In his detailed answer he started with the handrails, which, with a few exceptions, had a diameter of Ø 1,5" = 38 mm = 0,2 mm (1:160) on the entire pad.

 

With reference to the data sheet (Steel Pipe Specifications Schedule 40) he then referred to the fact that the Ø 1,5" refers to the Nominal Size (IPS), which corresponds to an outer diameter of Ø 1,9'' = 48 mm = 0,3 mm (1:160).

 

Furthermore, he also pointed out a small but fine difference in his photo, on which one can see in the red circle, that the stanchion of the lamp is attached to the handrail tube with two round steel brackets and has a slightly larger diameter, what I had already noticed before too.  

 

 

James assumes that, for reasons of stability, that for these upright standing handrails were used steel tubes with Ø 2"(Nominal Size) with an outer diameter of Ø 2,375" = 60,3 mm = 0,4 mm (1:160), which corresponds to a real diameter of at least approx. 60 mm, which is quite conceivable.

 

And these two diameters, for the stanchions (Ø 0,4 mm) and for the handrails (Ø 0,3 mm) correspond well with those diameters estimated by me, wherewith the diameters of the MLP lampshades (Ø 2,8 mm) determined by me
are also quite realistic.  

 

Now it was just a matter of determining the length of the bent end of the stanchion on which the lamp hangs, for which I used another photo of my padblower from its reworked and enhanced NSF thread Space Shuttle Launch Complex 39-B Construction Photos.

 

Source: James MacLaren, Pad B Sories (p. 3), 16streets.com

 

Thereof results a length of approx. 5 mm (1:160), which corresponds with real approx. 80 cm, which seems quite plausible. In this photo one can also see that the stanchion of the lamp is a bit thicker than the tubes of the handrail.  

 

But since all RSS handrails in the Revell Kit have a diameter of Ø 0,8 mm and all FSS handrails even have Ø 1 mm and are therefore all oversized, it becomes clear once again that there will still be a lot of work to be done when I will substitute these handrails with PE handrails (Ship's railing (1:150) with Ø 0,3 mm made by ABER of Poland. 

 

 

With this rather sobering outlook, I will leave it at that for today.

 

Nevertheless, friends, nothing is impossible, Strength lies in calmness!

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

now that the different lamp shapes on the Pad have been clarified and I know how to scratch them, I wanted more clarity about the wiring of the many LED lamp circles with the power supply of my planned Diorama (1/160, 160 cm x 90 cm).

 

And my diorama could look something like this Mini-Diorama (1/700) by Tomytec, whose base plate is only 35 cm x 29 cm "big", but had a moon price of 682,30 €, but has been sold out since then.

 

Source: Andromeda24.de

 

At first I had only planned a fixed arrangement/wiring of all pad structures/components in the starting position for the Dio, i.e. with the MLP with the Shuttle stack on the 6 Pedestals next to the tower, as well as with the Crawler on its way before it. 

 

The concept for the power supply for lighting the entire diorama was developed a few years ago in a close exchange with my Raumcon friend Arno (McPhönix), in which the Multi-Currentbank is the central component, which is designed for approx. 60 constant current circuits each with up to 8 LEDs, with which all lamp circuits of the Launch pad (FSS/RSS/Service facilities/spotlights) as well as the MLP and the Crawler are powered.   

 

 

This original concept in the meantime has been revised and modified with regard to more location flexibility or Mobility of MLP and Crawler so that not only this one arrangement is possible with the MLP standing in front of the tower, but also during the MLP approach to the pad, like in this photo during the Challenger rollout (December 8th, 1982) in the fog. 

Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com

 

Likewise the cabling between the diorama and the power bank has also been modified so that it can be separated if necessary.

 

 

In this context, I initially had a detachable cable connection on the MLP via a small plug-in connector on the underbody next to the Pedestal 3, which I have now moved to the other side and planned for the Pedestal 6 besides the tower, since the whole cabling of the FSS/RSS is also planned on this side and all cables/wires can be led down together to the pad bottom.

 

 

In order to be able to implement this mobile location concept, we have meanwhile also agreed to install our own power supply (three 9 V batteries) in the Crawler, on what also the MLP can be connected by means of a plug connection if it is in a pulled-out position on it. 

 

Consequently, a suitable location had to be found for an interface between the power bank and the pad cabling, which is shown in this drawing with the connection plate,

 

Source: McPhönix

 

whereby NASA befriended us with the construction of the pad infrastructure with a small building, as will be shown later.

 

In order to get a better overview of the local conditions on the Diorama as well as an idea of the size of the space available for the wiring of the pad assemblies, I picked out my former Dio draft, what for I've used an older one Google Maps image (2012) on which was seen the Launch Pad 39A in its original form with FSS/RSS,

 

 

in which I have drawn the floor plan for the diorama in the Scale 1:160 (1600 mm x 900 mm) and marked the MLP and the crawler. 

 

 

Then I've drawn the Dio to scale on paper and put on placeholders for the MLP and the crawler, for which I had to roll up the carpet in the study. And while I kept checking the dimensions on the PC in between, Gino had made himself comfortable at the end of the Flame Trench and began falling  asleep ...

 

 

 

And since it was already late or early again, we've went to sleep together ...

And with that, good night ...

[roma847]

Hello friends,

 

and now let's go from the 2D view into the 3rd dimension, for which I've placed the FSS and RSS of my deceased Raumcon friend Thomas Emberger † (golgi63) onto the diorama floor plan, which I took over as his modeling legacy after his death in order to keep an honorable memory of him on my diorama. May he rest in peace ...

 

 

 

Then I also added my MLP, which rounds out the picture further.

 

 

 

But as a precaution I quickly put the MLP away and parked it in the closet.

 

 

 

And with that back to the wiring on the Dio plate, which I imagined as follows.

 

The planned interface for the possible decoupling of the MLP has been modified and is now laying on the Pad ground besides Pedestal 6 and takes place via a small Connector (Plug with socket).

 

The LED Lamp circles on the FSS and RSS will all be laid downwards on the back of the FSS, especially because there are already lots of pipes etc. there, so that the LED wire bundles will be hardly noticeable.

 

Fortunately, there are also two cable ducts at this point, which I will use of course, 

 

 

in order to lead the LED wires to this small building, which was built there that time thanks to the wise foresight of NASA!

 

 

This concrete structure with blast doors, housed the freight elevator (on the left) and the door to the stairwell (on the right) which took you down to the Pad Terminal Connection Room (PTCR) at ground level, with further access from there to the roadways and parking areas scattered around the pad, as James MacLaren explained to me yesterday.

 

 

And in this building at the back of the diorama, the already shown Connection plate can be conveniently accommodated, which is why I've measured out and scaled it right away, 

 

 

from which all cables are then be led to the Current bank, which also has a plug connection.

 

As far as the wiring of the MLP is concerned, the three lamp circles as well as an additional circle for Caution lights are still easily manageable. And for the Crawler Transporter it will certainly be similar, although I still have to do the exact lamp analysis. That should become difficult again, however, since there are only a few images of the MLP-2 Crawler, used during STS-6, let alone still with lighting.

 

But more on that soon.  

[Matt Parvis]

This build is completely crazy and I am loving every bit of it and totally in awe of all of it.

 

Matt

[roma847]

Thanks Matt for your nice compliments and stay tuned.  

 

For the last few days I've been hanging around the pad map evaluating Street View shots to further structure my planned Diorama, which requires a lot of measurements and an endless converting of measures into my scale 1: 160 for drawing the tricky groundplan as accurate as possible. 

[Mustermark]

Hi Manfred,

Glad to hear you are on the mend without the surgery.

The lampshade detail Is amazing, I feel like it is a little deja vu! It has been a while.

I love the mock up of the diorama. It gives a sense of what you will achieve.

And it’s great to see you have a helper in Gino! Even if he only helps you sleep. 😆

Edited September 26, 2020 by Mustermark

[roma847]

Thanks Mark for looking in on me again. 

 

Only drawing the tricky groundplan of the Laucnh Pad as accurate as possible turns out to be quite a challenge. 

 

And Gino is always present and watching that I draw everything correctly.

 

 

He's the Pad Security Guard. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

during my search for suitable ways to wire the LED lamps, I've already looked extensively around some nasatech.net Street View panoramas of the Launch Pad 39A. And since I was there once, I has been going on with further structuring my diorama floor plan, which goes beyond the immediate launch pad area. 

 

The entire Launch Complex 39A (LC 39A) has an octagonal configuration and covers around 160 hectares of land.

Source: NASA

 

Due to the associated facet-like arrangement of the huge concrete retaining walls (18°) rising at an angle to the launch pad, which can be seen in this photo, 

Source: NASA

 

extensive measurements of the contours and distances including the conversion of the dimensions to 1:160 were necessary, which was quite laborious and time-consuming.

 

For such measurements, however, one needs the most exact reference dimensions possible, which can be used as a basis, for which even the scales in Google Maps are only partially suitable, as I have found.

 

Therefore as a reference dimension I have chosen the width of the Flame Trench given in NASA Facts Online of 58 ft = 17,68 m ≙ 111 mm (1:160)  and have drawn the contours calculated with it in my Dio floor plan.

 

 

In this image one can see how close the MLP on the Crawler is standing next to the tower. 

 

 

Then I've started to deal with the SSWS inlet pipes in the back corner of the diorama (red frame), 

 

 

which are connected with an elevated water tank standing on a tower, which has a capacity of 300.000 gallons (1.135.620 liters) and a height of 290 ft = 88 m ≙  550 mm (1:160).

 

Source: capcomespace.net

 

Then I've tried to print out a copy of this place with the bizarre pipe system that was as true to scale as possible in order to stick it onto the Dio floor plan, which is problematic without precise knowledge of the pipe diameters.

 

 

However, the copy ends right in front of the tower, which was clear to me from the start when planning, but now it didn't want to like to me regarding the perception because it would certainly look somehow strange.

 

 

But since the water tower is a striking detail next to the launch pad and should therefore not be missing on the diorama, I've decided to add a small extension at this point of the Dio, on which the water tower also has space, which certainly rounds off the overall picture, which Gino does not seem to be very impressed with.

 

 

Before determining the dimensions of the water tank I have to get an exact reference dimension, because I only know the height of the tower (290 ft ≙ 550 mm (1: 160), and that the water flows through pipes with a diameter of 2,1 m to the pad.   

 

Source: NASA

 

And to determine the tank diameter or other diameters from a height is unfortunately too error-prone, as I have already found elsewhere.

 

So I have to do some more research to be sure.

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

let's get on with it!

 

As it is said in a Bible verse, "He who seeks finds".  

 

And so I've actually made a find in my extensive SSWS collection. It doesn't always have to be brilliant HiRes. reference photos, but rather as in this case the following schematic representation of this branched pipe system at the foot of the water tower, from which the different pipe diameters are to be seen,   of which the diameter 114" = 2,9 m ≙ Ø 18 mm (1:160) can be used as a reference dimension for drawing of the water tank, which I've also done then.

 

Source: capcomespace.net

 

In addition, the clear display shows which SSWS systems in the Flame Trench and the MLP are served with water by the two 84'' pipes.  These are the said pipes with a diameter 2,1 m ≙ Ø 13 mm (1:160), which one can see very nicely in this Street View panorama, as well as the changing diameter of the pipes following to the tower. 

 

Source: google.com/maps

 

And with this diameter (114'' ≙ Ø 18 mm (1:160) as a reference dimension, I was able to determine the different diameters of the water tank (blue) that I need for scratching.  

 

Source: NASA

 

The required heights I've determined  from this photo, in which I used the height of the tower as a reference measure.

 

Source: NASA

 

When drawing the top view of the water tank for the diorama, one must note that the tank stands on a support structure consisting of five steel pipes that has a pentagonal floor plan, which is why I also had to deal with the designing a Pentagon , which is by no means trivial, but fortunately there are instructions for this.

 

 

In this image some details are drawn in that will be taken into account later when scratching. At the rear support tube there is a ladder with a protective cage , which leads up to the railing on the top of the water tank,

 

 

which I've only recently recognized on closer inspection in this image.

 

Source: google.com/maps

 

On the pipe distribution system there are also 13 lamps, which would certainly also be attractive to scratch, which one can see on this panorama. 

 

Source: nasatech.net

 

And since we are back to the lighting, here is a picture in which the foundations of the four Floodlight masts of the pad lighting are glued on. 

 

 

Source: NASA

 

But that's supposed to have been for the present with the Diorama plan, especially since the Dio will sound the bell for the Final countdown of my project, which is still a long way away ...

[basket]

I've been away from your topic for quite a while .... and the return is , as usual absolutely amazingly amazing . What A project !!!!

Keep on your stuning job !!!!

[johndon]

Outstanding work.  I built this kit, out of the box, in my late teens and loved it but it 'disappeared' from my parents house shortly after I left home...

[roma847]

Thanks my friends for your overwhelming compliments and stay tuned. 

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

to err is human, said the hedgehog, getting off the brush ...

If in doubt, I always ask James MacLaren, and so this time too, whether he also had been once at the Water tank tower and has seen a Ladder with protective cage as I has suspected it.  

 

And lo and behold, he was actually there once and says, that the ladder there probably had no protective cage according to his memory. Accordingly, there were ladders with protective cages on the Launch pad, such as also at both corners of the MLP (Side 1), as well as without, wherefore there were apparently no uniform regulations.

 

In the case of longer ladders, the pad climbers were secured using a safety wire rope with fall protection, as is also used by mountaineers.

 

The little house on top of the tank, which I also asked him about, was a screened enclosure to keep birds and bats out, and perhaps people too, especially since inside of it, the top of the tank has a large opening.

 

So far, so good, although from the point of view of German safety regulations I was surprised with the missing protective cage at this height.

 

By chance I also still found a confirmation that the ladder at the water tower actually has no protective cage, for which this GigaPan panorama has furnished evidence for, what I have saved in my optical memory, because it has an incredible resolution in the zoom.  

 

 

 

Originally I wanted with the help of the perfect direct view and the known height of the High Pressure Gas Battery of 32 ft = 9,75 m ≙ 61 mm (1:160) only determine the height of the Launch pad area of the diorama.

 

On the occasion I also looked at the water tower and when I zoomed up I was amazed at the superb detail resolution, since one can now see what the ladder of the tower really looks like from the bottom until the roof of the house on top of the tank and up to the navigation light, and that it has no protective cage.

 

Source: GigaPan

 

 

 

As one can see, a continuous strand/rod runs above the middle of the rungs over the entire length of the ladder, on which one can probably secure himself with a fall protection device.    

Since the length of the Gas Battery, 110 ft = 33,5 m ≙ 210 mm (1:160), and its width, 56 ft = 17,1 m ≙ 107 mm (1:160), already have been drawn into the diorama plan, 

 

 

I have drawn the height 32 ft = 9,8 m ≙ 61 mm (1:160) into this GigaPan section and determined the height from the Dio floor to the pad surface, which is approx. 76 mm and thus roughly corresponds to the depth of the Flame Trench, 42 ft = 12,8 m ≙ 80 mm (1:160).

 

 

And with that I would like to definitely conclude the planning phase of the diorama.

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

I want to come back briefly to the Launch pad lighting once more, which I have assumed so far to consist of four Floodlight masts at the corners of the pad, but unfortunately the following photo does not show enough details.

 

Source: spacefacts.de

 

The foundations of the masts I had already glued into my Diorama plan.

 

 

To scratch these masts one needs more detailed photos, which one can also find indeed, such like these ones here, whereby I always have to consider their historical relevance.

 

Source: NASA

 

Source: NASA

 

This is what the masts looked like only in the second half of the shuttle program, while on photos of the first missions, like here during a so-called Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) during the preparations for the launch of the Challenger to her first mission (STS-6) one can see that the masts at that time were higher, but far more spartan and, in contrast to the later modernized main masts, had not 9 + 3, but only 6 Flood light lamps (4 above, 2 below).

 

Source: NASA

 

Fortunately, there are more precise images of the extensively documented STS-1 mission, as one can see here, on which one can even see the rungs on the mast for the pad climbers.

 

Source: NASA

 

These details look pretty good, but unfortunately they are not enough for scratching, since one has no clear reference measure to which one can refer all dimensions when converting.  

 

So I've searched further and found this STS-1 photo here, on which one can now see important details that are crucial for scratching the floodlight masts, which one can see more clearly in the zoom.

 

Source: NASA

 

A first important finding from this is this one, that in addition to the four floodlight masts found so far, there is also a 5th Mast, which stands directly in front of the Gas battery bunker, is slightly lower than the other four masts and has only four flood lights.

 

Even more important, however, is the fact that with the height of the bunker of 32 ft ≙ 61 mm (1:160) I now also have a reliable reference measure with which I can determine the height of this mast (128 mm) as well as the dimensions of the spotlight holder.  

 

Source: NASA

 

On the other hand, by using this mast height as a reference measure I was able to determine now also the height of the four longer main masts via the Mast 1, which is 144 mm.  

 

 

One can also see that there are lamps on all ceilings of the Bunker cells, which means that another LED circle is required, but what has already been considered by my friend Arno (McPhönix) as a reserve in his Multi-power bank.

 

And as optical details one can see in this photo that the large gas containers in contrast to the shown GigaPan-Panorama had a gray paintwork during the first missions in the early 80s, and that there was no container in the 3rd cell (behind the mast), what is explained by the fact that the GigaPan-Panorama shows the Discovery before her last launch for the STS-133 (2011).

 

As one can see on this panorama, this mast (red) was modified in the following years and afterwards only had two smaller Flood lamps. But there is a further Floodlight mast (yellow) on the Gas battery with 9 Flood lights, which one can see better in the following nasatech.net panorama, but what doesn't interest me any further, as it didn't exist yet 1983. 

 

 

What interests me, however, is the position of the base point of this mast in front of the battery in order to be able to decide whether it is still on my diorama floor plan or not.

 

Source: nasatech.net

 

And after I took another look at my first photo from the STS-6 Rollout, one can also recognize this 5th Mast that was already existing there back then exactly at the same place,

 

 

so that I could also determine its base point. And that is situated indeed on the front edge of my Dio, so that I can now also consider this mast in my pad lighting, provided my friend also has considered a Floodlight LED-Circle for it in reserve too.

 

And finally, one more thing that I was very surprised about at first, because on a Google Map (2012) the mast, which was still visible at this point in the GigaPan panorama (2011), one year after the last shuttle mission (STS-135) was already no longer there, as one can see here.

 

 

The final proof of this is provided by this nasatech.net panorama, which was updated lastly after the end of the shuttle program, on which only the foundation of the mast with cut cables can still be seen at this point ...

 

Source: NASA

 

With this impressions I can for now finally roll in my Diorama plan and instead roll out the carpet that my Gino likes to lie on.

[Michael Morris]

This is growing into an insanely brilliant megabuild. 

Respect.   

[roma847]

Thanks Michael for your enthusiasm,

the diorama is still theory so far, but as I know myself, I will also put it into practice, step by step ... 

[Bengalensis]

This might be the most thoroughly researched modelling project I have ever seen.

It is extremely impressive!

[roma847]

Thanks Jörgen for your great compliment, 

 

I try to give my best. 

[roma847]

Hello friends,

 

since my Multi-power bank still has a floodlight LED circuit in reserve, I've swarmed out again and actually still have found a 6th Mast on the pad, at this already known location next to the building, about its purpose I had reported in #2007, about which, according to James MacLaren, one could get by elevator or stairwell to the Pad Terminal Connection Room on the ground floor.

 

 

Source: Google Maps - Street View

 

And next to the building there is actually a Floodlight mast (6), which illuminates the FSS/RSS rear, wherewith the 6th Mast of the Pad lighting would be found, which can still be fed by the power bank.

 

The crucial question is only whether this mast was already there during STS-6, which I suspect. And that's why I will now look for photos from this time that provide information about whether the mast come into question for my Diorama or not.  

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

since I now know which point on the pad to pay attention to, I've first viewed my STS-6 photos, and already on this photo from the Rollout, on which one can see the back of the pad behind the RSS, one can actually see the contours of a further Mast (6) at this point, albeit blurred, next to the building in question.

 

Source: NASA

 

More accurate information about this 6th Floodlight mast then again gave photos of the STS-1 like this one, on which in the zoom one can clearly see the illuminated mast behind the building,

 

Source: NASA

 

as well as in these images.

 

Source: NASA

 

Source: NASA

 

Therewith the available 6 Floodlight LED circuits of the power bank are now exhausted, so that I don't need to look any further.  
Rien ne va plus - Nothing works anymore!

[roma847]

Hello everybody,

 

after we have meanwhile decided a separate power supply for the Crawler lighting by means of three built-in 9V Batteries, the analysis and inventory of the lamps located on the crawler is now the next step for the definition of the corresponding LED switching circuits, which, however, should become a bit difficult, since there are almost no photos from the STS-6 in which one can see the illuminated crawler.  

 

Only on this photo during Challenger's rollout (11/30/1982) from the VAB one can see the crawler, on the front of which (Side 1) one can see 8 lamps, at least something!  

 

Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (jacqmans)

 

Of this rollout there is also the following Video, on which unfortunately a lot was disappearing in the fog ...

 

Therin in a few short sequences, like this one, one can make out a few lamps, but the position of which can only be guessed.

 

 

Photos from later missions, like here from the STS-132, 

 

Source: live.staticflickr.com (Ben Cooper)

 

or here from Endeavour's rollout to her last mission STS-134 are helpful, but there are a number of lamps there which were not yet present on the crawler during  STS-6, which must be taken into account when taking stock of the lamps.

 

Source: live.staticflickr.com (Ben Cooper)

 

Therefore, I firstly had to orientate myself on images from subsequent missions, such as this one during the Challenger rollout, STS-8 (30/08/1983), on which one can see the back (Side 3) of the crawler. 

 

Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com

 

This photo of the STS-28 (1989) is quite suitable for the analysis, on which one can even see some lamps on the inner sides of the Trucks.  

 

Source: flickr.com/photos/nasacommons

 

The difficulty with the inventory is now to disregard those lamps in the counting that did not yet exist during STS-6, such as these ones during STS-134.  

 

 

These are Fluorescent tubes, which are located immediately in front of and behind each of the 8 Trucks, which are mounted at elongated Lubrication jigs for lubricating of the truck chains, as one can see in this image. 

 

Source: NASA

 

As one can see in this image during the STS-28, these lubrication jigs were already present on the STS-6 Crawler, but the fluorescent tubes weren't still there, because they were just retrofitted later. 

 

 

The exact inventory of the lamps will follow in the next step.