Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

Good catch on the anchors. I bet you're finding that you are learning a lot about the MLP's just from this build and the research you've been doing.

Mike.

Edited July 3, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

thanks for the nice words, you've won the bet. This fantastic technology interests me greatly and inspires me again and again on the new.

[mark31]

very nice little details you put on your LMP.

Mark

[spaceman]

Hello together,

and thanks Mark for the kind words.

So, I will return to the Side 2 and want to finally start the installation of the LOX-pipes. But first I must scratch build the corner pipe support, here relatively good to see is in these two images, so that one can identify in about the dimensions for scratching.

Source: NASA

Source: NASA

First the small bars from Evergreen strips 1,0x0,2 mm or 2,0x0,2 mm were cut and then glued, which sit on both sides of the corner angle profile under the base plate.

Unfortunately my digicam having a hard time generally somewhat with the resolution of white parts, however I will not deprive but the recordings you. Then was glued the base plate made of 0.3 mm sheet for the two pipe holders now.

The holder for the upper grey Vent line corresponds to about a H-beam 1,5x1,3 mm, I just but not had in stock. Therefore I made it from Evergreen strip itself and filed the semicircular openings for the pipe. The two pipes are inserted here only provisionally.

The holder for the lower white Transfer line is here already with glued, it is missing but the triangular lock for the bow, which, in contrast to the vent line is not rounded but segmented. Because the transfer lines are vacuum jacketed double-walled pipes, these cannot be bent easily as the vent lines. I will install but only the transfer line this stiffening triangle after bonding, is here to see the segmented bow.

And with grey colour which looks now just something more friendly.

And so the little things that really can stop one are but omit I don't want they therefore also.

As far as for today.

[spaceman]

It continues with some details of the LOX-Vent line on Side 2. There are a total of three Expansion joints, the structure of which was already seen in earlier photos. I started with the expansion joint in the Bay 18 at the end of Side 2, which sits between the corner angle profile and the first Pipe support. Then there is still the second a little further right in Bay 13, and the third is in Bay 1 at the front of the Side 2.

First I have wrapped rings for the mutual flange joints of square profile 0.5x0.5 mm and then bent under hot air and separated some.

For the boot I used lead-wire 0.3 mm in diameter, which is wrapped and later glued to the 1.6 mm round profile of the vent line. A blank flange with a gasket ring for connection to the LOX-Vent line of the pad is located at the end of the line, I indicated by three small sheet slices.

And so looks like the finished Expansion joint.

And at this point here next to the corner it is sitting, if it is painted.

And the other two expansion joints are manufactured according to the same procedure, only I have twice split the line for the installation and after insertion of the segments then reconnect, otherwise not go but unfortunately.

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

Excellent work on the expansion joints!

Mike.

[spaceman]

Thanks Mike for the kind words!

As the LOX-Vent line on the Side 2 total has three expansion joints and that next just behind the corner of Side 1 is followed, so a few pieces had to be prepared in the same way as before.

And in the meantime a shift-work in the paint shop was due then also once again, with some pipes and the pipe supports for the left pallet on Side 1 were painted.

Since unfortunately little can be seen by the odds and ends on this photo here are again a few other pics.

The small part on this photo left in addition to the pipe supports for the Side 1 should be a Pipe anchor be coming as a support in addition to the central expansion joint of Side 2, as this somewhat less stable pipe areas are each additional fixed.

And now the first part of the vent line at the rear end of Side 2 could be installed at last. To build the second expansion joint in Bay 13, I had to cut the vent line there unfortunately. From here, I then have pitched a further piece of line with an expansion joint (see photo 1) through the pipe supports forward out and both glued carefully with each other, which is hard to see. This second piece is running up into the Bay 1, where the third expansion joint sits, which then can be glued to, whether with or without the line bow around the corner I must consider me still.

The procedure is admittedly somewhat circuitous, but unfortunately not avoided. And then still the pipe anchor came on his place left in addition to the central expansion joint.

The white LOX-Transfer line is inserted so far only provisionally and is supposed to get a few details. I am considering as it is only, whether I extra still white paint the line or to leave, what do you mean?

As far as for today.

Edited July 17, 2012 by spaceman

[spaceman]

So up to the corner of the Side 1 I had come already with the LOX-Vent line,

But this corner it has in itself. There an Expansion joint sits in front of the corner and immediately the next following after the corner on Side 1, unfortunately it is difficult to see.

Source: NASA

This corner is just critical for the stability of the pipes run, that's why the two pipes are held by an appropriately stable and several reinforced corner-pipe support, which is better to see in this photo.

Source: Jay Patterson (NASASpaceFlight.com)

What is more, that the white Transfer line at this point also has a critical section in the form of a weld, which sits under the sleeve below the expansion joint of the Vent line.

In the paper kit, the bracket is only done by this small and only one side printed (why?) Pipe support LH6, which I will omit and therefore better scratch-build.

Therefore I looked for longer time on different photos the constructive version of the corner support, in order to correctly detect and then somehow scratch-build it. Conceptually he is constructed similar like the corner support at the corner of Side 2 to Side 3, only he uses forward through more honeycomb-like sticks continues, because the Transfer line further extends over the corner as the Vent line. So again a pretty tricky task of Ervergreen strips and sheet.

These are the five wedge-shaped struts from 0.2 mm sheet left sitting next to the corner angle profile.

And here they are already glued and have received a final cover strip of Evergreen strip 1,0x0,2 mm. The start has been made, and now it can go further with this honeycomb-like structure on the right side.

Then until tomorrow.

[stevenichols]

Manfred you give new meaning to the phrase "the devil is in the details".

[crowe-t]

Manfred you give new meaning to the phrase "the devil is in the details".

I agree completely!

Mike.

[spaceman]

Thanks Steve and Mike for the nice words, but it's true, sometimes it is quite tricky.

[spaceman]

And here is the next update. Now the struts on the right side of the angle profile and beyond were added. These are such small puzzle particles, you can capture that hardly with tweezers without having it jump one of.

Here an impression of the size of the particles, the lower triangle with a length of about 1 mm, which was swabbed with superglue and then as far as possible placed in the first step into the right place. And then it sticks either there where it belongs, or to the tweezers.

And now the lateral plate is glued on the struts.

And here comes now a further small building on it. First the struts for mounting the bracket of the Transfer line were glued.

On the struts, the plate is mounted now actually, what the bracket sits. It is prepared already, and just I wanted to glue it already on the struts, but since dropped me a just in time that it would be probably better once to paint so far left building, as it could be otherwise may be difficult to get behind with the brush still in the small holes. So, the previous support was painted first. And that was actually better than I thought, of course with a very fine brush.

Next the bracket for the Vent line was prepared from an Evergreen strip 2,0x0,25 mm, which was filed on 1.8 mm in width and suspended on a trial basis, to identify the required length and the supernatant of the bracket.

Then the bracket was painted. While the paint dried, the already painted plate on the struts was glued now. After the Transfer line was inserted same time to the fitting, to determine their location and distance from the support.

The Vent line bracket was then glued on the rear plate.

The bracket for the Transfer line is similar to and then tomorrow comes on the front bottom.

As far as for today.

[spaceman]

And here comes the lower bracket for the transfer line, as a supplement,

and then the fitting of the provisional transfer line that fits quite well. The final pipe is the arch but not round, but is still segmented.

Next I have planned now the alignment of the vent line in Bay 1, starting with the third and final Expansion joint on the Side 2, directly behind the stub, and then around the corner on Side 1 goes further, where already the next expansion joint follows.

Right next to the prepared expansion joint is already the bearing cups sitting on the pipe supports of the vent line on the left pallet. I had that cut from a PE tube (Ø 2,75x1,6 mm).

Here the pipe are as reminder again to see the pipe supports with the bearing cups in the original:

Source: http://www.capecomespace.net

And here is the vent line as fitting to the pipe support installed. Since one must watch out that fit the gaps and matches the level of the connections, and this looks already not bad, both on Side 1,

and Side 2.

So, the rest of the vent line can now go to the painting and then be mounted. Then, only the reinforcement angles in the arches of the pipes missing as here to see in the picture with the arrows.

Source: NASA

And then it continues with the transfer line on the Side 2, starting again at the corner-pipe support at the end.

Edited December 31, 2012 by spaceman

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

How did you make the 90 degree bend in the white pipe? It looks perfect.

Mike.

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

this is relatively easy to make, because the pipe is only 1.4 mm in diameter. One part is clamped down, and then the other end is carefully bent under hot air from a hair-dryer.

[spaceflightengineer]

Back to the Beginning of NASA Space Shuttle Missions

Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6

Now it is time for presentation my Launch Pad 39A-Project in the ARC forum and I hope you'll be interested in.

To the prehistory:

After conclusion the NASA Shuttle program last summer with the last Atlantis-Mission (STS-135), I dedicate my first real space modeling project to the beginning the legendary space shuttle era before more than 30 years.

I was inspired to this major project by similar space modeling projects in the German forum Raumfahrer.net.

I decided for the STS-6-Mission with the Challenger (04.04.1983) as guidance version for my build, because I would like to build the tower version from the initial years of shuttle era with the red lattice windows and the partial red FSS grating structure inclusive hammerhead crane, which fascinated me somehow.

The following picture shows the Challenger during the roll-out in the fog on their way to the Launch PAD 39A,

source: NASA

as well as with the lift-off to the STS-6-Mission.

source: NASA

To the project:

To be built is the Launch Pad 39A with Launch tower, Shuttle stack, as well as Mobile launcher platform (MLP) and Crawler transporter (CT). Basic module for my project is thereby the Revell kit 4911 in „scale 1:144“, in quotation marks and red, because one already is thereby for the cardinal problem of the actually mad Revell kit, the scale dilemma, to which one could be written its own chapter and said therefore some more must.

For the addition of the launch tower FSS I procured myself the Detail kits of LVM Studios, which I've presented in an extra thread. Since I decided for the STS-6-Mission with the Challenger, with the Detail kits of LVM one can represent thereby the elevator shaft of the tower in the original building technique with the red lattice windows, as it in the early years the shuttle era looked quite. In addition Detail kit No. 1 contains parts for the complete staircase in the tower, which is completely missing with Revell's 4910/4911.

The LVM kits contain photo etched parts (PE) from thin brass sheet metal, with which very finely detailed structures can be produced as well known.

For building MLP and Crawler I use cardboard-model kits by David Maier from EDU-Craft Deversions on scale 1:144. The kits consist in each case of 13 colored building sheets of cardboard (27.5 cm x 42.5 cm) as well as a building guidance on CD-ROM.

To the scale problem:

As most of you will know, Revell kit 4911 is seriously underscale and not true to scale 1:144, which lead inevitably to problems with the building. Therefore one has two possibilities, if one liked to use the Revell kit.

Either one builds the kit Out Of Box (OOB), because in such a way the building groups FSS, RSS, shuttle stack and MLP fit to each other from the size, only stop is not everything on a scale 1:144, but only shuttle stack. Or one is compelling by partial scale adjustment to compromises and to scratch building, if one liked itself to orient halfway at the original. Of course one can do the build also without the Revell kit by overall scratch building.

As way out of the scale dilemma I decided for a compromise settlement. Therefore I made myself first of all own assembly drawings, in order to receive a better overview.

Starting point for my considerations was the following design of Gold Member Halbtoter in Raumfahrer.net forum, which shows a comparison between the Revell kit 4911 and the FSS/RSS in the true scale 1:144.

source: Halbtoter

The black design originates from the Revell building guidance, and the version drawn by Halbtoter by original plans of NASA is red in 1:144. It becomes clear one when exact looking that the red MLP (1: 144) does not fit no more into the Revell RSS.

Since this line tangle can confuse one first however and in addition the mini MLP of the Revell kit is not with drawn in, I made myself in addition the following designs:

This design illustrates clearly the descriptive scale dilemma of the Revell kit 4911, if one would build all OOB. The serious error is evenly the much to small MLP (1:200!!!) of the Revell kit, which does not fit somehow at all the total proportions. In addition it comes that also the FSS Tower (RSS probably similar) is too low approx. 7,6 cm thereby only one scale of approx. 1:168 corresponds. The image quality must accept your stop, because there two transparency sheets lie one above the other. :o

The next design shows now a comparison of the RSS/FSS with MLP in 1:144 (with me black!!!) and in contrast to the Revell conditions in 1:168 and/or 1:200 (red).

Considering this awkward situation I came to careful consideration in the long run that one does not come with the scale around a compromise unfortunately around, if one liked to use at least the FSS and RSS as main components of the Revell kit.

And in such a way now past planning for my project looks as compromise settlement, with which I will build MLP and Crawler in 1:160 and in addition FSS and RSS in the height are supplemented around approx. 3 cm. I hope now that the result will then contently place me also to some extent.

So, now however enough the preface and thus finally to the building and to the first parts and pictures.

First part of my project will be the MLP platform, for which I procured myself the cardboard model kit of EDU-Craft Diversions on a scale 1:144, with which one the MLP-2 used with the mission STS-6 can build. Since I will build however MLP and Crawler transporter on a scale 1:160, first I went with the 1:144 cardboard sheets into the copy shop to reduced it to 1:160. Here is a small selection from the 13 MLP sheets.

The two following pictures show now what then from it is to become, the MLP, first without

source: EDU-Craft Diversions

and here at the same time with shuttle stack as impressive comparison with Revell's mini MLP.

source: EDU-Craft Diversions

And in my next post I will show you first pictures of my building site.

Yikes! STS-6! Man, it pays to stay current on this group's real space forum. (I simply don't visit anywhere near often enuf). This should be fun!

BP

[Youngtiger1]

:worship: :worship:

I can't think of anything else to say.

[spaceman]

Hi Guys,

thanks for the nice words and let's have fun together.

The pipe men have really not easy and only had to wait for the painters which have made apparently few heat-free days - States are today! But now the tube bend of the vent line around the corner on the Side 2/Side 1 has been painted at last and could be installed immediately after fitting the pipe supports.

This is now not so much business, but at least, with small steps to get to the destination too.

This is, as I said, the critical corner between the two Expansion joints, which is why in the tube bend of the vent line extra still a stiffening angle was welded, the just yet as can be seen. Right, this line section of the vent line reaches until to the end of Bay 4, where a drain hole is located, which is sealed with a blind flange.

At this point, there is a branch line in the vent line, from which it then goes to the LOX-Valve skid with the LOX-Filter, as shown here in the picture.

Source: NASASpaceflight.com (J. Patterson)

This is in the following picture the place directly behind the right green arrow over the local pipe support.

Source: NASA

These pipes want to take seemingly no end ...

[spaceman]

Hi guys,

on Side 2, there is still something to scratch, no, exceptionally no pipes and no pipe supports, but the two Pneumatic vent mufflers in Bay 3 and Bay 4, here once again to the memory in the picture.

Source: NASA

Since this is only a continuous tube in the paper kit, I've scratch-built it again as well as already the four vent mufflers on Side 4. First I attempted to glue the side brackets from Evergreen strips 0,7x0,2 mm directly onto the paper tube, but that did not glue on, as the adhesive surface is just too low for pasting.

That's why I had to try another option, which I have stuck the side brackets at an I-beam 2,4x1,2 mm, what has glued better.

It then created these filigree mountings. The service pipes are again from 1 mm round profil and the connection clamp was indicated with 0.3 mm lead wire.

And here the vent mufflers are already on their place and have got a second couple holding footbridges.

These are again only small details, but anyway would be done again.

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

Excellent job on the Pneumatic vent mufflers! This just keeps getting better and better!!! :D

Mike.

Edited July 31, 2012 by crowe-t

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

thanks for the encouraging words.

After the Pneumatic vent mufflers it's time now for the corner support for the LH2-Pipes at the corner of Side 3 to the Side 4, which looks like different than its counterparts at the previous corners. Fortunately it is built not as complicated as the honeycomb-shaped support on the corner Side 2/Side 1, but at least similar to that on the corner Side 2/Side 3 for the LOX-Pipes.

Here the two parts of the support are relatively easy to see on the MLP-2:

Source: NASA

Because the two LH2 pipes are relatively far apart at the end Side 4, at this corner there are two separate supports without a common base plate like at the other corner of Side 3. These are nuances, which did not immediately fall one right off the bat. And these supports differ somewhat in the construction by MLP to MLP.

And this is a lot of the parts you need for both support. And as you can see already, they are very small and therefore the installation will become probably somewhat stressful:

But now you get a certain feeling for parts in the mm range, and already it started again with the bonding of the small bars around the corner angle profile.

First on Side 2, and then around the corner and up to the Side 4.

And behind the 1st pipe bracket the construction of the bars for the LH2 vent line goes on up to the 2nd bracket. And similarly the upper support of the LH2 transfer line is built, which has only one pipe bracket.

And then both supports were painted yet.

The supports are hardly to see behind the pipes.

Now missing only the stiffening angle to the upper support, that can be glued only after mounting the transfer line with a segmented pipe bow.

Next follows the installation of the LH2 vent line with its three expansion joints in the same way as on the Side 2.

Edited August 29, 2013 by spaceman

[Hotdog]

Here is a cool new reference tool to help you with your build:

Google Maps Street View of Shuttle Launch Pad

[spaceman]

Hi Hotdog,

thanks for this great Google Street view tool, which is a phantastic help for my build. I've just tried it and am thrilled. I know some of the nice NASA panorama views from different level of the pad, but never before I've seen this Street view tool of the whole pad.

This tool provides a lot of nice detailed views from level 95, 195, and 255 of the FSS and will help me building the tower. And as is well-known level 95 is the lovely MLP level, on which I'm just dancing every day.

[spaceman]

And here is the next step today with the installation of the LH2-Vent line on the Side 4, which is the grey and with Ø 2.5 mm something thicker of the two pipes. Since this line also has three Expansion joints in Bay 1, 5, and 13, I must devide it again into sections, as already the LOX-Vent line on Side 2. And to the left in addition to the expansion joints in the Bay 5 and 13 also two Pipe anchors are sitting for stabilization.

I started at the rear corner of Side 4/Side 3. In this corner, both LH2-pipes have a segmented 60° pipe elbow, which each is sealed with a blind flange, as shown in the following image. At this point, the LH2-pipes of MLP are connected to the supply lines of the LH2-Tank.

Source: NASA

The 1st section of the Vent line prepared with the 60° pipe elbow extends from the corner until to the expansion joint in Bay 13, in which the 2nd section is attached.

Left the two Pipe anchors are sitting.

Here are the prepared sections of the LH2-Pipes, separating the lower section in front of the left expansion joint, but only after painting.

Now the sections can be threaded through the pipe supports. Here follows the 2nd section with the expansion joint in Bay 13 already.

The expansion joints were made as the other on Side 2, the flange rings of square Evergreen strip 0,5x0,5 mm, as well as the boot from 7 turns of lead-wire Ø 0,3 mm.

In the Bay 5 the 3rd section with the 2nd expansion joint is attached then tomorrow, and finally in the Bay 1 the last section with the 3rd expansion joint, first everything to the fitting. The sections are painted and then finally glued with each other.

Edited January 6, 2013 by spaceman

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

Very nice job on the pipes and the supports!

Will you be making all the tiny details that are printed on the sides or are you basically done with the side details?

Mike.