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

[spaceman]

Hello again,

 

when drawing the tiny heights of the individual parts on the transportation plate, it's getting straight down to the nitty-gritty, as feared. 

 

When measuring the details on the photos, everything still looks quite manageable and large, although I have already seen that the dimensions after converting to 1:160 sometimes shrink into the tenths of a millimeter.  

 

But at it I still haven't even thought about drawing these mini parts yet ... 

 

For example, a photo now looks like this after multiple corrections of the conversions if I previously have determined certain dimensions using incorrect reference dimensions (lengths/heights). 

 

Source: NASA (STS-122)

 

In the last post I had already started drawing the heights on the Floor plate (0,25 mm). But as soon as I drew in the holders for the hold-down clevis, which are only 0,8 mm high, I realized what I've let myself in. 

 

In order to be able to see differences in the heights at all, I drew the front view of the plate at the highest magnification in MS Word (500%), and to keep things clear, I tried to color-code the different sub-areas accordingly to their dimensions, which is probably hardly recognizable here in the picture, but is probably not that interesting for you either. 

 

The most difficult place was the opening between the two holders, in which the Hold-down clevis later has to fit, whereby only a gap of 0,8 mm (light blue) for the two fork plates is available. 

 

 

And between these two plates there must still also be enough space for the small Tie-down Lug plate, which can be seen here again, initially in the original, with an impressive size of at least approx. 0,5 m, 

 

Source: NASA (STS-114)

 

as well as here with approx. 3,5 mm in scale 1:160. 

 

 

While the thickness of my prototype is approx. 0,5 mm, the finished plate has to be even narrower with 0,4 mm. And since it consists of three discs, only my thinnest Evergreen Styrene Sheet (0,13 mm) can be used,  unless I save myself this effort and leave it with one thicker part, since one can hardly see the plate in the Hold-down Clevis anyway later. http://www.raumfahrer.net/forum/smf/Smileys/yabb/undecided.gif

 

To the left of the brackets one can see the two Stop holders. For the sake of clarity, I have not drawn the PLC Support Plate behind the Clevis brackets. 

 

And here is an impression of the height profile of the parts in front of the transportation plate behind.

 

 

Since in the first image one can hardly see the interesting details of the entire bracket because of all the dimensions and conversions, here is another image without this irritating nick-nack. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-122)

 

With that I might just at least make a first attempt and start building this transportation plate.   

Edited July 3, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

before I start building the larger Transportation plate, I first drew the smaller plate, which is a bit simpler in construction, but is only about half the size. 

 

Easier therefore, because the two brackets of the Hold-down Clevis have the same width, as can be seen in this image.

 

Source: NASA (STS-126)

 

However, the widths (1,8 mm) determined in this picture are not correct   and are too big because I used the Height of the Transporter side panel (7,5 mm) as a reference measure, what I described in a previous post.

 

To avoid this error, I'm using since then the Sidewall height (7,5 mm) solely for determining heights, while all lengths/widths are based on the Center-to-center spacing of the Tie-down Lug Plates (15,5 mm) from the NASA drawing, as one can see in the following image. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-135)

 

And the resulting width (1,2 mm) for both Clevis holders I used for drawing the ground plan of the small plate.

 

But for that I also needed the dimensions perpendicular to it, i.e. the depths. Determining them was much more difficult because you sometimes have to resort to oblique perspectives and/or previously determined "secured" dimensions as a reference. 

 

The following photos should serve as an example for this, without my wanting to go into more detail about the somewhat more complicated measuring and conversions, for which a certain amount of practice in perspective vision and trained spatial imagination is required,  in order to correctly recognize and understand the structure and shape as well as hidden corners and edges of the parts. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-124)

 

Source: NASA

 

Source: NASA

 

Enough of the preface, finally I was able to draw the smaller transportation plate, which is only half as big, but still can be clearly represented in MS Word (500%).  

 

 

 

And this is what the plates look like on the transporter. 

 

 

But already from a greater distance one can hardly still see any details, 

 

 

which is why I have to put on my headset glasses. 

 

 

And so now to the scratch building of the larger plate, for which I've first cut the floor plates (7 mm x 6 mm) from Evergreen Styrene (0,3 mm), on which I now only have to accommodate all puzzle pieces. 

 

 

Next, I will look for suitable Evergreen profiles so that I especially don't have to file both tricky brackets out of the whole. 

Edited July 9, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello friends,

 

the night before last I prepared the first two floor plates (6 mm x 7 mm) that were on the table in front of me. 

 

 

Then I was still looking at some printed photos and working for a while on the computer.  And when I wanted to continue with the two plates, there was only one plate left!  

 

I thought that can't be true and started searching, first on the desk, then on the floor, under the table, around a chair, but the plate was gone. I could have flown off the handle,  but I was so fed up that I only still wanted to bed because it was late again ... 

 

Yesterday afternoon I already wanted to cut a new plate. When I came back again into my study, I thought, that can't be true.  There this damn Styrene plate did lay in front of the room door, about 3 m away from my desk. 

 

 

For size comparison here with my EUR cent. 

 

 

 

But I had walked past that several times before, while the plate wasn't lying there. Strange ... 

 

There are things between heaven and earth that don't exist, or maybe do too ... 

 

Since in another forum the notorious carpet monster has already been alluded to, there must be a tile monster in my room ... 

 

Anyway, the main point is that this thing is back and I can get on with it. 

Edited July 12, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

I haven't gotten very far, however, because there are actually hardly any suitable profiles from which I could scratch-build the brackets of the Clevis holders. 

 

Here you can at least see the beginning with the strips from which I could assemble the right bracket. 

 

 

An Evergreen strip (0,4 mm x 0,8 mm) fits for the lower part. On it I can stick a strip (0,4 mm x 1,2 mm), for which I've sanded an E-Strip (0,4 mm x 1,5 mm) a bit narrower, wherewith at least would finish this bracket. 

 

Since I also need the same brackets for the smaller transportation plates, which all have to be 2,6 mm long, I have prepared sufficient lengths right away. 

 

The top strip was made the same way and is designated for the base plate of the Hold-down Clevis (0,4mm x 1,3 x 2,6mm) which must fit into the opening (1,4 mm) between the brackets.  

 

The left bracket, on the other hand, still gives me a headache.  For that I could use a E-Strip (1 mm x 2 mm), but I would have to file it flat to 0,8 mm and file out a corner (0,3 mm x 0,4 mm). 

 

Or I find a E-Strip (0,8 mm x 2 mm), onto which I then could stick a narrower filed strip (0,8 mm x 1,8 mm), but what I still have to check first.   

 

So much for a start, it's rather a tricky business. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by spaceman

[CaptKirk]

Sounds like just the sort of antics one would expect from a tile monster. You seem to have the better of it though, Manfred. Not even the hungriest monster could manage a significant portion of this emerging masterpiece.

Every time I listen to "Countdown" by Rush, this project comes to mind.

[spaceman]

Thanks Kirk for your nice compliment and your surprising association with the Rush Song "Countdown", what I didn't know before. 

 

I watched the video and was amazed by the historical background of the song as a tribute to Columbia's maiden flight on April 12, 1981. 

 

 

I didn't know that the band were guests of NASA for the launch at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and saw it from Red Sector A.

I was even more surprised when I saw my long slim friend Scott "Shuttleman" Phillips jumping for joy in the video shortly after takeoff. 

 

 

Thanks for pointing me to this. 

Edited July 15, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello again,

 

even with these tropical temperatures there's no reason for sitting back and take things easy,  although my desire is limited.  

 

 

Nevertheless, it has to go on somehow, otherwise I'll slowly lose the common thread myself. - But where there's a will, there's a way! 

 

To better follow the further processes, here is the drawing of the larger Transportation Plate with the Clevis brackets again. 

 

 

First I glued the two prepared strips (0,4 mm height) together for the right part of the Clevis bracket which, as expected, had the required height of 0,8 mm. 

 

 

 

But already for cutting to the required length (2.6 mm), a defined stop was required, for what I first made several test cuts with a dummy strip, to be sure and not bungle the angle profile. 

 

 

But despite the greatest care, it was not possible to cut off sections of the same length with the chisel cutter due to the difference in height, which is why I switched to a different solution. 

 

For this I prepared a new strip (0,4 mm x 1,2 mm), and from the narrow strip (0,4 mm x 0,8 mm) I've also cut off 2,6 mm long pieces at the ruler stop, which I then glued individually to the wider strip and then have only cut off behind the narrow strip, which resulted in evenly long angles. 

 

 

With these angles I then immediately tested the width of the holders of the smaller Transportation plate, 

 

 

for what the strip (0,4 mm x 1,3 mm) for the base plate of the Hold-down Clevis was inserted, which can be seen here in the view from below.

 

 

And in fact I came up with the intended width of the brackets of 2,9 mm, what was difficult to photograph, but is just about recognizable, at least I hope so. For better orientation I have put down the drawing of the small transport plate to it. http://www.raumfahrer.net/forum/yabbfiles/Attachments/up045518.gif

 

 

This is the same arrangement of the brackets, only seen from above.

 

 

And in the resulting gap (0,8 mm) the Hold-down Clevis has to fit, which consists of two plates, as can be seen in this photo,

 

Source: NASA (STS-122)

 

between which the Tie-down Lug Plate still has to fit, which in turn consists of three discs, 

 

Source: NASA (STS-114)

 

which illustrates the whole difficulty of further scratch building. 

 

And when working with these mini-particles, I usually can't do without my headset glasses, which my helpful assistant always keeps ready.   

 

 

But I have to go through,  since the mouse bites from no thread. 

Edited July 20, 2022 by spaceman

[K2Pete]

For the past few posts of yours Manfred, the thought that crosses my mind is "the majority of us modellers have ONE definition of 'Attention to Detail', and Manfred has quite a different, much more precise, definition"

Your 'Stick-to-it-ive-ness', your ability to focus on a given task, even in a heat wave, is just remarkable!

 

Thanx for your very explanatory photos and for finally showing us ... your assistant!  ;^ D))

Pete

[freshnewstart]

44 minutes ago, K2Pete said:

'Attention to Detail', and Manfred has quite a different, much more precise, definition"

Your 'Stick-to-it-ive-ness', your ability to focus on a given task, even in a heat wave, is just remarkable!

Totally aggree 😊

Jesper

[spaceman]

3 hours ago, K2Pete said:

For the past few posts of yours Manfred, the thought that crosses my mind is "the majority of us modellers have ONE definition of 'Attention to Detail', and Manfred has quite a different, much more precise, definition"

Your 'Stick-to-it-ive-ness', your ability to focus on a given task, even in a heat wave, is just remarkable!

 

Thanx for your very explanatory photos and for finally showing us ... your assistant!  ;^ D))

Pete

 

Thanks Pete for your lavish hymn of praise, which is a great honor for me.  

 

As a matter of fact, scratch-building in the rage of a millimeter or less is surely a huge challenge, and somehow also fitting to the orbiter name I'm building. That's why I accept this challenge again and again, day by day ... 

 

And speaking of Sticktoitiveness, yep, I have quite a lot of that, and it's not for nothing that Bruce Springsteen's song Tougher Than The Rest is one of my favorite songs ... 

 

When you enjoy something, things go much easier. Enjoy and know what you can do - then it should work.  

 

And last but not least, nothing beats a good assistant! 

[spaceman]

3 hours ago, freshnewstart said:

Totally aggree 😊

Jesper

 

Thank you, Jesper, for your approval. 

[crowe-t]

Manfred,  What Pete said goes double for me.  You're in a class by yourself and your enormous effort in this project is paying off big time.  

Mike.

[spaceman]

Thanks Mike for your nice compliment and for staying with me for so long. 

 

It's always a great feeling of happiness when I see that parts have turned out the way I imagined them. 

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

next I tried to arrange the brackets on the bottom plate of the smaller transportation plate (4 mm x 5,5 mm) which is so small that it has place on the globe of the cent coin. 

 

 

And as it quickly turned out, it's not that easy and requires a certain amount of dexterity when using the pointed tweezers, since you sometimes can't get hold of the tiny parts and there is a risk that they will suddenly jump away, whereon the Tile Monster is just waiting. 

 

 

But the space check was at least satisfactory and showed that the space conditions on the drawing is sufficient. 

 

 

However, I can't yet glue the brackets to the floor plate because I need to know how wide the Hold-down Clevis with the inserted Tie-down Lug Plate is, that needs to fit into the narrow gap (0,8 mm) between the two plates.  

 

So I first had to use various detailed photos to scratch the appropriate parts in order to be able to carry out a 'real' space check. And those were the plates for the Clevis, which I need in total 8 x, the dimensions of which I determined in this and other photos. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-132)

 

This image shows the prototype of the plate and the prepared base plates (0,4 mm x 1,3 mm x 2,6 mm). Above that is my first sample of the Tie-down Lug Plate, which I still have to modify a bit, as subsequent measurements have shown that the plate is a bit too small and too thick. 

 

 

So I used the first one as a template to prepare another Clevis plate to test the fork, 

 

 

and have cut off and pre-drilled the remaining six plates.  

 

Furthermore, one can also see on this image the modified Tie-down Lug Plate with the two outer discs, all three made of Evergreen Styrene (0,13 mm) so that the finished plate also fits into the Clevis. What to think all about ... 

 

 

 

And because I was there once, I also prepared the remaining Lug plates, 

 

 

which I need 4 x. 

 

 

But that's enough of the preparation, next comes the practice test. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

let's go into and win fight for the tenths of a millimeter when gluing the puzzle pieces onto the small Transportation plate! 

 

First I intended to do the Tie-down Lug Plate, the three parts of which I glued one after the other with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK). To do this, I put the middle disc with the snippet and the outer disc on a needle (Ø 0,5 mm), on which I can align both parts precisely beforehand, after which I then paint a brush stroke with MEK, which is enough to glue them together. 

 

 

Since the hold of the needle on the Balsa board was not stable enough,  I've clamped the needle in a clamp and clamped it firmly to the tabletop. After that I was able to align the panes in peace and carefully wet the edges with MEK with the tip of the brush. The bonding can be accelerated by blowing lightly on the splice immediately afterwards, which means that the MEK quickly evaporates and the parts are connected in no time, which I learned from a friend at a trade fair. 

 

 

Then the needle was clamped around and the other disc was glued on the back in the same way. 

 

 

Then the opening was re-drilled a little and the thickness of the plate was measured, 

 

 

which actually stayed within the predetermined range with 0,4 mm. 

 

Then I put the two Hold-down Clevis Plates) on a stick from both sides and measured the thickness of this arrangement,

 

 

which with 0,79 mm also remained within the required range (≤ 0,8 mm), which cannot be seen on the caliper rule,

 

 

and you just have to believe me. 

 

After that, I could go about gluing the Clevis brackets to the smaller transportation plate with a clear conscience, which I had to think carefully about beforehand, based on the drawing. 

 

 

These are the two brackets under which the small base plate of the hold-down fork has to fit, for which I have in mind a detachable connection, like at the original, whereby the Clevises can be plugged in for vertical transportation and pulled out for horizontal transportation, what of course complicates the whole thing a bit. 

 

 

For this I came up with the following solution. 

 

The underside of the outer bracket I've dabbed a drop of the normal Revell glue  and set it down with the tweezers against the stop of the steel ruler and immediately checked and slightly corrected its position. Then I supported the gluing with some MEK on both sides and checked the lower free space with a strip (0,4 mm x 1,5 mm).

 

 

Gluing the other bracket was inevitably more difficult, which is why I checked its arrangement beforehand and thought about how best to proceed, especially since everything is quickly glued together with the MEK, and inseparably so,  which of course shouldn't happen.  

 

 

So I thought about a special fixation for the transport plate,  in which it is clamped under a steel ruler, which allows me to align the other holder at another ruler and could adjust the upper and lower opening with appropriate placeholder strips. 

 

 

After that I've removed the bottom placeholder and gently dabbed the front part of the left bracket with MEK, which held it in place. 

 

 

Then I've turned the plate over, carefully fixed it again, and then glued the outside of the bracket with MEK. 

 

 

And after pulling out the upper placeholder strip, this bracket also sits firmly on the base plate. 

 

 

Now I can think about how I can glue the Clevis plates to their smaller base plate so that the finished Clevis then also fits into the small opening under the brackets,  

 

 

what should be at least as complicated and exciting. 

Edited July 24, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

and now to the gluing of the Hold-down Clevis onto the small base plate (0,4 mm x 1,3 mm x 2,6 mm),   which shouldn't become a cakewalk, because there's hardly any space on this little snippet and handling seemed extremely difficult.

 

But so far I've always come up with a solution , even if it may have looked adventurous at times.

 

 

It would be skillful if one could glue both Clevis plates onto the base plate in one step, for which I carefully grabbed and aligned them with tweezers, with an inserted spacer with the thickness of the Tie-down Lug Plate (0,4 mm), additionally supported by an inserted round rod (Ø 0,5 mm). 

 

 

Of course, both of these must be firmly clamped and fixed before one can start with gluing, for which again only the MEK glue and a fine pointed red sable brush come into question.

 

 

The positioning and alignment of the plates in this tricky holder on the base plate could still be done with a lot of care, patience and finesse, but it became clear to me that the gluing between the two rulers had little chance of success because the base plate might also stick to the rulers after wetting it with MEK, which has happened to me before, because the creeping ability of MEK is treacherous and unpredictable.

 

 

Therefore it was more advantageous to do without the prepared short base plates and to use a longer strip of the same width (1.3 mm), which is fixed with sufficient overhang between the rulers and can cut off after successful gluing.

 

 

This gives you a little more freedom of movement with the brush when wetting the tiny corner, which is at least a small relief. However, there is also a risk of sticking to the cutting mat here, especially since my red sable brush seemed too frayed for that anyway.

 

 

That's why I thought about whether it wouldn't be better if I got myself a new red sable brush, and the finest there is.

 

But just with this consideration, it suddenly made Bang,  and my daredevil tweezer holder collapsed, what totally scared me.

 

Luckily the impaled Clevis plates hadn't flew off and survived the mishap unscathed.

 

So I've invented a similar holding jig using anantimagnetic tweezers and a smaller clamp, what seemed safer to me, 

 

 

especially since I was now able to use the more stable Magnet clamping technique again and the areas to be glued were much more accessible from the front too.

 

 

And for the MEK gluing I got the finest red sable brush,

 

 

whose brand name da Vinci - Maestro alone should guarantee quality, 

 

 

and has gave me hope with its superfine tip.

 

 

And with this solution, I've quite successfully managed to glue the plates together, as one can see here. Only pushing the Clevis plates into the holder was quite difficult, because there was almost no clearance in their opening and the seat was therefore too tight, which I have to take into account with the remaining three Clevis brackets.

 

 

After I had carefully sanded out the opening with a strip of sandpaper a little bit, it was much easier to slide it in. 

 

 

And after I had also smoothed the Tie-down Lug Plate on both sides a bit, it then also fitted well between the Clevis-Fork, wherewith I'm satisfied now.

 

 

Taking these findings into account, I should then be able to do the remaining three Clevises as well as the construction of the Transportation plates, which gives me confidence.

 

After cutting off the protruding base plate, the first of four Clevises is finally finished after a few birth pangs.

 

 

I'd rather do without the two handles for handling the original ca. 60 cm high holder,

 

Source: NASA (STS-135)

 

since they could just about be made with a length of 1 mm and a diameter of 0,1 mm, but their assembly would then be too risky and overkill.

 

If I can do the other three hold-down Clevises just as well, then I'll be satisfied already.

Edited July 28, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello Guys,

 

after I did successfully scratch the first Hold-down clevis quite well, I've glued the remaining three clevises together too. 

 

Because the simultaneous gluing of the plates with MEK proved to be too  unstable due to the minimal adhesive edges, I proceeded a little differently this time and used my steady hand and my eagle eyes trusted. 

 

This time I fixed the base plate strip (1,3 m) to a steel ruler so that nothing could slip. Then I wet a Clevis plate lightly on the lower edge with Revell glue and carefully close to the edge of the strip (approx. 0,2 mm) placed at its end. After that, there was still enough time for the finest position corrections. 

 

I then glued the other plate in the same way, inserted a spacer strip the thickness of the Tie-down Lug Plate (0,4 mm) between the plates and gently pressed both together with the tweezers. Then the position of the plates was adjusted to each other and the central position of the pair of plates was checked and adjusted if necessary, which worked quite well. 

 

After that, to be on the safe side, I brushed the glued areas of both plates with MEK and cut off the base plate strip flush,  

 

 

and the second Clevis was done too. 

 

The two remaining Clevises then followed in the same way. 

 

 

And as one can see, the Tie-down Lug Plate still fits in between, which was my biggest concern at first. 

 

 

Next I tackled the two stoppers that one can see in this image on either side of the bottom of the canister. In my opinion these are more likely to be Sliding shoes for the Payload Canister, through which is guaranteed a certain guidance of the canister when the canister is set down on the Transporter as well as during unloading and hoisting into the RSS-Payload Bay.

 

Source: wikimedia.org (STS-132)

 

The fact that this PLC-Hoisting is an extremely complicated and not without danger process, I was just reading in James MacLaren's Page 51 on the Canister Hoisting System in his treatise about the structure of the Launch Complex 39-B, what I can warmly recommend to all interested parties,  which made a lot of things clearer to me, such as the need for additional securing of the canister on the "kneeling" transporter with several Tethers (Tag lines) during the Canister is hanging on the crane hook. 

 

Source: James MacLaren - The Construction of Space Shuttle Launch Complex 39-B (Page 51)

 

The sliding shoes sit on base plates, which are screwed onto the smaller Transportation Support Plates of the transporter during the Vertical Transportation mode. 

 

For the base plate I used an Evergreen strip (0,75 mm x 1,5 mm), which I filed down to a width of 1,2 mm and cropped to 2,4 mm length. 

 

For the sliding shoe, I filed an Evergreen strip (1,5 mm x 1,5 mm) to 1,2 mm x 1,3 mm, which was cropped to 3,5 mm length. 

 

 

Then I wanted to do a first vertical test fitting of the canister on this transport plate and I have glued on the PLC base plate (0,5 mm x 2 mm x 2 mm) as a support for the canister, 

 

 

have temporarily put the base plate of the sliding shoe on and set up the canister, what fits together quite well. 

 

 

And this is what the finished sliding shoe looks like, 

 

 

which is here standing on the plate, in front of it the Clevis is standing already, 

 

 

which is inserted here with the inserted Lug Plate in the brackets, 

 

 

but what is hardly recognizable from this distance. 

 

 

The same Transportation support plate now will follow for the other corner, and then the two larger Transportation support plates will follow. 

Edited August 4, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

the first prototype is always the most difficult, but fortunately there is Learning by doing, and since I've meanwhile drilled me in this Mini-puzzle, the second plate was much easier to handle, so I can be brief, especially since the images are self-explanatory.

 

 

 

And with that, the two smaller Transportation Support Plates are now complete and can be put aside for the time being.

 

 

This brings me to the two larger Support plates, whose Clevis brackets are unfortunately not the same size, as one can see here.  

 

Source: NASA (STS-122)

 

 

But in the meantime I've been on the lookout for suitable Evergreen profiles and have actually found some.

 

For the upper part of the left bracket I can use the left Evergreen strip (0,38 mm x 2,5 mm), from which I only have to cut off 2 mm long pieces. And under these comes a strip of the right Evergreen strip (0,38 mm x 2,0 mm), which is to file to a width of 1,8 mm and to cut to 2,5 mm long pieces. 

 

 

 

The two narrower brackets are already finished and only need to be glued to the plates.

 

 

So much for the preparation.

Edited August 5, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

despite the persistent heat, things have to go on, after all, the final of the Mini-Puzzle Show is just around the corner.

 

These are the both Evergreen Strips (0,38 mm x 2,0 mm x 2,6 mm) for the top parts of the wider brackets,

 

 

under which the narrower Evergreen Strips (0,38 mm x 1,6 mm x 2,6 mm) were glued (left on the ruler).

 

The narrower bracket was glued to the right edge of the fixed base plate in the manner already described, first with normal Revell glue, and after final alignment additionally still with MEK.

 

 

Then the wider bracket was glued to the left beside it, whereby the distances for the Hold-down Clevis were adjusted by spacers, above 0,8 mm)),

 

 

and below (1,3 mm),

 

 

wherewith the first step was done.

 

 

Into this opening the Clevis must now also be able to be pushed,

 

 

which also did fit perfectly.

 

 

And at these points the Transportation Support Plates for the vertical transport will sit on the Transporter. 

 

 

Now the floor plates are still missing, onto which the Payload Canister is set down,

 

 

for their gluing I had a good orientation through the sketch laying beneath. As always, the be-all and end-all is a stable fixation of the plate so that nothing can slip, as well as pointed tweezers in a steady hand.

 

 

And the final stabilization of the Revell gluing with MEK is of course a must and provides additional security. 

 

 

Finally, the stop bar was glued,

 

 

wherewith the plates for one side would almost finish. 

 

 

After this the equipping of the larger plate for the other side did follow, 

 

 

which took place after the same procedure, only everything in laterally reversed assembly,

 

 

 

which can quickly confuse ones.  

 

 

And what is still missing from the larger plates, one can quickly see on the smaller plate, these are the Sliding shoes,

 

  

 

which are of different design and arrangement on these plates, as one can see here again.

 

Source: NASA (STS-122)

 

They will follow next time.

Edited August 11, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

and thus to the Sliding shoes on the larger transport plates, for which I used Evergreen strips (1,5 mm x 1,5 mm), which stand on small Floor plates (0,25 mm x 2,0 mm). 

 

The larger sliding shoe is 3,2 mm high, the smaller 1,7 mm.

 

 

Handling these midgets when beveling the planing surface is pretty tricky as one can barely grab the pieces in the tweezers tight enough to keep them from flying off. 

 

 

After the strip was clamped by magnet, it was glued in the tried and tested manner in two steps, first fixing with Revell adhesive and alignment, followed by stabilization with MEK.

 

 

 

During the positioning test on the transportation support plate, it turned out that the overhang of the floor plates was slightly too large and the place was therefore too small,  which I had to correct. 

 

 

 

 

And finally, these are the two pairs of sliding shoes. 

 

 

Then I've set up all four transportation plates with their sliding shoes to try them on. 

 

 

They will not be glued, because also in reality they are screwed on separately for the respective Transportation mode (horizontal or vertical), otherwise they would only get in the way, what one can see on this image.

 

Source: NASA (STS-132)

 

And since the size comparison with my Euro cent coin is indeed always impressive but unrealistic, I have added a fireman (1:160) along, together with the four Hold-down Clevises. 

 

 

The next step will be gluing the transportation plates onto the transporter, for which I have to think carefully about the position of the Payload Canister and the position of the plates and mark them accordingly, 

 

 Source: NASA
 
for which I still have to think about a precise procedure. 

Edited August 14, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

and thus on to the last battle and the tricky gluing of the Transportation Support Plates onto the Payload Canister Transporter.

Here is the pre-fitting test of the canister on the transport plates, but still without Clevises and Tie-down Lug plates. 

 

 

But since I needed all four Lug Plates for the exact positioning of the transportation plates, I first had to scratch the remaining three of these plates.

 

These consist of three parts, the middle plate with the narrow bridge, onto which the smaller plates are glued with MEK from both sides. These plates are only glued later to the Payload Canister, but they are very helpful when positioning and aligning the transport plates, as will be seen shortly.

 

 

Then the previously determined position of the first larger transport plate was marked with several templates and tape strips, and the plate with the inserted Clevis, incl. Lug plate was placed and fixed on the left side with a narrow strip of tape.

 

For gluing the plates in this state the low-viscosity MEK is particularly suitable, as one only needs to carefully wet the edge with a fine brush, which is sufficient for a delicate gluing, whereby the position of the plate is already fixed.

 

In order to see the gluing edge clearly, I illuminated it with a small LED lamp. 

 

 

Then the 1st edge was carefully glued,

 

 

and after folding over the adjoining templates/markings all around, also the remaining edges (2-4), wherewith the first transport plate was glued and the canister had its first fixed point.  

 

 

After the templates/markings were fixed again, the canister could be set up and the smaller Support plate put on.

 

 

After aligning it at the standing canister, the plate was then glued, whereby the position of the canister was already fixed on one side. 

 

 

Then the transporter was carefully turned on the spot, after which the two panels were provisionally placed onto the other side. 

 

 

Then the canister was set up and a small steel block was placed between the already glued plates as an additional lateral stop. 

 

 

Since I would definitely would have to turn the transporter a few more times to check the position of the canister and the plates as well as the lateral distances, I've put the transporter on a airbrush turntable and have secured the canister using further steel blocks, which made it easier for me to handle from then on.

 

 

After the larger transport plate had been precisely adjusted again, it could then be glued on three sides. 

 

 

Then the fourth plate still followed too, 

 

 

which for gluing the front edge was fixed with a lateral block. 

 

 

After removing the two blocks, the remaining sides of the plate were also be glued,

 

 

whereby the canister was definitively fixed by the transport plates.

 

 

Here is a view onto the front side.

 

 

Then all the blocks could be removed and the Sliding shoes were placed on the plates to get an overall impression,

 

 

what is impressive from all sides,  

 

 

and has successfully passed my, as always, critical final check, wherewith my angelic patience has paid off at the end too. Thank God!

 

 

Now I can calmly set out to scratch some more details on the Payload Canister, like there were the Door Latches of the Payload Bay Doors and their Door Actuator Pneumatic Drives, as well as ladders, platforms, doors, etc., wherewith I will definitely have to do with for a while ... 

Edited August 16, 2022 by spaceman

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

now that I've dealt with the Vertical transportation mode long enough, the Horizontal transportation mode should also be brought into the picture once again. 

 

To do this, all Hold-down Clevises as well as the Sliding shoes were usually dismantled and put next to the canister, 

 

 

as one could see in this image,

 

Source: NASA (STS-132)

 

which I simulated just for fun.  

 

 

 

After this little Milestone, I got all the parts to safety.  The bizarre Tie-down Lug Plates are only glued to the canister at the end anyway and must not get lost. 

 

 

And the cleared transporter was parked in the cupboard until further notice and is waiting there for the canister to be completed. 

 

 

As already announced, I can now take my time to turn to some more details on the Payload Canister what can be seen in this image. 

 

Let's start with the Door Latches of the Payload Bay Doors, which can be seen in this drawing, 

 

Source: NASA Conference Publication 2342 Part 2 (M. E. Donahue)

 

and whose structure can be studied in detail on this photo at high magnification (2000 x 3008). 

 

Source: NASA (STS-114)

 

The Door Latch Mechanism could be actuated from either end of the door by a Torque tube that runs the length of the door, on which seven Latch Clamps are attached.

 

Source: NASA (STS-135)

 

To put it simply, scratching is about a tube with seven clamps that lock in latch mechanisms whose dimensions I first determined, whereby the diameter of the tube was used as reference dimension, which I determined  from NASA drawings based on the width of the canister, which is Ø 0,7 mm (1:160). 

 

Source: NASA (STS-114)

 

Since these parts are also in the millimeter range and below,  I'm prepared for a lot, which is why I first had to think of a suitable solution with which I'll continue next time. 

Edited August 20, 2022 by spaceman

[CaptKirk]

Still looks fantastic Manfred.

Will you be starting an Artemis model too? 😉

[spaceman]

Thanks Kirk for staying tuned.  

 

Slowly, slowly, brother - Strength lies in calmness.  

 

I also can't wait for the STS launch of Artemis-1 on Monday either, but after my STS-6 project the Saturn V-Apollo 11 would still come as next step, but maybe in my next life only ... 

[spaceman]

Hello everybody,

 

on photos of the canister with the doors closed, one can usually only see the long Torque tube, but only a few details of the seven Door latches, and don't know on which of the two doors where/what is attached. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-132)

 

Greater clarity about this one can only obtain from images of the canister with the doors open, whereby it is important when assigning special details from which side you look at the canister, but what you need to know for Scratching. 

 

As one can see in the image below, the long Torque tube and the Swivel latches attached to it are on the door in the foreground, without knowing, however, which of the two Payload Bay Doors it is.   

 

Source: NASA (STS-135)

 

This fact gave me a headache at first,  what I've only gradually understood after analyzing several detailed photos about. 

 

As one can see in this image, according to the NASA definition, one is looking at the Forward bulkhead of the canister, on which one can see the door gap. The left canister door is the so called Port Side Door, and the right door is the Starboard Side Door, on which the Torque Tube is attached, that is connected with the seven Door Latches. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-135)

 

After realizing this, I thought about the best way to scratch these Door Latches. 

 

For the Swivel latches, I first remembered the small Channel profile (0,7 mm x 1,2 mm) in the following image, from which I've cut off a first clamp with a razor blade, which unfortunately turned out to be too small for the Round bar (Ø 0,7 mm). 

 

However, since I had determined in the meantime that the Swivel latch should have a length of 2 mm, I opted for a Evergreen H profile (1,8mm x 2,0mm) from which I filed off the webs on one side, 

 

 

resulting in a suitable latch of sufficient height to cover the rod as can be seen in the photos with the doors closed. 

 

 

 

And this is what the first test fitting of the rod with the seven latches on the canister looked like, which looked pretty good. 

 

 

 

As one can see in this image, there are two small boxes next to the swivel latches that protrude onto the Port Side Door.

 

Source: NASA (STS-134)

 

Final clarity about the structure of the Door latches one can get from images like these ones.

 

Source: NASA (STS-131)

 

When the doors are closed, the Swivel latches snap into the holders on the Port Side Door, locking the doors. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-131)

 

As one can see in the image shown at the beginning, these covers on both sides of the swivel latches were sometimes not available, which irritated me at first.  However, in Zoom you can see the slanted holder of the swivel latch on the Port Side Door into which the swivel latch engages. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-132)

 

This becomes even clearer in the following image with the doors open, 

 

Source: NASA (STS-131)

 

which is why I compared both parts of the Door latch system again. 

 

Source: NASA (STS-131)

 

And that's enough of the interesting and, with these enlargements, quite plastic details. My task now was to simplify this system to such an extent that there is still something left of it on a scale of 1:160. 

 

The swivel latches were already finished, for their side coverings I've planned small blocks made of Evergreen strips (0,5 mm x 0,5 mm x 1,0 mm), of which I wanted to glue two sticks next to each other on a thin base strip (0,1 mm x 1 mm), which are only then cut off to a length of 1 mm. 

 

This image shows the entire again fixed assembly. Due to the minimal dimensions of the parts, all gluing of the latch to the rod should be done with MEK. Only at the end the swivel latch is carefully glued on.  

 

 

So much for the theory. I have to catch up one more thing. As one could see on the previous photos, the white Torque tube is not continuous, but only its inner Torsion bar, which is exposed on the swivel latches, which I at least wanted to indicate by these black markings. 

 

 

Well then, let's see if everything works the way I imagine it to. 

Edited August 29, 2022 by spaceman