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

[mark31]

Nice work Manfred.

Keep going iwill follow close.

Mark

[spaceman]

Hi Mark, thanks for the nice words.

After Germany stands in the quarter-final of the Football European Championship, it should continue today with an update.

As there were not enough Pipe supports on both sides of the MLP, but the pipes must be held also on Side 1, and to do this you need which there again. Because I am just so beautiful in exercise, I wanted to exploit the momentum and I occupied myself therefore first of all with the supports of the LOX-Pipes on the Left pallet of the Access platform, which look different to the supports to both sides and present rather typical tube mounts known.

Good photos, where one can see details, are rather scarce, which is why I had to already a little search and research. Finally, I have found but some useful shots that well can be seen the different supports, which are seen in this photo.

Source: http://www.capecomespace.net

The supports marked with red arrows wear the lower LOX Transfer line, which was still white on Side 2, but also grey from the corner. And the supports marked with green arrows wear the above and behind running LOX-Vent line.

You can see unfortunately not much with regard to the supports, from D. Maier's Paper kit. As you can see in the following picture, the supports of LH 1 (Vent line, above) and LH 1A (Transfer line, below) hang of the pipe segments off and will certainly make lots of fun during the rolling and gluing the pipes on the I don't like but to.

The arrangement of the LOX-Pipes looks in the paper kit also again different than in the original. As you can see from the Assembly map, the pipes run to D. Maier on the pallet that is located immediately before the Side 1 directly in a row, what but so is wrong.

As previously several times was to see in photos, the left pallet is located roughly in the middle of the Access platform, and the pipes have a significant distance from each other.

Source: NASA

I've fiddled some time around, how to scratch build the supports the best and tried several types, which can be seen in the following images.

The supports for the Transfer line are only about 1 mm high and were made of different Evergreen strips.

And here, the first finished prototype is a real mite, indeed.

and here the sample for fitting on the pallet:

The supports for the vent line are higher and somewhat more robust built. Here I have to juggle something with the height. For the base I used first H-beam 2 x 2 mm. The height of this prototype but with 3 mm was unfortunately a bit too low for the required pipe height.

Therefore I have made the second type with little slender foot (H-beam of 1,5 x 1,2 mm) little higher with 4 mm, what better fit.

Sorry, too many pictures, the rest follows as.

Edited June 20, 2012 by spaceman

[spaceman]

And here comes the rest.

Here you see both prototypes, where the foot of rear seemed too strong but as something.

And here is the fitting of the supports on the pallet.

While the three supports of the Transfer line are the same, the third (inner) support of the Vent line is wider than the first two, a double execution, as on this point a junction in front of a drain blind flange is located to the LOX Valve skid on the right pallet, good to see as here on one of the earlier photos.

Source: NASASpaceflight.com (J. Patterson)

So, now I need to build "only just" rest supports for this pallet.

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

You are catching details I've never seen in pictures! I love seeing these updates.

Mike.

[spaceman]

Hi Mike,

thanks for all the kind words! Your comments and compliments give me encouragement to keep pushing on and mean a lot for me. The work you and the other guys have done on your Real space models has been a great inspiration for me too.

Strangely, the more you know what looks like the real thing, the more details would you scratch, isn't it? That's my experience and conviction anyway.

[K2Pete]

I agree with Mike!

And looking at that last photograph, I just can't WAIT to see how you build those tiny valve handles and those very tiny hydraulic lines ... and that little wrench!!

I enjoy this build so much Manfred, I don't want to see it end. Please continue finding all the details you can and insert them in to this build.

... And now that I think about it, this is just the MLP, you will still be building the Launch tower, the Payload facility and the Shuttle stack too ... won't you?

Pete

[spaceman]

Hi Pete,

thanks for the kind words and your ecstasy! I've been following your work on the 1:48 Apollo Spacecraft Stack and it's coming along great and outstanding too, you are the King of scratch building.

And if I actually wanted scratch building all these details, I would have to build the whole Pad in 1:32, or 1:48 like your Apollo Stack. Only to the idea of the dimensions, the tiny hand wheel of the 2 inch valve would have a diameter of 1 mm in 1: 160, which is impossible and located in the area of utopia, as you know. And the tiny hydraulic lines should have a diameter of 0,5 mm or smaller! Therefore I have much about thinking and fiddleing, which parts I might try to scratch build and what not.

By the way you're right, I will still be building the Fixed Service Structure (FSS) and the Rotating Service Structure (RSS), and the Shuttle stack, and last not least a Crawler Transporter, that's it.

But first of all I have to finish the MLP and you have to wait a little bit still.

[mark31]

Good work on the details. :wub:

I learn a lot here for my futere built.

Mark

[spaceman]

Thanks Mark for the nice words.

But times yet the two remaining Pipe supports for the LOX-Vent line on the left pallet.

As you can see, the second support differs from the first by a cut-out, and that has its reason. Repeated exact looking at the supports on photos I noticed, that the LOX Transfer line running immediately in front of the supports of the LOX-vent line exactly at this point has an Expansion joint (green arrow), which takes his place.

Source: http://www.capecomespace.net

And so look the supports on the pallet.

Then I have looked again in the paint shop and asked me after the progress of work. But by the Football European Championship the guys were apparently somewhat distracted from work, but so far all has been prepared and wanted to get started right. The ladder cages also still were on the list.

If you not everything yourself take care ...

[stevenichols]

Manfred, YOU are the master of the scratch-build. I look forward to watching your progress and seeing the finished result.

[spaceman]

Thanks Steve for the compliments and for the encouraging words.

And behold, it goes forward but. The grey LH2 Vent line and the Evergreen's profile for the oblique bracers with same they painted, great job done.

And the Ladder cages are now also as far as ready for the assembly, are set but still aside. A joint had resolved itself and must be glued again.

Now can it go actually with the assembly of the Pipe supports on Side 4. Here, only the different sizes of supports must be observed so that then the gradient of the pipes is also true.

That is now done, and thus the Side 4 looks now also already quite passable.

And here again something up close.

Now, only the lateral oblique bracers missing, which are to be installed tomorrow.

[crowe-t]

As always, very nicely done Manfred!

The guys did a great job painting all those parts. They really look dead on to the real thing!

Mike.

Edited June 23, 2012 by crowe-t

[Zombie_61]

Manfred, after viewing your most recent photos my aging eyes have informed me they will retire from active duty if I ever attempt to scratchbuild anything like this in such a small scale. Absolutely brilliant work, and your attention to detail is second to none. Truly inspirational!

[mark31]

Very good detail work on the MLP i love it.

Its getting better every time i look..

Keep going

Mark

[spaceman]

Thanks guys for all the kind words of your praise! Your nice comments give me encouragement to keep pushing on and make me happy!

[Youngtiger1]

Super work on the small details...totally awesome!!

[spaceman]

Hi Youngtiger,

thanks for the nice words.

And here is a further small update, so to speak, the lookup to the Pipe supports on Side 4.

There were to assemble "merely" the lateral bracers, are installed the times right, time left, but from photos like this in HiRes is good to see.

Source: NASA

And that the prepared 20 bracers from Evergreen strip 0,75x0,25 mm for the 10 pipe supports:

The glueing of the bracers with Superglue was again nothing for the faint-hearted, but rather what for quiet hands, and was hard to make without stopping your breath when attaching the bracers to the supports. But ultimately all bracers sit in place, thank God. And that seems out of Side 3 to the front to Side 1:

The different side order of the bracers should be to recognize.

So, that's it then once for today.

[mark31]

very nice work u show us again :thumbsup:

Mark

[spaceman]

Thanks Mark for the nice words and let's go on.

And here is a further small update on Side 4, because we are just so beautiful here. Before there the LH2 pipes will be permanently installed, there is a nice little thing to do, which would make otherwise unnecessary circumstances. There are namely in the Bay 16 four so-called Pneumatic Vent Mufflers, how I now have be explained. These elongated parts here are:

Source: NASA

On Side 2 there are two similar parts in the Bay 3, which are arranged horizontally:

Source: NASA

These parts are pneumatic outlets for venting the LH2- and LOX-Vent lines, because without ventilation are not a fuel that could be otherwise filled through the Transfer lines.

The Vent mufflers on Side 4 look in the Paper kit:

Only simple tubes, with the lower lines are only hinted at what was released but again too simple would be. Here, such model is time to see.

Because I don't love so much these implied Maier Kit Details, I wanted to scratch-build the mufflers first fully plastic and had been prepared already the two round profiles. Then I have only scratch-built the bottom lines and used but the upper parts with the opening, what looks together quite well:

Here I however separately glued the glue seam of the tube, so that is not an edge, and glued a plastic core to stabilise and a small U-beam as bracket. The line is a 1 mm round profile with a ring made of 0.5 mm lead wire to hint the connection clamp. And so the other three Vent mufflers look:

And here after mounting on the MLP wall:

And here you can see now probably also why the Vent mufflers had to come before the final installation of the LH2 pipes tuned.

So long.

[crowe-t]

Manfred,

Clever use of the kit's vent mufflers. They look much better with the lines you added to the bottoms.

Mike.

[spaceman]

Thanks Mike for the kind words,

Sometimes there are only small details, but often complete and make it a little bit more perfect.

Edited June 28, 2012 by spaceman

[Youngtiger1]

Man, this is becoming nicer by the update. BTW, are you doing to place the shuttle on it as well?

Mike

[phantom]

Wow....... keep at this!

[spaceman]

Hi guys and thanks for the encouraging words and compliments.

When I've finished the MLP, I'm going to build the Launch tower (FSS and RSS) and then the Shuttle stack and the Crawler last.

Until then you have to wait you but still something ...

[spaceman]

And because I was just at such small things, here a short update concerning furter pipe brackets details. There are next to the Expansion joints even so-called Pipe anchors. Additional brackets which will probably stabilize these slightly weaker areas of the fuel pipes are as seen here in the picture on the Side of 4 in the detail right can see above. The front 3rd Expansion joint on this side (far left) is stabilized by the corner-pipe support at the Side 1.

Source: United Space Alliance: STS-111 Flight Readiness Review, GO-18 (2002)

These are only very small parts, which can hardly be seen behind the pipes, but they are now included. And since I now know that they exist, I tried also to scratch-build this. Since they directly sit on the vertical reinforcement bars, I have used H-beams 2,5x2,3 mm, at least to indicate the anchors.