NOTE: Mission has been extended to July 24th (Apollo 11 splashdown) to help in finishing up some final details.
Okay! Let's light this candle!
In commemoration of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, I wanted to run a group build dedicated to the attempt to put men into space. This is not a GB wholly dedicated to the space-race, but to the much wider endeavor of exploration by many nations. As such, it ranges in subjects from the early rockets to the planetary robot explorers and concept vehicles that are on the drawing boards today.
I don't think we've ever had a Group Build dedicated solely to real space subjects at FSM (at least not as far back as I can read). Some of my first models were of early spacecraft, so I hope you'll join me in a nostalgic voyage as we look back, and ahead, to a time of great excitement and accomplishment in the history of mankind.
The Group Build will launch Oct. 4, 2018, the anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, and end on July 20, 2019 (the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing). About 9 months. If you can birth a baby in 9 months, you should be able to build a model.
Time frame is from 1945 to the present. From V2's to Falcon Heavy Lifter. From X1 to X37b. I might even accept Skylon, if you ask nicely.
As this is a very unusual GB, the rules are going to be pretty relaxed. If you are currently working on something, and all you have to do is put the decals on, then go ahead and enter.
If you want to take an existing model and redo it, then that's okay too. I think redoing an existing model is sometimes more difficult than building one out of the box.Just show us what you've done and post some pictures of the process. The more pictures, the better (even if it's just your cat sitting on your model)!
What is allowed? Almost anything used by the space programs, including vehicles, ships, aircraft, automobiles (those gold Corvettes owned by the Apollo 12 crew would qualify), test craft, buildings, experimental test beds, monkeys, etc. Just show how it's connected, and you're good to go!
Some qualifications about the GB. I would like to get at least 10 people to sign up. Why 10? Well, because that means that probably 5 will actually complete something! It's a GB statistic that most Group Builds only have half of the participants complete their models, so getting at least 5 complete builds will make it worthwhile. I do warn you that prior to start, I will take roll-call. If we do not have that number of participants I will abort the launch. Just a heads up to all considering joining.
I want to thank ModelCrazy for agreeing to help co-host this group build. I hope we can give you a smooth and safe ride.
Mission Director – Gary (GAF)
Flight Director – Steve (ModelCrazy)
Mission Clock
In that vein, here's a list of best test pilot / real space movies. Feel free to suggest, and I'll put them in the list.
The Right Stuff (of course) - The Right Stuff is a 1983 American epic historical drama film. It was adapted from Tom Wolfe's best-selling 1979 book of the same name about the Navy, Marine and Air Force test pilots who were involved in aeronautical research at Edwards Air Force Base, California, as well as the Mercury Seven, the seven military pilots who were selected to be the astronauts for Project Mercury, the first manned spaceflight by the United States.
October Sky - October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. It is based on the true story of Homer H. Hickam, Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer. "October Sky" is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia.
I Aim At the Stars - 1960 The life story of the famed rocket scientist Dr. Werner von Braun, one of the most brilliant and controversial figures of the space age. Dr. von Braun helped pioneer man's adventure into space through his rocket experiments; his was the brain behind the V-2 rockets which blasted London in World War II; his was also the brain which led America into the development and the launching of space satellites.
Toward the Unknown - 1956 USAF Major Lincoln Bond is captured, tortured and released from a POW camp in Korea. After the war he returns to the US where he is re-assigned as a test pilot at the Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base. The Air Force is testing the new experimental aircraft Gilbert XF-120 fighter. The acceptance of the new aircraft by the Air Force is dependent on successful tests designed to prove the aircraft's reliability and safety. However, when Major Bond flies the prototype he encounters a problem that points out a dangerous structural flaw. This could threaten the aircraft's acceptance by the Air Force and derail the whole project. Major Bond's commanding officer and some of his colleagues start to suspect that Major Bond is imagining things because of his mental condition dating back to his imprisonment and torture in the Korean POW camp. (NOTE: Watch when Holden walks into the officer's club and looks at the hand prints on the wall of the pilots who have been there.)
Apollo 13 - 1995 Based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13. It's 1970, and The US has already achieved their lunar landing goal, so there's little interest in this "routine" flight.. until that is, things go very wrong, and prospects of a safe return fade.
X-15 - 1961 At the height of the Cold War during the 1960s the U.S. Air Force and NASA tested an experimental rocket-powered research aircraft code-named X-15.The X-15 experiments were conducted at Edwards Air Force Base.The X-15 aircraft set altitude and speed records by reaching the edge of outer space.The project is managed by U.S. Air Force Colonel Craig Brewster and scientist Tom Deparma. The main test pilots are Matt Powell, Colonel Lee Brandon and Major Ernest Wilde.During the test flights the X-15 aircraft is dropped from a B-52 Stratofortress mother ship before starting its engine.The whole test team is enthusiastic about the project but the project is plagued by setbacks and near disasters right from the start.
Destination Moon - 1950 (included even though it was science fiction when produced, but still the most accurate depiction of spaceflight at the time). After their latest rocket fails, Dr. Charles Cargraves and retired General Thayer have to start over again. This time, Gen. Thayer approaches Jim Barnes, the head of his own aviation construction firms to help build a rocket that will take them to the moon. Together they gather the captains of industry and all pledge to support the goals of having the United States be the first to put a man on the moon. They build their rocket and successfully leave the Earth's gravitational pull and make the landing as scheduled. Barnes has miscalculated their fuel consumption however and after stripping the ship bare, they are still 100 lbs too heavy meaning that one of them will have to stay behind. (Interesting note about this film is that it foretells that some might actually OPPOSE the launching of a rocket that uses an atomic engine for fear it might crash and spread radioactive debris.)
The Astronaut Farmer - 2006 Texan Charles Farmer left the Air Force as a young man to save the family ranch when his dad died. Like most American ranchers, he owes his bank. Unlike most, he's an astrophysicist with a rocket in his barn - one he's built and wants to take into space. It's his dream. The FBI puts him under surveillance when he tries to buy rocket fuel; the FAA stalls him when he files a flight plan - it's post-9/11, after all. His wife is angry when she finds out their bank is initiating foreclosure. Charlie fears failure and decides, precipitously, to launch. Are twenty-first century American dreams just a sign of insanity? Are those who believe in dreamers only fools?
From the Earth to the Moon (HBO) - 1998 The twelve episodes follow the Apollo space program from a variety of viewpoints: (1) "Can We Do This?" maps the origins of Apollo and its Mercury and Gemini roots; (2) "Apollo 1" tells of the tragic fire and the subsequent finger-pointing; (3) "We Have Cleared the Tower" portrays the intense preparation for Apollo 7; (4) "1968" puts Apollo 8 into its historical context against events of the era; (5) "Spider" shows the engineering POV through the design, building, and testing of the LEMs with Apollos 9 and 10, (6) "Mare Tranquilitatis" shows the deeper considerations behind the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing; (7) "That's All There Is" portrays the camaraderie of the Apollo 12 crew; (8) "We Interrupt This Program" shows a by-now-indifferent media galvanized by the events of Apollo 13; (9) "For Miles and Miles" tells of Alan Shepherd's return to the manned program with Apollo 14 after being grounded between Mercury and Gemini; (10) "Galileo Was Right" show the non-piloting demands on the Apollo 15 astronauts as they train in lunar field geology; (11) "The Original Wives Club" gives the female POV through the wives of the New Nine; and (12) "La Voyage Dans La Lune" brings things full circle by contrasting Georges Méliès's vision and drive in creating his 1902 film with Apollo 17 and the Apollo program's close.