Ohhhhhh awesome Bakster. Makes me want to go pull out my DVD of 'The Right Stuff' again. 

Gamera>  Thanks!  Looks like the e-mail function has "bought the farm" again.  I must admit, once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, but three times is enemy action.

Bakster> That's a nice looking kit!  Look forward to seeing it go together.  Are there any cockpit details?

Gary

There is a link to the Smithsonian and Yeagers X-1.

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/bell-x-1?page=1

Gamera

Gary: Somehow I missed your last post, looks really good! Love the LEM tucked away in it's little hanger there.

I bet that was when the FSM email poster broke. I don't remember seeing Gary's post come through at all. It does look good, Gary! 

I had an eventful evening today. I looked outside to see that an X-1 flew in. 

The kit looks nice. There are masks, PE, resin wheels, and all the rest. 

This should be a fun build.

Gary: Somehow I missed your last post, looks really good! Love the LEM tucked away in it's little hanger there.

And thanks for the info about the Chinese moon probe, I hadn't even heard about that.

Project Report:

Work continues on the LM Storage Area.  I worked on cutting out small pieces of paper for details and gluing them on until I couldn't see anymore and had to stop.  I also determined the orientation of the "Z" and "Y" axis on the instrument unit so I can begin adding the antenna to the exterior and make sure it lines up with the details on the folding doors and CM/SM.  As soon as my eyes refocus, I'll get back to cutting out further small pieces of paper.  

Mission Director (GAF)

Today In Space History:

1999 January 3 - . 20:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. Launch Pad: SLC17B. LV Family: Thor. Launch Vehicle: Delta 7425-9.5.

• Mars Polar Lander - . Mass: 576 kg (1,269 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: JPL. Manufacturer: Martin. Class: Mars. Type: Mars probe. Spacecraft: Mars Polar Lander. Decay Date: 1999-12-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 25605 . COSPAR: 1999-001A.

  The Mars Polar Lander was placed by the first burn of the second stage into a 157 x 245 km x 28.35 deg parking orbit. The second stage restarted at 20:55 GMT and shut down in a 226 x 740 km x 25.8 deg Earth orbit. The solid rocket third stage (a Star 48B with a Nutation Control System and a yo-yo despin device) then ignited and put the spacecraft into solar orbit, separating at 21:02 GMT. Mars Polar Lander was to land near the south pole of Mars on December 3, 1999, and conduct conduct a three month mission, trenching near its landing site and testing for the presense of frozen water and carbon dioxide. Attached were two Deep Space 2 Microprobes, penetrators which would impact the Martian surface separately from the lander and return data on subsurface conditions from widely spaced points.

  When the spacecraft reached Mars on December 3, the lander separated from the cruise stage at 19:51 UTC and the two penetrators, Scott and Amundsen, were to separate about 20 seconds later. No further communications were ever received from the spacecraft. Landing had been expected at 20:01 UTC at 76.1S 195.3W, with the penetrators landing a few kilometres from each other at 75.0S 196.5W.

  This failure resulted in a review and reassessment of NASA's 'faster, better, cheaper' approach to planetary missions.

• DS2 Microprobe 2 - . Nation: USA. Agency: Douglas. Class: Mars. Type: Mars probe. Spacecraft Bus: Mars Polar Lander. Spacecraft: DS2 Microprobe. Decay Date: 1999-03-23 . USAF Sat Cat: 25607 . COSPAR: 1999-001C. Apogee: 645 km (400 mi). Perigee: 220 km (130 mi). Inclination: 25.8000 deg. Period: 93.23 min.

• DS2 Microprobe 1 - . Nation: USA. Agency: Douglas. Class: Mars. Type: Mars probe. Spacecraft Bus: Mars Polar Lander. Spacecraft: DS2 Microprobe. USAF Sat Cat: 25606 . COSPAR: 1999-001B.

2019 January 3 - .

A Chinese space probe successfully touched down on the far side of the moon on Thursday, China's space agency said, hailing the event as a historic first and a major achievement for the country's space programme.

The Chang'e-4 lunar probe, launched in December, made the "soft landing" at 0226 GMT and transmitted the first-ever "close range" image of the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration said.

The landing "lifted the mysterious veil" of the far side of the moon and "opened a new chapter in human lunar exploration", the agency said in a statement on its website, which included a wide-angle colour picture of a crater from the moon's surface.

The probe, which has a lander and a rover, touched down at a targeted area near the moon's south pole in the Von Karman Crater after entering the moon's orbit in mid-December.

The tasks of the Chang'e-4 include astronomical observation, surveying the moon's terrain, landform and mineral makeup, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment of its far side.

The control centre in Beijing will decide when to let the rover separate from the lander, state news agency Xinhua said.

"It's an important milestone for China's space exploration," Wu Weiren, chief designer of the lunar exploration programme, said, according to Xinhua.

The probe also took six live species - cotton, rapeseed, potato, arabidopsis, fruit fly and yeast - to the lifeless environment to form a mini biosphere, Xinhua said.

Justin> Any progress is good progress!  Looks like a great start on the SV.  Hope the garage will stay comfortable enough for work!

I didn't do very much in the way of building today.  It's been mostly research and how the LM Adapter Section, the folding panels and CM/SM were oriented.  Orientation is important to determine where the antenna for the Instrument Unit need to be placed.  I've decided to go ahead and glue the folding panels together so they form a single unit that can be lifted on and off instead of folding out like the original model, so I've taped them together in preparation.  I "may" leave one panel loose if I want to remove it to show the LM inside.  Not sure about the fit on my scratch-built base though.  I'll just have to build it and see how it goes.

Hope everyone had a good New Year's Day!

Today in Space History:

1961 January 1 - .

• Mercury 13 Astronaut Training Group selected. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Allison, Cagle, Myrtle, Cobb, Dietrich, Dietrich, Marion, Funk, Gorelick, Hart, Jane, Hixson, Leverton, Steadman, Stumough, Truhill.

  Qualifications: Qualified jet pilot with minimum 1,500 flight-hours/10 years experience, bachelor's degree or equivalent, under 40 years old, under 180 cm height, excellent physical condition.. Randolph Lovelace was director of the clinic where the Mercury astronauts had undergone their physical examinations. He and Jacqueline Cochran, the first American woman to break the sound barrier, wanted to prove that women were equally qualified to be astronauts. In early 1961 they arranged for 20 highly qualified female pilots to take the same physical tests undergone by the Mercury astronauts. Thirteen passed the tests, but NASA maintained its position that astronauts had to be qualified test pilots (all of whom were white males). One of the thirteen was the wife of a US Senator, and some congressional hearings were arranged. Despite the publicity NASA was still unwilling to place them in the official NASA training program.

  Oddly enough, the selection of these women may have resulted in the first woman going into space after all. In May 1962 a Soviet delegation, including cosmonaut Gherman Titov and cosmonaut commander Nikolai Kamanin, visited Washington. Kamanin had been pushing for the flight of a Soviet woman into space since October 1961, and five Soviet female cosmonauts had just reported for training a month earlier. However the flight of a woman in space had little support from Chief Designer Korolev or Kamanin's military commanders. On May 3 Kamanin and Titov were invited to a barbecue at the home of astronaut John Glenn. Glenn, already politically-connected, was an enthusiastic supporter of the 'Lovelace 13'. Kamanin understood from Glenn that the first American woman would make a three-orbit Mercury flight by the end of 1962. Armed with the threat that 'the Americans will beat us', Kamanin was able to obtain a decision to go ahead with the first flight of a Soviet woman within weeks of his return. The Russians were obsessed with being first in space -- and even though NASA's female cosmonauts never materialised, Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union became the first woman in space on June 16, 1963.

2019 January 1 -  The New Horizons space probe "phones home" to indicate it is still operational.

Justin: Looks good to me. You've made some solid progress.

And considering how warm it was today it was a perfect day to work in the garage.

I was finally able to squeeze in a bit of bench time this aft ed noon/evening..

I went out to my garage around 11 with the goal of grabbing my airbrush, black paint, airbrush compressor and the masking tape...fast forward to 3:30, and I am just getting the items I went out for; I recently started a new job and didn't need my huge toolbox at the shop anymore, so I needed to revamp the garage layout....I ended up cleaning more of my garage for FOUR Hours!

Anyhow, after several hours of masking, I was able to spray the black onto the Saturn V modules.....

Saturn V build. All stages painted by Justin Ryan, on Flickr

Did a lot of rocketry back in my "youth" (1960s).  All good, though we never launched anything as expensive as a replica of a real rocket.

Ben, always glad to have you around! 

Gary

Doesn't Estes also have the Mercury and Gemini rockets as well? 

Yes, I am still lingering on this thread.....

Ben

I never got into model rocketry although I always found it facinating.
Scott, you need another hobby as much as I do. 

Gamera>  Blowing things up is for the young! 

Happy New Year to everyone!  Hope you're all safe and sound.

Project Report:

Got a bit of work done.  The LES is essentially done, waiting for a coating of gloss and some paint.  It looks a little rough, but is very nice considering it's all scratch-built by me.  The harness conduits are on and the nozzles turned out fairly nice.  The CM is awaiting work.  At the moment, I'm detailing the LM area of the S-IVB.  I'm only going to do the outside, as this model never had interior detail, although I do have some nice shots of the instrument ring.  I've went ahead and painted the outside of the instrument ring as I need to add some external antenna and tower umbilical connection.  These following 3d photos show what I'm planning to add.  Nice if anyone ever wants to really detail a larger model.

Information from "Apollo Maniacs" website.

Mission Director (GAF)

Today in Space History:

1966 December 31 - . Launch Vehicle: N1.

• 18 cosmonauts in lunar training - . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Artyukhin, Belousov, Bykovsky, Dobrovolsky, Gagarin, Gorbatko, Gubarev, Gulyayev, Khrunov, Kolesnikov, Kolodin, Komarov, Nikolayev, Popovich, Volynov, Voronov, Zholobov. Program: Lunar L1. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-LOK. Gagarin, Komarov, Nikolayev, Bykovsky, Khrunov, Gorbatko, Voronov, Kolodin, Popovich, Gubarev, Artyukhin, Gylyayev, Belousov, Kolesnikov, Volynov, Doborvolsky, Zhobolov.

1968 December 31 - .

• How to answer the Americans? - . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Frolov, Gagarin, Kutakhov, Pashkov, Serbin, Smirnov, Ustinov.

• After two days of snow, family, and rest at this dacha, Kamanin is called to a General Staff meeting - the issue - how to answer the Americans? Attending are Generals Kutakhov, Moroz, Ponomarev, Kustanin, Yoffe, Frolov, Kartakhov, and others. It is agreed that the only proper answer is a Soviet lunar landing - but that is two to three years away. The 1964 resolution authorising the lunar program required a lunar flyby to be conducted by 1967 and a landing by 1968. But Ustinov, Serbin, Smirnov, and Pashkov hindered the attainment of this order. They were always requiring meetings, analyses, reports. The result - now many volumes of reports, but no action. The VPK proposes to land a Ye-8-5 robot on the moon and return lunar soil to earth in a 50 cm diameter, 38 kg capsule. The capsule will descend under a parachute and transmit on two VHF beacons in order to be located. But this still does not exist in metal, just in mock-up form. Considered logically, it could not be available earlier than the second half of 1969. The existing schedule for it to fly in the first half of the year is illogical and unachievable. Kamanin looks back with bitterness on the year of 1968 -- they have lost the moon race, they have lost Gagarin. His only consolation is his family.

1968 December 31 - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC110L. Launch Vehicle: N1.

• N1 launch pad 110 west completed - . Nation: Russia. Program: Lunar L3.

1969 December 31 - .

• 1969 in retrospect. - . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Grechko, Andrei, Keldysh, Kutakhov, Mishin, Smirnov, Tereshkova, Ustinov. Program: Soyuz, Lunar L3.

• Tereshkova is on a tour of Jordan and Syria. Kamanin muses over the year 1969. He is able to rationalise that it wasn't a bad year -- they flew 9 cosmonauts on five space missions. But of course they lost the moon to the Americans. He blames Mishin, Keldysh, Smirnov, and Ustinov for this. But he also blames the attitude of the Ministry of Defence and VVS. This is indicated by the total indifference to civilian space projects of Grechko and Kutakhov. They don't support the Gagarin Centre, or Kamanin's request for 10 additional Soyuz flights in earth orbit. Kamanin views the L3 spacecraft and mission scenario as unsafe. What is needed is a new spacecraft, launched by two N1 boosters, that will take a crew of 3 to 5 to the moon.

2018 December 31, 11:33 CT - New Horizons, launched on January 19, 2006, arrives at Ultima Thule, the farthest object ever visited by a spacecraft.

Ya know I'd be terrified to launch something like that after I spent all that work building it. If one of the engines caused the rocket to explode... well I think then I'd explode.....

scottrc

Too bad this kit only has the option to fly on a D or E engine.  My original 1971 version that I had flew on a cluster of five C engines.  Looked impressive, especially when the center engine did a cato, due to me having the rocket too close to the blast deflector, and caused the whole lower half of the rocket to explode. 

I just hope I still have the chops to build this thing and keep the balance correct.  I've been out of rocket building for a few years. 

Estes just announed a release of a new version that appears to accept the cluster again, so I may have to get one. 

I guess that was better than the old firecracker routine!

Gary

Too bad this kit only has the option to fly on a D or E engine.  My original 1971 version that I had flew on a cluster of five C engines.  Looked impressive, especially when the center engine did a cato, due to me having the rocket too close to the blast deflector, and caused the whole lower half of the rocket to explode. 

I just hope I still have the chops to build this thing and keep the balance correct.  I've been out of rocket building for a few years. 

Estes just announed a release of a new version that appears to accept the cluster again, so I may have to get one. 

GAF

Just a heads up that the New Horizons space probe will be whizzing by Ultima Thule Monday night at 11:30pm CT.  No information will be received until later on New Years Day.  Ultima Thule is around 4 billion miles away in the Kuiper Belt.

https://www.geekwire.com/2018/watch-new-horizons-probe-ring-new-year-record-setting-ultima-thule-flyby/

It's interesting that New Horizons (launched 13 years ago) is going so fast it will probably pass Voyager 1 and 2.

Gary

 

As Mr Spock would say, "fascinating."

It truley is. I will keep and eye out for updates. Thanks for posting this stuff because I'd be missing it otherwise.

Just a heads up that the New Horizons space probe will be whizzing by Ultima Thule Monday night at 11:30pm CT.  No information will be received until later on New Years Day.  Ultima Thule is around 4 billion miles away in the Kuiper Belt.

https://www.geekwire.com/2018/watch-new-horizons-probe-ring-new-year-record-setting-ultima-thule-flyby/

It's interesting that New Horizons (launched 13 years ago) is going so fast it will probably pass Voyager 1 and 2.

Gary

Scott: Whoa, that's awesome!!!

GAF

While browsing Scalemates looking for some information on the kit I am building (paint suggestions), I found that Revell is planning on releasing some of their old kits for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

That's cool news, Gary. Good to see them rereleasing them.

Some news concerning Revell and their spacecraft models.  While browsing Scalemates looking for some information on the kit I am building (paint suggestions), I found that Revell is planning on releasing some of their old kits for the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

They include:

1/32nd scale Apollo CM/SM

1/48th scale Apollo CM/SM/LM

1/48th scale Apollo CM/SM/LM Top of S-IVB (the kit I am working on)

1/96th scale Apollo CM/SM/LM

1/96th scale Saturn V

No details on release date or pricing yet.  Just have to wait and see.  I look forward to being able to acquire a couple of these kits again.

Gary

Not only do I look forward to it, I want to see the video of the launch.

scottrc

I pulled out my Estes kit and dusted it off. I plan to have it built to launch in July.

Scott> That looks really great!  Not only a model, but it can actually be launched!  Look forward to seeing it put together!

Gary

I pulled out my Estes kit and dusted it off. I plan to have it built to launch in July.

GAF

The NOVA program "Apollo's Daring Mission" was very enjoyable.  The info on the computer was great.  If you're interested, the video can be watched online for a few more weeks at this site:

I watched it as well and it was very good. Thanks again for the heads up on that.

And good luck with the painting. Fingers are crossed.

The NOVA program "Apollo's Daring Mission" was very enjoyable.  The info on the computer was great.  If you're interested, the video can be watched online for a few more weeks at this site:

https://video.kqed.org/video/apollos-daring-mission-ntnwii/

I've managed to get the LES essentially assembled.  Now comes some gloss and paint to see what it looks like in a more completed form.  Weather might be a hinderance here as we're getting quite a bit of rain for the next few days.

Gary

Today in Space History:

1968 December 27 - .

• Americans win the race to be first around the moon - . Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Bushuyev, Mishin, Tyulin, Vershinin. Program: Apollo, Lunar L1. Flight: Apollo 8, Soyuz 7K-L1 mission 1, Soyuz 7K-L1 mission 2, Soyuz 7K-L1 mission 3.

• The General Staff considers the impending Soyuz 4 and 5 flights. Vershinin asks - what is the likelihood of Apollo 8 being successful? Kamanin tells him it is very good now; the final midcourse correction was made successfully. A State Commission convenes to consider the Zond 6 failure. Mishin and Tyulin do not attend - they send Bushuyev to represent them. It has been found that 70 km from the cosmodrome, as the spacecraft deployed its parachute, the parachute lines were pyrotechnically severed at 3 km altitude and the capsule crashed into the plain. This in turn was found to be due to an ONA landing antenna failure; and this in turn caused by the SUS going down to temperatures of -5 deg C during the flight and the depressurisation of the cabin. The hydrogen peroxide, due to the low temperature, put the spcecraft at a 45 degree attitude instead of the 18 degree maximum (?). There are five L1's left. Number 13 is at Tyuratam begin prepared for an unmanned flight due for launch on 20 or 21 January, number 11 is being readied for a March 1969 manned launch, to be followed by numbers 14, 15, and 16 in April, May, June. At 19:15 the successful splashdown of Apollo 8 is reported. The race to be first around the moon is over.

1968 December 27 - .

• Landing of Apollo 8 - . Return Crew: Anders, Borman, Lovell. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Anders, Borman, Lovell. Program: Apollo. Flight: Apollo 8.

• On the sixth day, the crew prepared for reentry and the SM separated from the CM on schedule. Parachute deployment and other re-entry events were normal. The Apollo 8 CM splashed down in the Pacific, apex down, at 15:51 GMT - 147 hours and 42 seconds after liftoff. As planned, helicopters and aircraft hovered over the spacecraft and pararescue personnel were not deployed until local sunrise, 50 minutes after splashdown. The crew was picked up and reached the recovery ship U.S.S. Yorktown at 17:20 GMT. All mission objectives and detailed test objectives were achieved, as well as five that were not originally planned.

The crew was in excellent condition, and another major step toward the first lunar landing had been accomplished.

GAF

Bakster>  That sounds great!  Either one will be a treat.  I'll update the front page with your new project.

Thanks, Gary. I am excited to build it.

AND THANKS for the heads up about the Nova program. I am gonna watch it for sure!

Bakster>  That sounds great!  Either one will be a treat.  I'll update the front page with your new project.

As a late bit of news, the PBS show "Nova" is airing a special on the Apollo 8 mission tonight.  I've set my DVR, so I'll catch it later.  If you miss this one, they usually show it again early in the morning so you might check your listings.

Gary

littletimmy

He lay there like a Slug" .("It was his only defence".)

There are so many great lines in the movie that we could be here all night quoting them. But, we won't. 

Bakster

That movie is genius on every level.

"He lay there like a Slug" .("It was his only defence".)