GAF

Students and Faculty of the Academy of Cosmonautics,

It is with great pride that I announce that the first of our manned space rockets nears completion.  All major components have been assembled, and only minor equipment and final checks need to be accomplished before she will propel our first cosmonaut into the heavens!  A tremendous step on our pathway to the stars!  Veselit'sya!

GAF- I've been lurking here for several weeks.  I must chime in though... Your model looks great.  The nozzles are very nicely done.

T e d

Gary the peoples rocket is отлично!

On the subject of losing parts. I feel your pain with the steering wheel and I'm very happy you found it!

The hand break lever on my corvette disapeared yesterday. I looked high and low for it. I even (GASP) cleaned my bench! I was on my hands and knees looking for it. 

It's a  gonner I thought, I started looking for stock to scratch it when I picked up the chrome sprue and found it folded behind the sprue! How it didn't fall off, I have no idea.

Anyway, my bench is as clean as its been in years.

mach71

On the subject of losing parts. I feel your pain with the steering wheel and I'm very happy you found it! The hand break lever on my corvette disapeared yesterday. I looked high and low for it. I even (GASP) cleaned my bench! I was on my hands and knees looking for it.  It's a  gonner I thought, I started looking for stock to scratch it when I picked up the chrome sprue and found it folded behind the sprue! How it didn't fall off, I have no idea.   Anyway, my bench is as clean as its been in years.

Hey Mach, the gremlins were at your house too! That is pretty ironic we both experienced the odd happenings. And like you, my bench got a straitening in the process. I am glad to hear you found the missing break lever. Keep up the good work, the car and bench look great!

Mach71> Thanks!  I think cleaning the bench every few months is a good idea.  You generally find that part you needed on that model that you finished two months ago. 

I did lose a part recently for an aircraft I was working on.  Oddly, it's a scratch-built part so it's not something I can't replace easily.  I just wonder what crack it's hiding in?

Ted> Thanks for dropping by and your kind words on the Vostok.  Always glad to have people comment on anything... even our losing parts!    I think the engines for the Vostok are actually rather pretty, and I'm glad I found the museum photo of the R-7 center stage to show the proper colors.

Gary

Looks like the real thing Gary!!! Super job there! Love those engines.

And yeah Mach71 and Bakster, I lose stuff all the friggin' time. I think at least one part seems to go missing on everything.

Ted: Thanks for dropping by!

Making progress on little detail things on the Vette. Nothing photoworthy.

I've been thinking about the red/white/blue badge on the front fenders. We got a new printer recently and it is not color. 

I was going to paint them on, but masking the gold paint is risky. 

I started to go through all my old decals and I found this:

If I cut the red/white/blue bar it might just work. It's about 1mm too short, but it might be the best option.

Any thoughts? 

The cockpit is mostly done.

I made some seatbelts out of medical tape.

I ended up using the decals on the speedo/tach

Mach71>  The decals might work fine.  Just cut off a short piece on the other end and apply to make it the correct length.    Alternately, you might just find a nice tape (such as electrical tape) and cut out short lengths and paint them the colors.  The interior with the seat belts is looking good!

Speaking of missing parts, I mentioned that I had lost a small, scratch-built part a few days ago.  While cleaning out the box with various sanding sticks and paint brushes, I found the part at the bottom.  Well, I could have sworn I searched that box...

Update:

Work has restarted on the AMT Man In Space boosters.  Tasks are down to correcting the Gemini capsule (and maybe touchup work on the paint).  I found a small, plastic cap from one of my insulin bottles (you can see a complete one above the model).  I removed the bumps representing the RCS units on the instrument section of the Gemini capsule, then cut a ring from the cap and super glued it on.  Today I've been sanding it down.  It matches the top of the Titan booster in diameter and will look better than the orginal which just was stuck into the top with a large lip around it. After sanding, I'm considering wrapping it with tape (aluminum duct tape or electrical tape).  Or I may just coat it with Future until I get a smooth finish.  Options are a pain!

That's it for now!

Gary

Today In Space History:

1945 June 20 - .

• Von Braun team to be brought to the US. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: von Braun. U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull approved the transfer of von Braun's German rocket specialists to the United States. This transfer was known as Operation Paperclip..

1966 June 20 - .

• President De Gaulle of France visited Baikonur Cosmodrome - . Nation: Russia.

  De Gaulle was shown a Vostok launch vehicle, scientific satellites, a Zenit-2 reconnaissance satellite, and viewed launches of an R-16 ICBM and Vostok space launcher. This was the first view by westerners of these systems. All such visits entailed a major effort by staff to fix up the cosmodrome, prepare illustrated materials, clean and paint all facilities, and so on.

1974 June 20 - .

• Contract for three Global Positioning System satellites. - . Spacecraft: Navstar. A contract for the fabrication of three Navigation Development Satellites for the Global Positioning System Program was awarded to Rockwell International. The value of the contract was $42,847,777..

1996 June 20 - . 14:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. Launch Platform: MLP3. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.

• STS-78 - . Call Sign: Columbia. Crew: Brady, Favier, Helms, Henricks, Kregel, Linnehan, Thirsk. Payload: Columbia F20 / EDO. Mass: 115,900 kg (255,500 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Brady, Favier, Helms, Henricks, Kregel, Linnehan, Thirsk. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-78. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Columbia. Duration: 16.91 days. Decay Date: 1996-07-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 23931 . COSPAR: 1996-036A. Apogee: 261 km (162 mi). Perigee: 246 km (152 mi). Inclination: 39.00 deg. Period: 89.60 min.

  Columbia carried Terence T Henricks, Kevin R Kregel, Susan J Helms, Richard M Linnehan, Charles E Brady, Jr, Jean-Jacques Favier, and Robert Brent Thirsk to orbit. Main payload was the Life and Microgravity Spacelab for conducting human biological and microgravity experiments. Columbia landed safely at Kennedy Space Center on July 7.

We are down to 30 days left in the Group Build.  In that regard, it's time for me to start posting some more stuff that I have in my collection.  Here's some more "Man On the Moon" bubblegum cards.

That's all for now!

Gary

Hey Mach, I think the interior looks great! I think the decal gauges look really good, and nice work with the seatbelts. You also did a lot of nice detail painting like with the window cranks, the steering wheel, the break handle, etc. Very nice work sir, it looks cool!

Question: which astronauts car are you depicting? You may have mentioned, but I missed it.

GAF

Speaking of missing parts, I mentioned that I had lost a small, scratch-built part a few days ago.  While cleaning out the box with various sanding sticks and paint brushes, I found the part at the bottom.  Well, I could have sworn I searched that box...

Okay, this is getting weird now. Are we in the Apollo 13 episode? Are we done with the glitches? Seems like someone is trying to sabotage this mission. Maybe it’s Dr Smith from Lost in Space?

Hey! I am glad you found it Gary. Seriously, what a pain that would be to lose a scratch built part.  Nice mods on the booster too. Oh, and the bubblegum cards are fun to see. 

Thanks!

Gary, You are the master of repurposing. The part looks great for the Gemini!

Well done sir, and I love the trading cards!

Well, it was bound to happen. The Corvette kit is from the 1970's and things were going together way too easy.

I went to install the motor in the chassis last night. 

The headers are exactly in the way of the motor mounts! 

I removed the heders, reposistioned them. No good.

I shaved some of the header off. No good.

I sanded the motor mounts. No good.

Sooo. I cut the motor mounts. things seem ok now. We shall see when I mate the body.

I cut the passenger side MM a little more than the drivers side. The motor has a very small, 2-3 deg, dip. 

ACK! That blows Mach71! It's good to see you did get the engine mounted though, even though it did take some plastic surgery. And the interior looks great! 

Gary: Nice to see you too taking the spirit of Apollo 13 to adapt and overcome! 

Thanks Gamera.

It's not a big deal, just a small pain.

Most of the chassis is done. I added the fuel lines from the pump to the carbs. 

I also had to cut out the openings for the exhaust pipes. Then while fitting the chrome trim pieces around the openings, one of the trim pieces went missing again! DOH!

Not a big deal, I was not sure I wanted to use them anyway. They looked too big for this scale. I think I'll just paint them.

Not much more will get done in the next week, I'm off to Kitty Hawk to pay homage to the 2 Ohio brothers who allowed me to earn a living! I've never been, it should be a nice week down there. 

Hey Mach, isn't that something with these older kits. That is always the case, it doesn't fit. I had issues with the Jeep too. First the frame, then when I tried the body with the motor, no go. I had glued the engine already, so I had to lop off the cylinder head. Just call me the lopper. Good thing I didn't plan a viewable engine.

Anyway, it is looking good, and and say hello to the bothers for me.

Mach71> Bummer about the engine problems, but what would a build be without its obstacles to overcome!  (Fun?)  Anyway, enjoy your trip!  Hope the weather holds out.

Update:  Just a short report on how things are going.  First, the Vostok is 99.9% done.  Antenna are attached and details done.  I'm starting on the base now, and the next update might just be a final one.  I've added some small details to the Atlas booster, and it's awaiting some final paint touch-up.  The Gemini capsule has had the instrument section wrapped in aluminum duct tape and the RCS units reapplied.  It is waiting on a white spray paint before attaching the capsule and final assembly to the Titan booster.  Some small paint details on the Mercury and Gemini capsules will follow.   After that, decals.

That's it for now.

Gary

Today In Space History:

1959 June 22 - . 20:16 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18A. Launch Pad: LC18A. Launch Vehicle: Vanguard. FAILURE: Stage 2 propulsion malfunction.. Failed Stage: 2.

• Vanguard 3B - . Payload: Radiation Balance satellite. Mass: 10 kg (22 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Vanguard. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Vanguard 3. Decay Date: 1959-06-22 . Apogee: 140 km (80 mi).

1965 June 22 - . 17:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Edwards. Launch Complex: Delamar Dry Lake DZ. Launch Pad: Edwards RW04/22. Launch Platform: NB-52 008.

• X-15A-2 Stability,ST,gear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA, USAF. Spacecraft Bus: X-15A. Spacecraft: X-15A-2. Apogee: 47 km (29 mi). Maximum Speed - 6336 kph. Maximum Altitude - 47518 m. Air dropped in Delamar Dry Lake DZ.

1967 June 22 - . 21:57 GMT - . Launch Site: Edwards. Launch Complex: Hidden Hills DZ. Launch Pad: Edwards RW04/22. Launch Platform: NB-52 008. FAILURE: Severe tail oscillations..

• X-15A HT/Telem test - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA, USAF. Spacecraft: X-15A. Apogee: 25 km (15 mi). Maximum Speed - 5810 kph. Maximum Altitude - 25050 m. Air dropped in Hidden Hills DZ.

1976 June 22 - . 18:04 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC81/23. LV Family: Proton. Launch Vehicle: Proton-K.

• Salyut 5 - . Payload: Almaz s/n 103-01. Mass: 19,000 kg (41,000 lb). Nation: Russia. Agency: MOM. Program: Almaz. Class: Manned. Type: Manned space station. Spacecraft Bus: Almaz. Spacecraft: Almaz OPS. Duration: 411.24 days. Decay Date: 1977-08-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 8911 . COSPAR: 1976-057A. Apogee: 232 km (144 mi). Perigee: 215 km (133 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 88.90 min.

  Second successful flight of the Almaz manned military space station. It had taken only 60 days and 1450 man-hours to prepare Almaz 0101-2 for flight, using the services of 368 officers and 337 non-commissioned officers. The tracking ships Academician Sergei Korolev and Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin were stationed in the Atlantic and Caribean to provide communications when out of tracking range of the USSR. Salyut 5 operated for 409 days, during which the crews of Soyuz 22 and 24 visited the station. Soyuz 23 was to have docked but its long-distance rendezvous system failed. Soyuz 25 was planned, but the mission would have been incomplete due to low orientation fuel on Salyut 5, so it was cancelled.

  During the flight of Salyut 5 a 'parallel crew' was aboard a duplicate station on the ground. They conducted the same operations in support of over 300 astrophysical, geophysical, technological, and medical/biological experiments. Astrophysics studies included an infrared telescope-spectrometer in the 2-15 micrometer range which also obtained solar spectra. Earth resources studies were conducted as well as Kristall, Potok, Diffuziya, Sfera, and Reatsiya technology experiments. Presumably Salyut 5 was equipped with a SAR side-looking radar for reconnaissance of land and sea targets even through cloud cover.

  The film capsule was ejected 22 February 1977 (and sold at Sotheby's, New York, on December 11, 1993!). The station was deorbited on 8 August 1977. In addition to the human crew two Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldi) and Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were flown.

  The results of the Salyut 3 and 5 flights showed that manned reconnaissance was not worth the expense. There was minimal time to operate the equipment after the crew took the necessary time for maintenance of station housekeeping and environmental control systems. The experiments themselves showed good results and especially the value of reconnaissance of the same location in many different spectral bands and parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  

More "Man On the Moon bubblegum cards.

Hey all!  I've been steadily building my Saturn V Rocket for the group build!  I haven't posted many updates, with all the irons I have in the fire, it's easy to get side tracked!

So, I have the main build completed, and painted, with just a bit of detail painting left to do.  I am trying to push hard to get this done to put on display in July, as I am running a BBQ and Rocket Launch event with my cub scout pack (I am the assistant cubmaster...)  we have over 35 kids registered!  I am pushing the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with this event.  We will be launching on the airstrip of an old airbase, which, at the far end, sits a centrifuge capsule that was used to train John Glenn and the Apollo Astronauts!

I don't think I will have the time to mount the rocket and light it to give the launch effect by the time the group build is finished, but as I get it finished, I will most definitely post the pics!

Justin, that looks pretty darn good to me!  Mighty impressive!  I look forward to final shots.

Oh, and be sure to take pictures of the gathering!  Would love to see the rocket launches.

Gary

It looks great! Nice work Justin. And yes, post pictures.

Justin: The Saturn V looks terrific!!! And looking forward to the launch effect, sounds awesome! And cool trip with the Cub Scouts!

Gary: Thanks again for the post of the baseball cards, those are really cool! 

Mach71: The 'Vette looks good! I'm sure you'll enjoy Kitty Hawk. Not that much there but it's still cool. Esp the fact that you can walk the path of the first four flights in a few minutes! If you get a chance to run up to Virginia Beach the Fighter Factory is really cool, three hangers jammed full of vintage aircraft and they all fly. 

http://www.fighterfactory.com/

The Maritime Museum and the USS Wisconsion are also worth the time to look around if you get the chance too. 

We interrupt this program for a special bulletin...

Moscow:  For the last few hours, Radio Moscow has been off the air, only "The Internationale" filling the air waves. 

No official announcement from the Kremlin has been issued, but it is reported that important dignitaries have been flying in and out of Vnukovo International Airport all day.  A brief television transmission was intercepted earlier today showing only what looks like a concrete pad, the word in Cyrillic "East" between the Soviet flag and CCCP, the abbreviation for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.  It is unknown what could be the meaning of this image.

There has been no comment from the White House at this time.  Unofficially, it is reported the President is in conference with top military and congressional leaders this evening.  Several prominent members of NASA were also reported present.  When we receive further information upon this developing situation, we will keep you informed on this channel.

We now return you to your regular programming.

Glad all of you are enjoying the bubblegum cards.  Here's a few more for your perusal.

That's all for now!  Hope you enjoy these!

Gary

Peoples of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics!

It is with great pride that today we announce the launch of the first man in space!  Our hopes and best wishes ride today with Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard his spaceship, Vostok 1!  Truly a momentous occasion in not only the history of the Soviet Union, but the world!  All glory to our first space pioneer, and our first spaceship Vostok!

Gariski, Chief of Rocket Research and Development

Yep, finally finished.  I actually finished her up this weekend, but had to put together the base which I did today.  It consists of a foam core square upon which I glued a piece of poster board.  I scored it into squares of about 2 inch width, then gave the entire thing a spray of Testors "Flat Light Aircraft Gray", a color that closely resembles concrete.  After that dried, I used some Testors dark brown wash to give it a mottled and streaked appearance.  That worked rather well, and if I have to do concrete again I'll probably use the same technique.  I wanted something like a hole in the pad, but didn't feel like cutting out a circle that large, so I compromised and using a steel ring (I bought for use in my earlier Apollo project) I cut out a circle of cardboard, glued it to the ring and then spray painted them flat black.  It actually worked fairly well and sets off the Vostok model on the pad.  I cut out a strip of plastic card and applied decals from the kit to the front with the Soviet flag, CCCP and Boctok (Vostok).  With the Soviet hammer and sickle pin, I think the base turned out better than the rocket!

As a final prep on the Vostok, I gave it an overall light wash of black, hopefully highlighting some of the seams that are present.  As you can see, I've added some detail to the original model, including antenna, some extra external things, and the bracing across the capsule hatch (using strips of aluminum duct tape).  At the end, I printed out some Soviet Space posters, though my color ink cartridge began to run out after I printed only two.  Oh, well.  Here are some very poor photos of the result.

Okay, that last image is not mine... 

Hope you enjoyed this rather odd build!

Gary

PS> If you're interested, here's a film clip of "Gagarin, First Man In Space".  It's in Russian, but you can tell pretty much what is going on.  It's production values are pretty high, and if you have Netflix, you may be able to watch the entire thing.  I find this pretty exciting, right up there with "The Right Stuff".    Hope you enjoy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysKbRnMBe_g

Great job Gary!

The peoples rocket looks perfect! The Chief Designer would be proud!

No work on the Vette, Still in NC, but I made my pilgrimage to thw Wright Bros. memorial yesterday.

Gary: Hey there, great job!!! Looks awesome! Only nitpick is she does seem to be leaning in some of the pictures but not sure if it's the photo not the model. 

Mach71: Whoa, great photos! As I said I was there a few years ago but it's great to get to see your photos. It's pretty amazing how that you can walk the distance of the first four flights in only a few moments. 

Gary, your Vostok looks great! Nice job, and congrats!

Awsome job Gary.  Gagarin would be proud.

Gam, I think the photo is askew just a tad. The rocket is just right.

Mach, nice photos. I always thought the first flight was from a hill for some reason. Maybe it was their glider.

Thanks for the kind words on the Vostok!  It turned out fairly nice.

Gamera>  I'm not sure about the angle, though it does appear to lean in the photos.  That may be a combination of the camera and the posters behind it.  I'm not sure I got them entirely straight.  Anyway, I'm not happy with the ones I've posted (I took two sets with my regular camera and the smartphone), so I think I'll try a couple more with different background just to make sure everything is okay.

Mach71>  Nice photos of the Wright memorials!  One small step for man.    BTW, what is that mat material on the walkway?  I guess the ground can get pretty soggy there.

Gary

Modelcrazy, Kill Devil hill is right next to the area. It's about 100 ft high. The Wright obilisk is on top of it. They flew the gliders from there. My understanding is the powered flight needed level ground so they used the flat near the hanger/living shed.

This is the view from the top of Kill Devil hill. looking down on the 1st powered flight area.

Gary, the matting is there to hold the sand in place. My understanding it the grass was planted to stabilize the sand, and people walking the flight route kills the grass, allowing the sand to start shifting.