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  #1701  
Old 06-07-2018, 01:27 AM
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spacerunner spacerunner is offline
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Thanks David,
so never give up, or with another wise saying: Good things come to those who wait ...

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

Last edited by spacerunner; 06-09-2018 at 03:02 PM.
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  #1702  
Old 06-11-2018, 02:52 PM
Algebraist Algebraist is offline
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Brilliant news Manfred!

We can all stop holding our breath now! Looking forward to the next chapter of the build.

Regards

Kevin
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  #1703  
Old 06-11-2018, 04:33 PM
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spacerunner spacerunner is offline
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Thanks Kevin,
after finally defeating the wretched wax residue of my FUD-IT, now I have to find a solution for the mysterious wavelike SOFI texture on the STS-6 ET-8 surface, what is a further exiting chapter.


Source: wikimedia.org
And then I'll hope finally to come back to model building ...

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  #1704  
Old 06-21-2018, 11:30 PM
Starbase101 Starbase101 is offline
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This build is absolutely stunning. The amount of detail is phenomenal and absolutely fantastic. I will most definitely be referencing this material for my build, although I doubt that I will achieve your level of awesomeness. I am amazed!
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  #1705  
Old 06-26-2018, 01:42 AM
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spacerunner spacerunner is offline
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Thanks for your nice compliments!

What model do you want to build?
Keep cool and take your time, I also begun in a small way.

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Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)
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  #1706  
Old 06-26-2018, 11:56 AM
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whulsey whulsey is offline
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Been awhile since I've checked your thread. As usually just blown away by your attention to details.
The 'flour trick' is interesting. As my usual process of appropriating ideas that looks like it might be a method of creating a cast surface appearances on engine blocks, transmissions, etc. As I keep telling car modelers who annoy me with questions about why I'm always looking at tanks, planes, rockets, etc.: 'you learn things'.
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  #1707  
Old 06-26-2018, 05:37 PM
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Welcome aboard!
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  #1708  
Old 06-29-2018, 04:05 PM
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Thanks my friends for looking in on me.
I am still looking for a feasible solution for this wavy SOFI texture ...

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Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)
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  #1709  
Old 06-29-2018, 05:40 PM
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spacerunner spacerunner is offline
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Hi everybody,

after my successful Ultrasonic cleaning of my FUD-IT I am currently on one of my obligatory voyages of discovery, still looking for the origin of this wavelike SOFI structure of the first generation of ETs, which one can see both on this photo of the ET-33 (STS-36) by George Gassaway,


Source: georgesrockets.com
as well as on the LO2 tank (ET-137) in this video (5:14) before Discovery's last mission ( STS-133).



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD2iT8hSm0k

In the meantime, I was following the traces concerning the ET production, which are known to lead directly to the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF ), popularly NASA's Rocket Factory.

Although I have not found any photos of the SOFI Cells, a friend from NSF forum (psloss) has posted an interesting hint to drawings from the assembly process of the tank production.

And they come from the PDF Space Shuttle/External Tank System Definition Handbook SLWT, Volume II/2, among others. also this picture here.



On it one can see the manufacturing and assembly cells, in which both the priming (Prime) and the SOFI Application of the LH2 and LO2 tanks, as well as the Intertanks took place.

From there all ET parts went into the Cell A, where they were assembled vertically. And of this largest cell at that time, I also found an impressive picture by Jester, namely this one, which is linked to the Hi-Res. image, in which one can see a plate at the lower right corner with Cell A.


Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Jester)
This success made me even more curious, and since I really wanted to find these special SOFI Cells of the MAF, I searched further.

The difficulty lies in the fact that Google-searching for SOFI Application & MAF lead almost without exception to actual photos of their equipment there, but it must be noted that in the MAF after the end of the Shuttle-Program 2012/13 all former equipment was dismantled or modified for the bigger tanks of the SLS program, which does not help me much.

But in this context, I finally found what I was looking for and found this great photo-combination on which the Cell B & C in Building 110 see before (top) as well as after (below) the dismantling, in which the LH2 tanks got their SOFI-TPS.


Source: blogs.nasa.gov

Since then, at this lace is standing the new Vertical Assembly Center (VAC) with the world's largest Friction Stir Weld Machine for the production of the larger SLS tanks.
So far, so good, but that still left the answerless question of the explanation of the typical wavy SOFI structure of the ETs.

As far as I know by now, 90% of the total ET-SOFI insulation was applied with an Automatic Gun Spray System, and only 10% by hand, as can be seen here on the connecting flange between the Intertank and the LO2 tank.


Source: NASA

But how this automatic system worked in the SOFI cells and how and why this wave-like structure was created during coating still remains a mystery, but which I still want to solve it somehow, why the search goes on ...

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Under construction:
Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)
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  #1710  
Old 06-30-2018, 05:56 PM
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Hello everybody,

I also followed up on exactly this exciting question, and meanwhile I have received a first-hand answer by Craig Capdepon from New Orleans, here during Trimming on ET-122,


Source: facebook.com

which was flown during the last mission of the Endeavour (STS-134).


Source: NASA
And so we are now close to the SOFI application.

To his Facebook site I came across more or less randomly during my search in the MAF, but thereto later more, because that would lead now too far, especially since I got pretty tired now ... ...

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Under construction:
Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)
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