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

[rickstef]

Originally Posted by bigpetr

Where is the problem? Why is Germany blocked to sign to this forum?

We do not know why certain French and German members are blocked from accessing the forum.
It is not something we are doing, we have tried to figure where the block exists but my skills in this regard are very poor, so I have no idea what to do, or where to look.

We have contacted the hosting company, where the forum is located, but I do not know the results of that contact

Rick

[sharunas]

Originally Posted by mk310149

Yesterday I have mailed with Manfred, he greets everyone here and
he says that he has health and technical problems in the moment, but he comes back soon....

We wish Manfred good health.

[spacerunner]

Hello my loyal friends,

and thank you for your good wishes as well as your active demands and continued interest in my work, and many thanks also to my German friend Michael, who helped me with the VPN access today.

But that was only one problem, in addition to that my PC had given up its ghost, which completely paralyzed me and totally frustrated. But in the meantime, my son has built a new PC for me, that's why I can now post again and will bring you all up to date again little by little.

Let's go!

After all these tricky details on the Micro level, concerning the ET/Orbiter Aft Attachments, which were surely stressful for the viewer too, now again to somewhat larger parts on the ET, which I slowly want to prepare for the SOFI Insulation using the "Flour technique".

To do this, I first had to recap once again how I wanted to do this with gluing of the ongoing Tape spiral (Barber pole) using the 0,75 mm wide tape strip for simulating the SOFI Pattern Texture.

Regarding this, I had come to the conclusion at the time that it would be easier to mark the adhesive points for all add-on parts, such as the entire ET/Orbiter Aft Attachment incl. Longerons, as well as Ice Ramps and PAL Ramps, etc. and to make recesses for it on the spiral, before the Flouring process, which are then to be covered separately with tape pieces, and only to glue these parts onto the ET after the tank has been floured, primed and painted, and only to paint the add-on parts finally by hand.

And now step by step to the missing details on the ET.

Among other things there was still to be due the extension of the LO2 Feedline, which is too short in the Airfix Kit, which I found to be easier due to the already existing Bracket rings of the Feedline Support Brackets than replacing the complete Feedline including the application of new rings.

For doing this I've thought about cutting the line in front of the "last" ring, which is actually the penultimate ring, because the last Support bracket in front of the Intertank is missing in the kit as is well known.

The replacement piece of the line (Ø 3 mm) I drilled out at the rear end, which thus can be plugged onto the centering pin (Ø 0,4 mm) in the rear part of the line,



and ends in front flush with the Feedline Fairing on the Intertank.





Then I've still glued the front Bracket ring, what for I used an Evergreen Strip (0,4 mm x 0,6 mm), which I had previously bent under hot air around a steel core.



But right next to these narrow Bracket rings there are also somewhat wider rings, of which the front four are missing on the Airfix Feedline, and these are the so-called LO2 Feedline Bellows, which sit in front of the Support Brackets and are numbered green in the following image.


Source: NASA

These Bellows enable the Feedline to be balanced by expansion/contraction both during refueling and during flight. For those interested, a NASA Facts PDF is linked in the following image with further information.


Source: NASA

[spacerunner]

The dimensions of this rings I have determined from this image,


Source: NASA

for which I used an Evergreen Strip (0,5 mm x 1 mm), which I wrapped around a steel core and formed into a spiral under hot air,



which has also retained its shape even after cooling.



The diameter of the Core wire (Ø 2,5 mm) I've chosen deliberately slightly smaller than that of the Feedline (Ø 3,0 mm), so that the the spiral threaded onto the rest of the feedline fits closely and all I had to do was cutting off the Bellow rings with the razor blade.



I started with the anterior of the four Bellows right in front of the Intertank, in front of which there is still a narrow ring,


Source: NASA

which I've then also glued.



And this is what this group looks like on the ET,



and just for the fun of it I've have threaded the two Press. Lines, which overall makes a pretty good impression, I think.



Now I can confidently glue the three rear Bellow rings (2-4), which I hope that the spiral will give the rest, wherewith the LO2 Feedline would be done.

[surfduke]

Great attention to detail. I have crawled all over that hardware in the past. Let me know if you require any missing information, (I'm sure my archive has whatever you might need).

Awesome effort!

[eagleclaw4935]

Its good to see you back Manfred. You have been missed. Hopefully from here on out your troubles will be little ones.

[dhanners]

Nice to see things back up and running!

[spacerunner]

Thanks Ed and David for your nice words, I'm also glad to be back.

[spacerunner]

Hello friends,

meanwhile the remaining three LO2 Feedline Bellows are now glued too, so that the Feedline is now complete.





Next I've set out to pimp the ET Aft Dome a little bit, that is the rear dome-like end of the tank, in whose Aft Dome Cap there are these two Covers as one can see here on the ET-8 (STS-6),


Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Jester)

as well as here on the ET-45 (STS-47).


Source: georgesrockets.com (George Gassaway)

These are the so-called Manholes, of which I did already know the marked Manhole (Ø 36'') from the book "Remove Before Flight", written by my friend Scott Shuttleman Phillips,


Source: Scott Phillips

through which, after the final inspection and acceptance of the ET-1, he was the last person of his team to leave the tank for the STS-1 Mission and even got handed over the red Remove Before Flight Ribbon by the quality inspector, whereupon he was of course very proud of.

Behind the other Manhole (Siphon manhole) was the so-called Siphon with the Anti-vortex baffles, which should prevent an interruption of the fuel flow to the Main Engines, which can be seen on this indoor shot at the end of the LH2 Feedline next to the open Manhole.


Source: Scott Phillips

From these Manholes there are three exemplars in the Newware Kit made of Resin (R42),



and two as PE parts (P44).



I will use the Resin parts, since their rear is slightly curved, which means that they lie better against the dome.



As one can see from the sketch, the two Manholes are not arranged in the middle, but the exit manhole sits slightly below the middle, the location of which I have marked here on the Aft Dome Cap,



and then both discs were temporarily put onto the dome.



I've glued both Manhole covers with Pattex-CA because the normal Revell plastic glue for gluing Resin parts is not suitable.

[spacerunner]

And with that straight to these lighter Closeouts, which can be seen here on the ET-45 (STS-47), and in a similar form also on all ETs, the meaning and purpose of which was initially unclear to me.


Source: georgesrockets.com (George Gassaway)

But since I like to know what the parts I'm building are actually good for, I first have asked my ET expert, Scott Phillips, and also DaveS, which both had a simple explanation for it, for which I've then searched for appropriate photos and also found.

These are the ET's rear contact surfaces/points on the transporter specially designed for him, which I've circled in red in the following image, which can be seen more clearly in the zoom.


Source: NASA

Strictly speaking, these are the socalled ET Aft Support Transportation Fittings for which there was this special device on which the ET was bolted down to the transporter, whereto I've found this drawing in the ET Bible.


Source: System Definition Handbook SLWT, Vol. II (Lockheed Martin)

An interesting fact is to note that before each ET's transport the SOFI foam of these Closeouts had to be removed and then reapplied, which resulted in different shapes and colors of these areas.

And also for these Closeouts there is a corresponding PE part (P43) in the Newware Kit,



that could already be seen on the right edge of the PE board in this image, with what it should continue soon.



So far for today.