Huygens model (plus some modification)

[jparenti]

Thanks guys. I'm just hoping that what I end up with is close to recognizable. Hopefully this is something I can show to my kid one day -- I was always a visual learner and I would have loved to have had these kinds of models when I was learning about space exploration. My significant other just wonders where I plan on keeping all of them.
The booms were a sudden flash of insight. The fact that it worked shocked me, as usually when i try to build something tiny I end up with a ball of crumpled paper and glue that didn't resemble the actual part. The trick was to add a small circular protrusion at the end of the boom, so that a pin could be driven through it without tearing the sides. It worked well, too.
And yes, I will be adding the suspension lines. I've got some nylon line laying around here that would do great. I've considered a parachute, too, for demo purposes. My mother is skilled with sewing and has already suggested making one for a Venus lander scratchbuild I'm working on.
The heat shield idea I had is starting to come together. I think I may have actually figured it out. I'm going to double the thickness for the whole thing, which should help with the floppiness I was concerned about earlier. I may be able to draw the tiles in, and I also had another (tedious) idea that may work. Stay tuned...
I'm still plugging away, albeit more slowly due to unforseen disasters. My laptop drive crashed, and although I was able to recover all of my files through some creative use of a miniature version of Linux, I lost PowerPoint.
Luckily, I have a newer copy on the home computer. Unfortunately, this happened the same day as a tooth extraction that took a turn for the worse. I was advised that using X-acto knives while under the influence of Valium wasn't advisable, so my spin vanes have had to wait until later. :D I do have half of them in place, and the other half should be on the way tonight.
Progress:





They look perfect to me. Maybe cutting out 40 tiny parts isn't for everyone, but I love a challenge. I seem to be getting much better at manipulating small parts. Maybe I am getting better at this...

[Retired_for_now]

I can draw 'em, but I tip my hat to you for the building. Beautiful (tiny) work on the spin vanes.

Yogi

[SAustin16]

Hey Yogi,

Hope you don't mind me asking, but what software are you using to design this model. I really like the way it looks.

[Retired_for_now]

SAustin - just basic Powerpoint, then print to a PDF using doPDF freeware. This isn't CAD - I just decompose the spacecraft into primitives (circles, boxes, conics, etc.) using a No. 2 pencil and scrap paper, then draw those up in Powerpoint, color either with the standard colors or (in a few cases) fill in the primitives with photo texture (standard feature under fill effects). Using any drawing program produces something you can share and allows for precise/consistent sizing of the parts. Score, cut, bend, fold, and glue a prototype to check the fit (to avoid the builder's righteous wrath), then agonize over the instructions (cut/fold arrows, parts labelling, sequential narrative instructions, intermediate pictures, a lot more work than the design it seems). Then, get the model into the planetarium or a classroom before it gathers enough dust to attract the notice of "she who tries to keep this place clean!"

Sorry for the digression J - I almost thought you were kidding about adding 40 tiny spin vanes (silly me).

Yogi

For all who'd like to follow J's build, the Huygens-Cassini probe is now available in the download section.

[SAustin16]

Yogi,

If you'd said CAD, I was going to be impressed.

Powerpoint? You have FLOORED me...BRILLIANT work.

And hopefully you were able to copy/paste the spin vanes...LOL. In fact the vanes and the detail on them really make this model pop.

GREAT work as usual.

[jparenti]

I promise I'm still working. Not to get too personal, but I am dealing with an extended illness that's been keeping me occupied. I'll get better eventually, but for now it's hard to get much modeling done. Things are looking up, though -- shouldn't be long now. I'm cutting out spin vanes as we speak.

[jparenti]

And all the vanes are in place! For some reason I cannot fathom, Linux doesn't like to let me upload pictures from my digital camera's media card, so I'll post a picture later.
Next up: re-engineering the science platform. My first prototype works well, but I'm going to do something with a little more depth. I've also pretty much deciphered how to create little boxes of an exact shape on Powerpoint, so I think I can handle most of the electronics (maybe).

[jagolden01]

The spines and vanes look great and add a lot. Will you be posting those extra parts?

[jparenti]

Originally Posted by jagolden01

The spines and vanes look great and add a lot. Will you be posting those extra parts?

I checked the version that's available in the Downloads section, and the parts for the stringers and the spin vanes are indeed there. Yogi was kind enough to color the stringers for me as well, so they'll match the top cover (unlike my prototype's, which are white.)
If anyone is interested in the parts for the internal electronics, I'm hoping to make that available eventually, too. We shall see how that turns out. I think I may be able to make my other mods reproducible, too, except for the back cover of the aeroshell and heatshield, which require conics that I'm not certain how to draw yet on the computer. I'm still learning how to draw, and I'll never be as good as Yogi, but I may be able to churn out some basic parts. :D
Picture of the finished spin vanes. I wasn't kidding, was I? :

[SAustin16]

Jparenti,

I hope you are better soon. Nothing like being ill and not being able to live to your full potential. Your model looks fantastic and the vanes really do look great.