Pre-Skylab wet orbital workshop 1968 1/96

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #1 08-28-2010, 03:01 PM

Well, It's about time to start with it, right? Here's something non-fictional but never built space-related history.
Already before Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, NASA was looking to the future and possible other uses of Apollo material. One idea, already long in the making was an orbital workshop, a space station. To observe the earth, the planets and the stars and perhaps a little spying. MOL came and went and never flew. Wernher von Braun for one came up with the idea to reuse an emptied stage of a rocket as a space station. This was worked out onto a SIVb stage. Before the final configuration was built and launched in 1973 a lot of ideas came from the drawing board. This is just one of them.

Due to budget reasons this baby never was built. the elements that might have been too expensive were replaced by cheaper or better solutions. Perhaps it would have been better to keep the solar panels inside the petals instead of alongside the hull outside. The LM-cabin as solar telecopic observatory would have been a nice addition but perhaps a little too brittle hullwise...

I made this one partly from scratch, partly with Ton Nooteboom's SIVb. The LM I am going to use is U-Don's but that is something I'll do later. This is how far I got the first day.

the first part was just a regular buildup of a SIVb. I used a superball to make the seams more round and smooth. The business end also was as straightforward as coud be. (I had my 1/96 styrene SIVb to compare it with) Some things were made from cardboard or silver coloured paper. The base of the petal section was cut loose to be placed upon the stage. The petals were kept for later. The upper part of the tank was not used but left open for the tunnel, which was the first pure scratchbuilt piece here. I used some cardboard again to make its appearance a bit more attractive.

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #2 08-28-2010, 03:13 PM

Next was the rest of the docking section. I made a drawing so I could see where I wanted to use which piece of Apollo stuff.

I used Photoshop to mess up Ton's Apollo CSM a bit.

The docking section consists of two cone shapes like the Apollo Command Module. The forward pointing one of them has the female docking cone to able the Apollo itself to dock. This forward cone also has the main hatch.the midsection node part is as wide as the Service Module, only smaller. Perhaps this was done to give the astronauts room to manoeuver inside the node. The tunnel upward is to a cylindrical section which perhaps would be the "locker room" to change into EVA-suits. The rear cone is also an Apollo CM but less recognisable. It just fitted well.
After the glueing together I used some strips of silver paper to patch up the glue lines and make some useless but pretty umbilical lines around the node section.
A lot of extra strips of card were used here and there to camouflage the small flaws in the build. I'm jus' messing around with the stuff.

The petals were cut out in one piece and glued to silver cardboard. Then they were cut loose and bent to shape. Unfortunately it wrinkled a bit. The cardboard was a bit too thick, I guess..

The drawing shows how I planned it and what is next:
the Apollo Telescope Mount with the LM.

**dhanners** · #3 08-28-2010, 04:23 PM

Interesting concept, and the build looks great so far....

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #4 08-28-2010, 04:25 PM

I forgot to post the pic here upon which it all is based. Here it is:

**the hermit** · #5 08-28-2010, 04:56 PM

this is so very cool!

i cant wait to see model plans for it.

thanks.

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #6 08-28-2010, 05:02 PM

I actually started making sheets with the additional pieces but I first have to ask Ton Nooteboom if he doesn't mind...

& Thanks for the kind words, guys.

**dhanners** · #7 08-28-2010, 08:37 PM

Looking at the drawing, it seems odd they would leave the panels of the Spacecraft/Lunar Module Adapter on. On the "real" thing, the panels were jettisoned, and on a vehicle like this, it just seems they'd get in the way. I know you're building your model to the drawing, but it just seems like one of those things an artist included that didn't square with reality.

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #8 08-29-2010, 01:29 AM

Dave, in this b/w picture it is not so clear but the descant stage of the LM is the framework for the telescope, the cylinder in the middle of it. I think they used the frame of the original descent stage for it, this being a re-use program. The flattened panels are some kind of solar arrays or reflectors,I don't know. The lens of the telescope is protruding in the middle of it. Perhaps for cooling of the instruments or extra energy. Most of this OWS version might remain guesswork, i'm afraid..

The petals of the SIVb first were not to be jettisoned, only when the astronauts of Apollo 7 mentioned the petals were too close for comfort when manoeuvering, NASA decided to jettison the petals at separation. This was in 1968, so perhaps after this design was made. In another weird looking version from the same era the petals still are attached.

**merzo** · #9 08-29-2010, 08:14 AM

Kosmonaut Hello!

That's progress. A lot has happened .. I like the draft. Good construction.
S IV B stamp features a plastic model?
Drawings under his arm to the basics? I'm looking for Google but can not find it.

S IV and S IV B of the difference, what?

Good luck.

(Sorry to miss the google translator)

merzo

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #10 08-29-2010, 03:24 PM

Hey Merzo, Thanks! Yes, the other SIVb in the photo is of a plastic model I made a year and a half ago. The Revell 1/96 Saturn with a lot of extra scratchbuilding and detail sets.
And the drawing I made was to see where the build was going and where to place the different Apollo pieces.