Yogi's builds - to boldy glue, where ...

[jparenti]

To me it looks like WMAP, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. Hopefully I am right, because that's one of my favorites.

[sf4ever]

I think so, too, that that's WMAP. But in my opinion this question is a little bit too easy.

[Retired_for_now]

You guys are good! I didn't figure a partial would be that easy to get: shade, half a feed-horn array, and a bit of one bay on the bus and you got it. If it was easy, I'll take that as a design compliment.








1:48 scale

The WMAP satellite is hovering at the Earth-Sun L2 libration point (outside Earth's orbit) observing the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The microwave signal, discovered in 1965, is the remnant of the "first light" of the universe. It dates from a time when matter condensed from the initial particle "soup," allowing light to travel freely for the first time. The existence of the CMB is strong evidence for a hot, dense origin of the universe and it's subsequent expansion. WMAP will look at the intensity, spectrum and polarization of the CMB to allow competing theories of creation (Big Bang, higher-dimensional brane collisions, multiple episodes of vacuum inflation, etc.) to be evaluated.

Instructions not even started yet, but if you want to try a puzzle PM me an email address.

Yogi

[Retired_for_now]

Not sure where this one is going ... but I finally made a (mostly) portable ISS. Used the 4-foot smaller ISS patterns printed at 50% (actually, 4 per page w/ Adobe). Armature down the spine is a paper tube wrapped around a 5/16 inch dowel. Truss has no armature - the boxes are plenty strong but it did sag a bit due to flexing of the end caps/glue tabs on the end of each section. Had to install a banjo line between the tops of the outer solar arrays to pull the truss straight.





It knocks down for travel - truss is set loosely on a pin and platform mounted to the main spine modules; solar panels and radiators are pin and socket connections; extra Soyuz/modules/etc. extending above and below the main spine are mounted into slip rings and can be slid out.



The end result is at 1:165 scale - that just happens to match the scale of the FG/D7 space shuttle so there is no excuse to not do that one as well (dang!). Had to modify the cargo bay, add a box and a docking tube to make it work but it plugs in to the PMA dock on the "front" of the ISS.





Yogi (I think that's all I've been up to)

[Retired_for_now]

I was never there, you can't prove a thing, I don't even know your sister, and it must have been someone that looks like me.

Anyway ... just to keep the (b)log current.

Projects that were passed on at the Air Force Association Teacher Workshop:

FG Wind Turbine (model door prize plus link to FG provided on take-away CD)


Global Hawk and Predator (about 6-8 of each - table center pieces to carry away)


The USAF CV-22 (passed on two big ones, but I kept the little one).



And another rocket garden.



...

[Retired_for_now]

I still have the two-foot ISS; making a visit to a prospective home next week. Given the scale, it's feasible to make a more complete display of space habitats. Also, since the Russians (gotta' love 'em) never throw anything away, the ISS Zvezda and Zarya modules are just modified Salyut and Mir components.

A little graphic editting and Zvezda devolves to:



Skylab is a bit more work. However, the ever helpful brain trust has gotten me to here:



with a bit of graphics work yet to do.

Mir remains on the to-do list, lot's of editting and repainting of the Zarya modules to make Crystal, etc.

The future may be here:


Small, light package that inflates to a Skylab sized habitat (22 by 45 feet). Bigelow Aerospace has already launched two subscale prototypes successfully with the big one scheduled for 2012. Big rooms that don't require heavy lift - a couple of these, several fuel tanks, a reactor, and a VASIMIR powerplant and we're cruising the solar system in style.

Yogi

[Retired_for_now]

And ... I think I'm caught back up on the downloads. Both Global Hawks are up, the simple predator is loaded, and the Salyut, Skylab, and Bigelow space stations are in.

Anybody working on the set yet (Salyut, Skylab, Mir, ISS)? Looking forward to seeing pix.

Yogi

[Retired_for_now]

Finished up the basic Mir structure to complete the set of human space stations (you just can't get good info for the Gray Aliens' station - but I'm sure somebody on the net has pictures of their Moon base before LCROSS bombed it ...).



Still some revising to do on Mir, but this set should do for an initial display. I'll work up a second for the Planetarium (Salyut, Skylab, Mir, ISS-spine only) after I get the revisions done and rest up a bit. Too much of the same thing and it starts to be work!

Working up something else for the Planetarium to go with another of their shows ...

Yogi

[birder]

Yogi I love your space projects, they are very cool. I suppose we have most all of us launched estes rockets, I attached a fg shuttle to a rocket and attemped to launch it , actually did launch it, but the flight path was erratic and heavily weighted to the side of the shuttle (big surprise there) fortunately no-one was any the worse for it and the kids thought it was way cool:D I think it could work if a shuttle model was placed on each side on a largeish rocket, although I haven't the guts(?) to try it.....

[Retired_for_now]

Thanks Glen. And, if you build the shuttle from here: NASA - Space Shuttle Glider then stick a 1/2 inch stomp rocket tube in the back end - it flies real good ... no external tank or solids though.



And the motors are cheap too - stomp rocket posted about 5-6 pages deep in the real space section.

Yogi