Yogi's builds - to boldy glue, where ... - Page 45

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #**441** 04-05-2012, 11:59 PM

I think that while working on it, than model just started to grow on you. (-;
Looking promising, Yogi. Is that little rover a partial new design? (wheels, suspension)

**Retired_for_now** · #**442** 04-06-2012, 06:46 AM

PK - Rover suspension is the simple version included in the model. Just a flat, laminated part for all the tubes & etc (two layers of cereal box card). I modified the simple wheels a bit, using little bands glued inside the rims to support the central disk rather than the drawn tabs - that also required a stub axle to reach the suspension.
The sampling arm is simplified as well, just flat, laminated parts for the arm sections with the joints glued solid and built up disks added for the joint motors.
The camera mast can be positioned up or folded - I cut down the bottom of the mast and added a cylinder that fits in the base; base also gets cut away on the inner side for mast clearance when folded. To fold, the camera head must also rotate so the joint between the upper mast tube and the big disk (rotator motor) in the middle is not glued but is a slip joint where the upper tube fits over a smaller tube that's glued to the mast. I'm pretty sure it folds/rotates to put the "face" down against the rover to protect the optics (there's a small graphic on the rover top deck where you could build up the mast stowage bracket as well).

Waiting on you more artistic/creative types for display ideas. So far, my front runner is to hang them in one string: aeroshell at the top (angled as on reentry?); descent stage/skycrane below; and the rover on it's triple tether + telemetry cable at the bottom. Of course, if it ends up in a classroom we have the pinata problem. Doesn't lend itself to a shelf display that way either ...

Yogi

**Paper Kosmonaut** · #**443** 04-06-2012, 07:55 AM

Hahaha! Piñata problem! I really had to laugh. Another suggestion for display: a mobile, on which you have the full cruise stage at the highest place and then gradually lower: the aeroshell closed (red hot heat shield), the aeroshell opened with payload visible, the SkyCrane in freefall with the rover close and then the SkyCrane hovering with the rover. Makes a great piñata indeed but in non-piñatal areas it will look quite nice, I presume.

**jparenti** · #**444** 04-07-2012, 03:45 AM

Just finished with the beta of SDO. I didn't notice any problems at all. Everything seems to fit well, and even my oversized fingers were able to assemble everything easily.

\

And in 1/24, this thing is big -- since I work mostly in 1/24, I have a lot of other spacecraft to compare it to, and SDO is a lot larger than I thought it was. Most of that comes from the solar array span. I'll need to hang this one, or figure out a stand...

**Retired_for_now** · #**445** 04-07-2012, 08:25 AM

Very nicely done, Joseph - thanks for the check. It is big, another reason most of my space probes end up at 1:48 scale for display. 1:24 sized parts do make it easier for little fingers to build with scissors and without tweezers (still holding to my educational project rationalization ...).

My thoughts on a stand so far would be to run a stiff (coathanger) wire throught the HGA masts and bus to hold it with a secondary support to stabilize it; or a single stiff wire up the rocket nozzle and through the bottom of the instrument cab (letting it rest on the inside of the upper surface of the instrument cab), it still would need something (or a tight fit) to prevent the model from rotating. If I put it on a base pointing at a sun-globe it would need to rest on some kind of cradle to point it at the sun - raised pretty high for the arrays and HGA antennae to clear the base ...

I'll get it out to Jon and put it up in our downloads as well shortly.

Yogi

**TheHeebrewHammer** · #**446** 04-13-2012, 06:02 PM

Have you seen what a reusable Falcon 9 can theoretically do?
Reusable Falcon 9 - YouTube

**sparky00** · #**447** 04-13-2012, 08:41 PM

Interesting vid-apparently they have figured out how to have structures strong enough to land vertically, be able to carry the weight of 3 stages of landing gear and retros, the weight of equipment to stabilize & maintain descent attitude (gyros?), the weight of fuel for the the retros, the weight of fuel for launch and still have power available for payload? This is one to watch.

**TheHeebrewHammer** · #**448** 04-14-2012, 10:12 AM

It will certainly be an engineering feat and a major game changer for the rocketry biz. When the design is finalized I'm sure someone here will design a paper model of it!

**sparky00** · #**449** 04-14-2012, 01:21 PM

If they design I will build it.

**Retired_for_now** · #**450** 04-14-2012, 03:08 PM

Sparky - you should be able to scratch build the bits needed onto the Falcon9 in our downloads. Add the lower landing leg blisters/fairings between the corner engine farings; add in the legs to the bottom of the second stage and a heat shield (two flat conics and a flat center?) to the top; modify the cargo trunk for the four attachment fairings to slip over the second stage; and add three landing legs to the bottom of the Dragon's heat shield (looks like the foot pads are heat shield segments that pop out). You'll need to add the heat shield detail to the Dragon as the F9 in the downloads doesn't include that detail - but Ton Noteboom's Dragon capsule does and should be easily scaled to fit the booster (you might also be able to use Ton's heat shield for the top of the second stage).
Yogi