Spacecraft models help preserve the history of exploration. There are models available for all major US and Soviet missions as well as vehicles never completed such as DynaSoar and Manned Orbiting Laboratory.
Paper modeling (also referred to as card modelling) utilizes stiff paper and glue to craft intricate models with stunningly lifelike detail. Free patterns can be downloaded from various websites; several sites even offer spacecraft models as kits!
Space Shuttle
Design of the Space Shuttle was part of NASA’s early efforts in the space race. Designed to offer low-cost access to low Earth orbit, Skylab and help construct its successor station (The International Space Station), its primary role was for science exploration.
The orbiter of the shuttles resembles an aircraft, featuring twin delta wings swept at an 81deg angle at their inner edges and 45deg at their outer edges, along with a vertical stabilizer and four elevons for flight control.
Rockwell International has designed this extra-large contractor’s model as part of their SSME failure recovery system to illustrate Columbia’s extensive emergency procedures (abort modes) as a great present for aerospace enthusiasts.
Ares V
The Ares V rocket is an unparalleled national asset capable of lifting heavy exploration, scientific and commercial payloads into Earth orbit or on a trans-lunar injection (TLI) trajectory towards the Moon. Composite materials play an essential part in this powerful launcher; engineers employed HyperSizer structural sizing software from Collier Research as well as Abaqus finite element analysis software from SIMULIA Providence Rhode Island for design and analysis purposes.
Ares V, initially known as the Cargo Launch Vehicle or CaLV, is an Ares launcher comprised of five RS-68 engines and two five-segment solid rocket boosters. It was the primary launcher used in NASA’s Constellation program to return humans to the Moon and later for missions beyond our solar system such as Mars or beyond.
Apollo 27
After President Kennedy issued the challenge of sending American astronauts to the moon, NASA launched the Apollo program. Over 11 spaceflights took place, including six moon landings.
In 1967, Apollo 1 took off into space under the command of Commander Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Senior Pilot Ed White – however shortly after liftoff a fire started in its crew compartment due to pure oxygen fueling an unprotected network of wiring.
Thanks to innovation both on the ground and in space, astronauts were able to successfully land on the moon in their Command/Service Module and return home without incident. This model depicts what might have happened without such quick thinking – an easy-build kit of 23 parts from Pegasus Hobbies is included for building it!
Space Base & Satellite Explorer
Telecom and space-based systems enabled by satellites have evolved into an immense multibillion-dollar industry, offering evidence of outer space’s immense commercial potential.
ITU SpaceExplorer allows users to explore radio-frequency data of networks using intuitive dashboards. The web-based application makes it simple for you to monitor an Administration’s satellite networks, monitor BR IFIC publications and analyse orbit and spectrum occupancy.
ICON keeps watch at the lowest edge of Earth’s atmosphere, where gases and charged particles swirl intricately and colorfully – often interfering with communications signals, shortening satellite orbits prematurely, exposing astronauts to radiation risks, or otherwise impacting human space travel. Its scientists predict future changes to SAA so we can better protect satellites while preparing humans for space travel.
Mercury Capsule
Project Mercury began on October 7, 1958 – just three days after Soviet Russia launched Sputnik 1. Its aim was to place an American astronaut into orbit and understand how humans functioned in space.
Astronauts flew cone-shaped capsules two meters long and 1.9 meters wide, propelled off orbit by small retrorockets and then descended back into Earth’s atmosphere by way of small retrorockets, protected from atmospheric reentry by ablative heat shields, then safely landing back into water below using parachute landing gear.
Pilots were able to orient the spacecraft using external references, though it took significant time. Early flight results demonstrated that manual control proved more accurate than automated systems and could save substantial control fuel.
Viking 1
NASA transitioned from human space exploration with the 1972 Apollo landing to robotic probes with their 1976 Viking mission, landing two landers and an orbiter on Mars to begin their study by robotic probe.
The Mars Lander and Orbiters obtained high-resolution images and measurements of its atmosphere, surface, and water on Mars. Orbiter observations confirmed the presence of volcanoes, lava plains, and immense canyons on the Red Planet.
The Lander was powered by radioisotope thermoelectric generators fueled by plutonium-238 located on either side of its base, four nickel-cadmium batteries handling peak power demands, and an on board computer facility providing meteorology and engineering data results.