The Apollo Education Experience Project
Building a full-scale Apollo Command Module replica
The Lower Equipment Bay (LEB) needed some additional structure to support various panels and stuff. I added two more uprights above the girth shelf with angled supports for the upper panels. Because these supports were too far out to reach the ceiling, I could not make them the same way
I posted an update to the Project’s GoFundMe supporters that I would have the girth shelf completed this past weekend. But as things usually happen, there was a minor delay. However, this was a good delay. Marc Tessier of S&T GeoTronics ( www.stgeotronics.com ) informed me that they had some
Now that the exterior framework is complete (more or less), it’s time to start work on the interior. My first goal for the interior is to complete the “girth shelf” – a 3/4″ shelf that circles the entire crew compartment at a fixed height but with various depths. I consider
Finally! At long last! I’ve started work on the main part of the CM’s framework – the cone-shaped superstructure. After double-, triple-, and quadruple-checking the geometry, I started marking and cutting the 2×4 boards that would provide both the shape and the support for the structure. The slope of the
I mentioned in the previous framework construction article about my inability to find a CNC and calling on the Johns Creek Staples Print Department to print full-size cutting templates. The parts I needed this most for were the segments for the circular “girdle” around the base of the Command Module.
After well over a month of delays, I’m finally making progress on the construction of the CM itself. I had been trying to find a makerspace with a CNC machine large enough to take a 4′ x 8′ sheet of 3/4″ plywood. I located one that was relatively close, but
Because of the unusual shape of the Command Module, I needed to start off modeling the structure in 3D before ever cutting a single board. I don’t have a dedicated CAD program, so I’m doing my modeling in Blender. Hey — it’s free and it’s something I already know. This
