Building a full-scale Apollo Command Module replica
I know Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday and that this site has visitors from all over the world, but that doesn’t mean I can’t send good wishes to everyone who visits here! Plus, whether you’re American or not, you can still be thankful for your family, for all the
I finally completed a number of “cut and etch” files to send to S&T GeoTronics ( www.stgeotronics.com ) so they could make panel overlays out of the acrylic from Johnson Plastics Plus ( www.jpplus.com ) I gave them some time ago. Those files are so time-consuming to produce due to
The CM will require power to light its lights and run all of its various electronics. The plan is to have the service entry connect where the Service Module (SM) umbilical would attach, which is just to the right of center when looking from the Lower Equipment Bay (LEB). This
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
Now to work on the shelves for various panels and compartments above the girth shelf in the equipment bay half of the CM. In this area, the walls of the CM capsule itself are visible in a couple of places. While I could possibly cut just those pieces to the
Now that I have the girth shelf and some internal structure built, I can start work on the details of the interior. Because some of the structure included pieces beneath the girth shelf that left gaps for some panels, I decided to start by finishing them out. The right-hand side
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
My daughter has been with me for 6 of the past 8 days, so I haven’t been able to get much work done on the Command Module. However, I have still been working on the Project. She wanted to know what costume I would wear to the Fall Festival, and
The thumbwheels that I created earlier were missing one of the most important pieces: a scale to indicate the relative level. So I measured the circumference of the wheel and the width of its center, and created a blank template of the correct size. Using the Futura font, I added
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
