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#2180 by roma847 on 07 Apr, 2022 14:49
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Hello everybody,
since I was in practice once and knew how to do it, I immediately scratched the second ladder.
The gluing jig has also proven itself this time too,
and hence the second ladder was quickly completed as well.
For attaching the ladder to the side wall, I used this KAMAG photo as a guide.
Source: mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov
For mounting the ladder on the wall, I used these thin and narrow Strips (0,2 mm x 0,3 mm) from an ABER PE plate (Ship railings) and bent into small hooks.
Then I drilled two small holes (Ø 0,3 mm) in the wall and inserted the hooks.
Then the ladder could be hung up,
with what the transporter would now be equipped on one side.
Now only the two hooks for the ladder on the other wall are missing.
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#2181 by roma847 on 09 Apr, 2022 20:32
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Hello everybody,
to finally complete the transporter, I've also attached the second set of Windscreen wipers to the Driver's cabin on the back side, for what I also came up with an improved handling. This could perhaps be interesting for one or the other who might want to glue such tiny and thin parts together too.
Especially since grasping of the windscreen wiper with the wiper blade pointing downwards is not that easy with my Tape Adhesive Applicator,
this time, before gluing, I picked up the wiper in this position with a wider pair of tweezers and held the tweezers in a clamp, so that it were ready to hand after dabbing the CA droplet onto the holder.
In this position I was able to safely pick up the tweezers with the clamped wiper and to set it down on the glued area with a steady hand,
whereby a spacer was placed underneath, which then all worked well together.
And then it was the turn of the second wiper,
which worked just as well.
Then the overhangs of the holders were cut off,
and the holder strip with the pair of wipers was glued onto the driver's cab.
With that the transporter is now complete and ready to go, and so I can move on to the Payload Canister,
Source: retrospaceimages.com (STS-6)
which is sure to become a very interesting sub-project too.
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#2182 by roma847 on 10 Apr, 2022 13:48
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Hello everybody,
well, imagine that the Transporter drove with the Payload Canister together with the payload inside to the Launch Pad, so that the payload via the RSS Payload Bay can bee loaded into the Payload Changeout Room (PCR). From there it will sometime be loaded back into the Space shuttle for the next mission.
With this in mind, for a change, let's take a look at an original photo of my friend, James MacLaren, who shows for fun an interesting photo montage of the launch pad on his Launch Complex 39-B Website p. 46, on which he mounted the Columbia (STS-3) in those position in the RSS Payload Bay, in which the orbiter sits exactly where it is, after the RSS has pivoted into the so-called Demate Position on the MLP for loading the payload.
Source: 16streets.com (James MacLaren)
In my opinion, this photo montage provides a clear and very interesting size comparison, even the position of the orbiter is not 100% correct.
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#2183 by roma847 on 15 Apr, 2022 22:39
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Hello everybody,
and so now back to the Payload Canister, which I had already started in February, and for which I had already constructed a Paper Kit in my Reply #2143 before I started with the Transporter, which is now finished and waiting for the canister. 
In the meantime I have further modified this canister shell and first attached the NASA Worm logos to all sides.
Then I tried with the help of various photos to get an overview of the canister details , of which there are quite a number, such as various Ladders and Railings, bizarre Rod linkages, Mounts, Struts and Hinges with what the Canister Payload Bay Doors let open and lock, as well as various Panels and Doors,
Source: NASA Conference Publication 2342 Part 2 (M. E. Donahue)
which can be seen more clearly in these zoomed photos.
Source: NASA (STS-124)
Source: NASA (STS-135)
Since the construction of the canisters remained almost unchanged during the Shuttle program, these details were also present on the canisters of the first missions and are therefore relevant for scratching.
Since I have certain reservations regarding attaching those tiny details onto a paper canister I'm thinking about the possibility of scratching the canister out of a thin Styrene sheet (0,1 mm), which then could be printed with the finest details, as long as my Canon printer would be able to do it, which should at least be worth a try.
Has anyone of you tried it before?
But since one can print onto Decal Foil too, it should work somehow, I hope so.
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#2184 by mike robel on 16 Apr, 2022 20:54
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Looking forward to seeing this emerge.
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#2185 by roma847 on 17 Apr, 2022 00:55
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Thanks Mike for your staying interest.
Shared happiness is double happiness!
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#2186 by roma847 on 17 Apr, 2022 14:54
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Hello everyone on Easter Sunday,
before I'll try then to print out the parts for the Payload Canister on a thin Evergreen Sheet Styrene (0.13 mm),
I want to try gluing my Paper Kit together first to get a feel for the size of the canister.
But as soon as I cut out and folded the folds on the curves of the front and back wall, I quickly noticed that handling this unstable paper sleeve is anything but easy, let alone when gluing it ...
Somewhat thicker paper would certainly be better suited for this. 
That's why I changed my plan and removed the folds on the curves. Instead, I will use Balsa parts (2 mm) for stabilization, which will also serve as an adhesive edge for the Payload Bay Doors. 
For the same reason I will then also stiffen the bottom and side walls with Balsa in the hope that this will make the canister more stable.
So much for today with my first preparations.
Now I wish everyone further
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#2187 by llanitedave on 18 Apr, 2022 05:00
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Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. I've been off in the wilds for a while, not able to keep up with any of this forum as I'd have liked. I've missed following your build, Manfred, although I did manage to peek in a few times over the last year or so.
I can only say it gets better and better, deeper and deeper, more and more astounding. You are a modelling God to me. What a beautiful creation you are making.
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#2188 by roma847 on 18 Apr, 2022 11:30
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Thanks Dave for your great compliments,
as you can see, it's worth checking in on me from time to time, so stay tuned.
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#2189 by roma847 on 20 Apr, 2022 16:53
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Hello everybody,
but as is so often the case, the devil is in the detail, whereby I take it usually very exactly, sometimes also too exact, 
but what the heck.
And so, looking at original photos, I've noticed certain differences in the top curves of the front and back of the Payload Canister.
I was surprised by this photo here at the beginning of the shuttle program, where one can see these strange ("earlike") can see extensions similar in shape to the orbiter's OMS pods, meaning the "humps" (Orbital Maneuvering Systems) found on either side of the shuttle's tail are, which initially has irritated me quite a bit.
Source: Orbiter Payload Canisters (HEAR NO. FL-8-11-I)
This photo comes from a very interesting source that I unfortunately came across only recently, late but not too late!
In this documentation is described, among other things, that these originally designed "ear-like" extensions at the end of the canister, called "mouse ears" by the staff,
had been removed already at both canisters at the start of the shuttle program, which put my mind at rest.
In order to find out more and to be on the safe side, I looked again for STS-6 photos, specifically to take a closer look at these curves on the front and back, especially since their shape deviates from the semicircular shape of the Payload Bay of the canister, which can only be seen on closer inspection in the following photos of the STS-6 canister.
his photo from the Vertical Processing Facility (VPF) shows the opened Payload Canister with NASA's TDRS satellite, transported into space by Challenger during the STS-6 mission.
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Ares67, STS-6)
On this image section I have circled the passages that are meant. On it you can see that the outer bulges of the front wall (Forward Bulkhead) protrude slightly over the curve of the Payload Bay, but in any case they did not have any protruding "mouse ears".
This photo shows the opposite back side (Aft Bulkhead) of the canister, where one can clearly see that these bulges are more pronounced.
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Ares67, STS-6)
A distinctive feature of this side, with which one can easily distinguish it from the front wall, is the tail (Spike), which again mimics the shuttle, which contains the upper door seal control panel.
With this side the canister is standing in the upright transport position (Vertical Transport Mode) on the transporter as can be seen in this image.
Since the Payload Bay Doors are not flush with the prepared balsa parts of the front and back wall, I cannot glue the cover of my Paper Kit onto it as previously planned, which is why I will inevitably have to modify these parts and the construction of the canister somewhat.
So let's see what can be done.
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#2190 by roma847 on 22 Apr, 2022 22:09
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Hello everybody,
as can be seen in the last photos, the front and back of the Payload Canister differ in shape, albeit only slightly, at least they are not identical.
The most reliable template for the back (Aft Bulkhead) of the canister with the spike is shown in this photo which comes from the STS-9,
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Ares67, STS-9)
as is this photo of the front (Forward Bulkhead), whose outline isn't quite as evenly rounded as one can see here.
Source: forum.nasaspaceflight.com (Ares67, STS-9)
The outlines of both sides I've drawn and cut out on Balsa (2 mm), as well as the Payload Bay Doors, which are rounded semicircularly. These parts are each glued onto the front and back and serve as an adhesive edge for the outer shell of the doors.
After I had cut out the recesses for the side walls of the canister from the door supports,
I've put the parts that belong together on top of each other, which makes the different curves of the front and back even clearer.
And then I've put the parts together to form the canister, which should be stable, and looks pretty neat.
Next I will now try to print these parts on an Evergreen Sheet Styrene (0,13mm) and hope that it will work, then we'll see.
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#2191 by roma847 on 26 Apr, 2022 22:13
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Hello everybody,
since I also came across some drawings with detailed views of the sides of the canister in part of the documentation Orbiter Payload Canisters (HEAR NO. FL-8-11-I), I decided without further ado to abandon my previous plan of gluing the coherent sleeve (Paper kit) and instead to create detailed Sides separately and glue them onto the Balsa framework of the canister. Now that I know where the details go, I can choose which ones to scratch and save a lot of drawing work.
Before I'll try printing the parts on an Evergreen Sheet Styrene (0,13mm) I will first print them out on paper to be able to check the fit of the parts on the framework.
The first thing I did was to determine the semi-circular outline of the Payload Bay Doors to be able to glue the curved covering of the canister later onto the side walls and the inner Supporting walls at the Forward & Aft Bulkheads.
To do this, I fixed again a thin brass wire closely around the curve of a supporting wall with magnets in order to be able to determine the length for the flat pattern of the contour, which is the simplest solution. 
And this is what the flat pattern looks like.
It is approx. 50 mm long, so the part for the doors should have dimensions of 120 mm x 50 mm, making the semicircular PLC doors.
Based on the drawings, I was able to reconstruct the doors of the canister from the top and side views, which was not that easy, since e.g. the position of the semicircular brackets of the Door Actuators of both doors had to be projected into the plane.
Source: NASA Conference Publication 2342 Part 2 (M. E. Donahue)
When preparing the parts, I first retouched away all those details of the drawings that are outside the canister shell, such as ladders, railings, cables, etc., so as not to see them twice afterwards, and have only marked their base points.
And this is how the finished flat pattern of the doors now looks like,
that I printed out on paper and cut out,
then have rolled in, 
and rolled it out again after a while.
The test fitting of the doors on the canister looked nearly perfect and made me quite confident about the further procedure.
This includes further drawings, such as the Forward & Aft Bulkheads, but again without the ladders and railings located there,
as well as the Port Side & Starboard Side with the remaining parts of the Door Actuator systems, whose Actuator Screw Jackets were removed again, as well as the ladders too.
And of course the Bottom of the canister must not be missing (below).
So far for today, tomorrow is still another day too.
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#2192 by EG on 27 Apr, 2022 11:04
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Your building skills continue to amaze my friend, and educate as well...
Thank You!!! -
#2193 by roma847 on 27 Apr, 2022 13:19
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Thanks Elmer,
that makes me happy, shared joy is double joy!
I'm also learning something new every day.
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#2194 by roma847 on 28 Apr, 2022 23:03
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Hello everybody,
today I started with the structural work of the Payload Canister and first glued the two side walls with the bottom. In doing so it was important to ensure that the walls were vertical, flush with the floor and couldn't slip, which is why I clamped them in using my proven Magnetic clamping Technique. 
Then I glued the Forward and Aft Bulkheads on both sides. To stabilize both sides in the longitudinal direction and to later support the thin Payload Bay Doors (0,13 mm), I've also intended a spacer bar (2 mm x 4 mm x 120 mm) made of Balsa, which was temporarily held by the supporting walls during the gluing and acted as a spacer, for which I had cut out a corresponding recess from the two supporting walls.
After checking that the previously glued parts were correctly seated, I then glued both supporting walls from the inside onto the front and back and fixed them with clips, and glued in the spacer bar.
This completed the structural work of the canister,
and I was able to try on the doors, which matched again, as did the cover of the Forward Bulkhead.
At this point it should be mentioned again briefly that the Canisters were labeled with same designations as the Orbiter: the Starboard Side (right), and the Port Side (left).
In order to get an overall impression, I have now also covered the walls all around, here with a view of the Port Side and the Forward Bulkhead,
and here a view of the Starboard Side and the Aft Bulkhead with the Spike.
Well, and then I was curious and of course I wanted to see what the Canister looks like on the Transporter, and here it is, even if only as a provisional arrangement, here with a view of the Port Side,
and on the Starboard Side.
And this is the view of the transporter approaching the Launch pad with upright standing canister.
As an interim conclusion, it can be said that the images are promising despite the still unfinished state of the canister and encourage me to continue,
although there is still a lot to do before final completion the Sheet Styrene version, but it is after all a decent result.
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#2195 by markbike528cbx on 30 Apr, 2022 20:53
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roma847:
Thanks for this expose of building techniques and photos.
I am building a Entex 1:144 Shuttle.
Your work on the external tank was very helpful, as were the photos and notes that the color was a "moving target".
I didn't use your technique, as I don't have that much patience or skill, but it helped me to see the effect I wanted. -
#2196 by roma847 on 30 Apr, 2022 22:31
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Thanks for your nice words!
It's been a long, long time ... but Learning by doing is always a good approach.
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#2197 by roma847 on 30 Apr, 2022 22:44
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Hello everybody,
today, exceptionally just a short statement - so to speak, as a Word for Sunday.
Unfortunately, I had to bury my hopes for the planned Sheet Styrene version today, because the printout of the prepared parts on the thin Evergreen Plastic Foil was a complete flop.
Maybe that would work with a Laser printer, but certainly not with my Inkjet printer, because the color doesn't dry sufficiently and smudges with every touch.
So I will use normal paper for the cladding of the Canister, then it fits better with the Transporter anyway, that's Trial & Error!
And with that a good jump into the merry month of May.
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#2198 by roma847 on 04 May, 2022 16:59
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Hello everybody,
let's continue, and thus full concentration on the cladding of the Balsa shell with the side walls incl. Payload Bay Doors made of paper, wherefore I had to rethink something.
Somehow I had to give the curved doors more support before gluing and make sure that they couldn't buckle anywhere that would then be impossible to correct.
That's why I first increased the two Balsa side walls (H = 20 mm) by gluing on Balsa strips (2 mm),
resulting in a adhesive edge for the door shell.
Then I've thought
that, for reasons of rigidity of this shell, it would be useful and also safer to use a Supporting roof of Styrene (0,13 mm), which would then provide sufficient support and stability when gluing the paper doors.
So I've immediately looked for a suitable core (Ø approx. 35 mm) for the Thermal curvature of the door cover, for which a kitchen roll aluminum foil has offered itself,
onto which I glued the Styrene sheet.
Since the usual hot air gun did not seem suitable for evenly heating the sheet, I filled my kettle without further ado, heated the water strongly and dived the roll with the shell for a while in the hope that the curvature would set in, just like in my hitherto always successful Balsa bending tests of various plastic profiles at the SSWS.
But things never turn out the way you expect ... To my surprise, the Styrene strip then relaxed back to its original shape, contrary to expectations, as if nothing had happened. 
I had to let this disappointment sink in first and had to further modify my solution in order to be able to glue the door cover.
Since adhesive surfaces on the sides of the curves of the inner support walls would certainly be helpful for this, I've bent two arcs of an Evergreen strip (0,75 mm x 1 mm) using my Hot air gun and my Balsa bending technique.
And as one can see, Evergreen Sheet Styrene and Evergreen Strip Styrene cannot be the same material. Apparently Evergreen Sheet Styrene, in contrast to the Strips, is a Duroplast that doesn't mind heat at all, which is why it retains its original shape.
I then glued these arcs onto the support walls, and also still Evergreen angles (1,5 mm x 1,5 mm) on the side walls.
And since this stubborn door roof cannot be glue in one step, I have to proceed step by step and initially only glued one side to the angle, fixed it accordingly and let it dry.
However, since the strip was not yet completely glued in the middle,
I've brushed it once again with Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) both on the outside and on the inside of the angle and glued it additionally.
But now I'm pondering how best to glue the rest of the part ...
With normal Plastic glue this will not work which would take time to set, so this method is ruled out.
That's why the only thing that remains is to glue it with CA, although I'm considering first dabbing only half the curve of the three support walls with CA and then to pull the cover sheet across the curves and to hold it briefly, which should be enough to tie it off. Maybe a bit tricky matter, but what might work.
Then the other half could follow.
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#2199 by Metalskin on 04 May, 2022 20:59
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I rarely comment on NSF forums but I just have to say that I really enjoy how you document and explain your process. Too many people use the "how to draw an owl" approach to this and I'm learning so much from you!
I don't know if I will ever have the space to do similar, but at least I can live vicariously through you. A big thank you mate!
