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Shuttle Boilerplate Prepped for Flight: Seen with "remove before flight" type plugs (Green and Orange flags) in the Orbiter nose (Computer Power, Ejection Arm) and Orbiter tail (R/C systme On and Staging Mini-A motor Arm). Staging motor not plugged in yet, seen with yellow flagged shunt. Model has 1/16" plywood fins on the SRB's, to be replaced by .06" clear Lexan on a future version. Full stack is boosted by a single F motor (most flights by F25), with the extended nozzle poking thru a 3/4" hole i nthe aft dome. Model is flown off a C-rail launcher which has a special attachment holding a short 1/8" rod to fit into the ET Aft Dome to hold a liftoff sensing switch open.

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Two Shuttles: 1/72 boilerplate shuttle stack and 1/60 "sport flying" orbiter (1/60 orbiter boosts o n a special non-scale piggyback rocket, not shown). The 1/72 orbiter was built for a full stack boilerplate in 1984 and has been modified for more recent flying. Both orbiters use movable rudder for turning control. The elevons move only as elevators for pitch control, as mixed aileron (elevon) control was found to be too hard to fly.

SRB Recovery Timer: When SRB's separate they tubmels for about 2 seconds before recovery systme activation. LEFT: Half-disc with "1" on it is attached to the shaft of a small "Tomy type" wind-up toy motor. A horizontal pin pressing into the ET side keeps the motor from turning until SRB sep. When the motor rotates the disc 180 degrees it releases a latch (seen at bottom lip of tube) to release a 1/8" dowel which is driven forward by a rubber band, pushiung the nose cone off.

RIGHT: Parachute storage spool shown attached to end of dowel (normally attached after timer is wound and SRB attached to ET). Parachutes are stored between the spool discs, which assure that the chutes are not only pushed out of the tube but also assure the chutes do not stay inside the hollow (vac-formed) SRB nose.

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External Tank Nose

LEFT: ET Nose (Vac-formed) with ply bulkhead.

Red and Black wire sets lead to Flight Computer and Ejection Arm plugs.

Telephone plug (6 conductor) seen at 8 0'clock position, fits into blue jackon Intertank removeable disk.

MIDDLE: Computer/Recovery housing module (BT-80). Flight Computer is mounted in forwardmost 1.5" in a removeable reinforced compartment. Battery pack housed on top(not visible in this angle). Ejection Piston and Recovery System are housed in the rest of the module, underneath a strong 1/16" plywood bulkhead securely glued into the BT-80.

RIGHT: Ejection Piston. Seen after a flight, the previously fired ejection flashbulb (note plug-in yellow leads) held in place by a strip of masking tape. Vertical plywood wall splits the piston into two compartments, the back-up ejection charge is hidden at right under layers of masking tape to prevent ignition when the primary ejection charge fires.

Intertank Bulkhead

12 o'clock: Removeable BT-55 engine mount tube & thrust sensor wiring. Note twin screw studs, thumbnuts, and plywood flange that allow the assembly to be removed for engine prep/installation.

3 o'clock: Left SRB release latch.

4 o'clock: Thrust wire carry-thru from 2 o'clock

6 o'clock: Access hole for Servo, Liftoff, and Orbiter Sep wiring.

9 o'clock: Right SRB Release latch.

11 o'clock: Shock Cord attachment

Center: Servo for SRB release.

Intertank Removeable Disk  (lower left)

12 o'clock: Shock cord carry-thru (hard to see due to brightness)

6 o'clock: Blue Telephone Jack, 6 conductor. Mates with plug in ET Nose base to connect to Flight Computer.

The removeable disk is put into place after SRB's have been attached. This disk protects the components on the intertank bulkhead during ejection, the recovery system in the ET Nose pushes down onto this disk at ejection.

ET Aft Section

Full length along top: Lox Line (later to house optical Orbiter Sep sensor)

Left to right along top: Orbiter Latching Pin, made of 1/8" brass rod attached by 1/32" cable.

Orbiter Sep Sensor, exposed microswitch with bent arm. Orbiter belly presses switch down to hold switch open. This will be replaced by an optical sensor in Lox line in 1999.

Orbiter Aft Attach struts (cast parts). Note 1/16" brass pins on top fo struts for structural orbiter interface. The orbiter is attached by those two piints, the nose struts (Bipod), with the belly latch pin piulling the orbiter in tention towards the ET. When the belly latch pin is released the orbiter is free to separate perpendicular to the tank.

Below orbiter struts, the SRB aft attach struts. Made of 1/8" aluminum rod with half-shafts for the outer 5/16".

Aft Dome is vac-formed fomr a non-scale master mold. Held in place by tape, to be glued on scale models.

3/4" hole in Aft Dome allows extended nozzle of F motor to poke thru, note nozzle and ignitor leads.

Hole in center of Aft Dome allows 1/8" rod on launcher to fit inside to hold liftoff sensor switch open.

Bottom: ET/SRB Assembly Jig (yellow plastic)

Various scratches from landing in gravel twice.