Building/printing Hubble telescope scale 1:7 (finished!)

[Chriske]

Today’s work, finishing HST's backside.
Well not completely finished, it need some wiring. That's what I'm busy doing right now.

[Chriske]

Wiring done.
Backside completely done now.

Let there be light..!😁

[Gina]

Looking good Chris

Does the wiring actually connect anything or is it purely modeling?

Edited May 11, 2020 by Gina

[Chriske]

Nope, no connections are made, pure modelling.

[Gina]

Your modelling is superb

[Chriske]

Thanks...🤗

[Chriske]

Made a few alu-rings. These rings are there to reinforce even more HST's hull. 3x60cmdiameter and 2x42cm diameter.

Also prepared the Solar panel holders. Now I'm waiting for the delivery of the 'panels' itself.

All screws on the hull have been removed one by one to make chamfer in each hole. During assembly there was no time to apply these chamfers because I was to busy pressing the wooden panels against it's frame.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Chriske

[Chriske]

They're not real solarpanels of course. They're just prints and laminated afterwards.
Looks ridiculously alike the real think when laminated.

[DaveL59]

nice work. Must admit that I find the same, print a photo on laser printer and its dull, laminate it and somehow it just pops  

[Chriske]

2 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

 print a photo on laser printer and its dull, laminate it and somehow it just pops  

Seems very real indeed after laminating.

[Chriske]

14 hours ago, DaveL59 said:

nice work. Must admit that I find the same, print a photo on laser printer and its dull, laminate it and somehow it just pops  

That's btw the same I'm going to do with the hull of the thickest part of HST.  These 'metal panels' have all rivets. These rivets are drawn on paper. Yet again when laminated, these rivets do seem like the real thing.  My pall Michel is doing a very good job making all these drawings. He kinda 'took over' from me, making all the Inventor drawings too.
The thinnest part(the telescope-part) of HST will be covered with mylar or maybe just aluminum foil.

[Chriske]

Somehow I'm still puzzled , looking at the picture of the back I just finished, you'll see four big holes and a 'cover' on top of it.
Studying technical drawings of HST(and I've seen lots of them the last months), pointing at these holes with an arrow, there is marked 'Vent'.

Well, my question still is : Ventilation... in space...?????

[Gina]

Strange.

[DaveL59]

I'd guess its to shunt heat from the electronics/imagers out the back end rather than allow it to drift in front of the mirror and create a possible thermal eddy in the image?

[Chriske]

Question is how can there be eddies when there's no air...?  That's my point.

[JamesF]

I believe all of the instrumentation was protected from contamination prior to launch by some sort of gas envelope.  Perhaps the vents were just there to get rid of the gas before operation commenced?

James

[Chriske]

Maybe so, and there are far more things I'd like to know about HST.
I did sent mails to NASA and also to ESA. We wanted to know more about all these parts screwed onto and sticking out of HST's hull.
But no one bothered to answer our mails.

My point is, when that thing hangs in our local observatory and visitors start to ask questions about HST.... well... I think it's quit silly having made a copy of HST, not knowing what we printed, not able to explain the purpose of all these objects around HST.

[DaveL59]

yes can see why you'd be asking, after all its an exhibit to spark interest.

I guess you could just say its to let the space dust out so it doesn't clog the mirror  

Edited May 13, 2020 by DaveL59

[Ags]

You could try asking about the peripherals on https://space.stackexchange.com/.

[Chriske]

I still was undecided what to use to cover up that telescope-part of HST.
While in search for a completely other item in my workshop I found this. it must be about 20years (or so) old. But still in good shape. A rescue-blanket.
The only thing I'd like to try and minimise is that square shaped pattern in that blanket.

On the other hand it 'has' something. I can't explain.
Maybe I'll go for this (mylar?) screen.

[Chriske]

Today's job, laminating solar panels and gluing them onto the sheets of wood. Notice the difference after laminating.
Now waiting for the glue to dry.

Complete length of the 'solar panels' is 4.8m.   (I took the liberty to glue solar panels at both sides.)

 

[Chriske]

Today some paintwork

Mounted on it's pole, distance between these two antennas about 1.6m(in our model)

[Chriske]

Cut a few holes.
The two oblong holes are pointers, (according to a colleague ATM).
The round hole, I need to look up about it's purpose.
And the square holes is a the location were part of the instrumentation can slide out for maintenance/repair. In one of the missions a astronaut takes it out to work on that unit.
planning to hang a few astronauts in the vicinity of that unit.

[Chriske]

[Chriske]

Before applying the Mylar screen to the perimeter of HST I need to drill all these small holes for the bolts to pass through and fasten all grips, attributes...
There are 'a few' holes to drill....😳