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– Once described as the most complex flying machine ever built, consisting of over 2.5 million moving parts, you can now assemble your own NASA Space Shuttle model using just 2,354 parts.
LEGO on Monday March 22 revealed its new NASA Space Shuttle Discovery Set, which not only replicates its full-size counterpart in stunning detail, but does so as it was set up for one of its most important missions. known and historical: the launch. of the Hubble Space Telescope.
“I’ve always loved this combination of very compact, almost miniature, but very elegantly detailed, and I think that’s exactly what the Hubble model in this set reminded me of,” astronaut Kathy Sullivan said in an interview with collectSPACE.
And she would know. Sullivan flew as a mission specialist on Discovery’s STS-31 mission in 1990, giving him a front row seat for the observatory deployment.
“I didn’t know what to expect when it comes to Discovery’s size,” Sullivan said of his first visit to the new LEGO set. “She’s about two feet long. It’s a really, really impressive size.”
Designed for adult builders, the LEGO NASA Discovery Space Shuttle has plenty of detail in this two-foot (0.5m) package. The landing gear deploys, the rudders on the wings (elevons) move and the cargo bay doors open to expose the reflective radiators, the Canadarm’s robotic manipulator, the Ku-band antenna and even video cameras for that the “crew” monitor outdoor activities.
“Translating that into LEGO was an exciting challenge,” said Milan Madge, who led the design of the set for the Denmark-based toy company, in a statement. “In the real vehicle, every inch of space is used in an ingenious way. Typically, in a LEGO model, we can rely on size to accommodate the structure that holds the whole thing together, but on Space Shuttle Discovery, we needed to create a smooth, interior exterior that could hold the payload. “
It’s not just the cargo hold that opens. The crew cabin opens to reveal the cockpit with orbiter control panels and crew seats. Below, the intermediate deck includes the crew’s equipment lockers and the airlock leading to the hold.
“And for all I know, Bruce [McCandless] and I’m pictured inside that airlock, where we were stuck when Hubble was deployed, “Sullivan said with a laugh.” So I’ll leave it to the intrepid modeler to determine if there are two characters in spacesuits locked inside that airlock, just like there were on Discovery on the day of deployment. “
Sullivan was also surprised to find that the model not only features the speed brake mounted on the vertical stabilizer or tail, but also the elevons, the control surfaces on the orbiter’s wings.
“A lot of people look at the trailing edge of the shuttle wing and think of it as the traditional elevator like you see on the back of an airplane wing,” she said. “On the space shuttle, it’s a combination of an elevator and aileron, called an elevon. And so I thought, let’s see if they had the right elevons – they operate across from each other. And indeed, they got it right.
“And you don’t just have to manhandle the elevons. In a very smart twist. You can twist the center bell of the main motor and that will rock the elevons back and forth,” Sullivan said.
The same attention to detail has been given to the LEGO model of the Hubble Space Telescope, which can be placed in Discovery’s cargo bay or displayed on its own included stand.
“Although it’s a bit anachronistic [detail], they have the grapple on the back that was set up by the final maintenance crew, ”said Sullivan, whose book“ Handprints on Hubble ”details the history of the space telescope, as well as his own history. . ” You can also see that they represented the lens if you look at the front of it. It’s really super. “
Produced to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle mission, the LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery set will retail for $ 199.99 when it goes on sale April 1 at LEGO stores and at LEGO.com .
As a complement to the set, members of the LEGO VIP loyalty program will also be able to redeem 1,800 points to receive a LEGO model kit based on another of Discovery’s payloads: the Ulysses space probe. Also deployed in 1990, Ulysses’ primary mission was to study the Sun.
Additionally, starting April 18, LEGO stores nationwide will display actual images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope that have been translated into LEGO form.
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