Shenzhou

[MarkB.]

While the paint is drying on the Russian rockets, I though I'd unveil the next build: Shenzhou!

For those of you unfamiliar with it, China has launched three manned missions beginning in 2003. All have flown using the Shenzhou capsule which is essentially an enlarged and improved Soyuz. The booster is a Long March liquid fueled rocket designated CZ-2F which is an improved and man-rated CZ-2E satellite launcher.

I mentioned in another post that I wanted to build a Shenzhou in more or less the same scale as my Russian R-7 boosters, about 1/64th scale. Some number crunching on the published diameter of the Long March CZ-2F Shenzhou booster indicated that it would be right at 2" at that scale.

But wait, you say; those crazy communist/oligarchs haven't let Pete Alway or his minions anywhere near a Long March rocket. How will you know the other measurements? What will you use for documentation? (although I note Pete does have a profile of a CZ-2E on his Rockets of the World poster, it is not in any of his books). Well, through a miraculous set of circumstances, I'm going to show you how to cheat.

Picture 1 shows a Shenzhou (probably Shenzhou 5, the first manned mission) rolling out to the pad. But note that the center of focus is more or less on the center of the rocket. The picture was almost certainly shot from an upper level in the Vehicle Assembly Building. And even better, the picture is on a major axis of the rocket. The bad parts of the picture are the hazy lighting and the covered escape tower.

Picture 2 shows a later Shenhzou (probably Shenzhou 7, the most recent three-manned mission) It's also from an elevated angle, from an upper level of the gantry perhaps, but not right down an axis. On the plus side the lighting is better and the escape tower is exposed.

So what did I do? In simplest terms, I blew up picture 1 until the core was 2" across and then I measured everything. The picture became my full size plan. This is only possible when, as in Picture 1, the focal center of the picture is the center of the rocket. I used Photoshop Essentials to enlarge it. I then cropped and printed sections until I had the whole rocket. It did take five pieces of cut-and tape paper to put it all together. I then cropped Picture 2 down to the aeroshroud over the capsule and the escape tower and then blew that picture up as well.

The rocket itself is pretty easy: 23.25" of Semroc Series 20 tubing and four 7.5" pieces of Series 13/BT-56 tubing, an engine mount and a parachute pretty much takes care of the basic booster. What's missing are the nose cones. We need the aeroshroud and the strap-on booster nose cones. Either we get Carl's Semroc Nose Cone Designer working or I've got another custom project for Sandman. The escape tower is some Semroc BT-4 with a 1/4 inch launch lug on top of that. Corregations will be handled using my corregated Scrapbooking paper. Conduits will be cardstock; fittings will be scrap balsa. We might need some decals, either enlarged from the Sky kit or reduced from the Dragon static kit, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I'll get started as soon as I get the nose cone thing worked out,

[tbzep]

Nice project!

So they ripped off the Soviet Soyuz and they ripped off the U.S. VAB. Imitation is the best form of flattery. :cool:

[Bob H]

There is a cardstock model of this available Here (http://udonfactory.the-ninja.jp/paper/down/down.html) .

You could just take the Graphics off of it for the decals.

It builds into a nice flying model by itself.

[hcmbanjo]

To Mark B,
Thanks for the inspiration. This looks like a great future build.

To Bob H,
Thanks for the link. The PDF instructions in English are better than most!

To Tbzep,
I went back and looked at the first two pictures. You're not kidding about the rip-off of the VAB design!
I like how all the flags were placed on the side lines for the roll-out.

I might build it as a combination of standard tubes, body wraps and balsa nose cones.
Oh no - the wheels are turning again!

[UMRS]

We have a kit from Sky Rockets of the Shenzhou & CZ-2E

Sky Rockets (http://www.unclemikesrocketshack.com/Sky_Rockets.html)

[Rocket-Tech Al]

Great project! I do have a question for you, though. In your first post, you mentioned the corrugated scrapbook paper. I'm assuming that you are talking about something like the single direction stuff called "corduroy" paper? I have been looking all over for that stuff (Pat Catan's, Hobby Lobby, On-Line, etc) with no luck. Do you have a name, manufacturer, catalogue number for that particular item? I may be looking for the wrong thing. thanks in advance.

Alan

[jharding58]

I have 1/8th corrugation that is used as packing material; single sided stock. I believe that there is a 1/16th version also. Mine comes from Staples in a roll. There is also a good selection on Amazon searched as Corrugated Paper. There are a variety of dimesions of the flute, the height of the wave, ranging from A to F. A being 1/4 inch, F being 1/32

[sandman]

While the paint is drying on the Russian rockets, I though I'd unveil the next build: Shenzhou!

For those of you unfamiliar with it, China has launched three manned missions beginning in 2003. All have flown using the Shenzhou capsule which is essentially an enlarged and improved Soyuz. The booster is a Long March liquid fueled rocket designated CZ-2F which is an improved and man-rated CZ-2E satellite launcher.

I mentioned in another post that I wanted to build a Shenzhou in more or less the same scale as my Russian R-7 boosters, about 1/64th scale. Some number crunching on the published diameter of the Long March CZ-2F Shenzhou booster indicated that it would be right at 2" at that scale.

But wait, you say; those crazy communist/oligarchs haven't let Pete Alway or his minions anywhere near a Long March rocket. How will you know the other measurements? What will you use for documentation? (although I note Pete does have a profile of a CZ-2E on his Rockets of the World poster, it is not in any of his books). Well, through a miraculous set of circumstances, I'm going to show you how to cheat.

Picture 1 shows a Shenzhou (probably Shenzhou 5, the first manned mission) rolling out to the pad. But note that the center of focus is more or less on the center of the rocket. The picture was almost certainly shot from an upper level in the Vehicle Assembly Building. And even better, the picture is on a major axis of the rocket. The bad parts of the picture are the hazy lighting and the covered escape tower.

Picture 2 shows a later Shenhzou (probably Shenzhou 7, the most recent three-manned mission) It's also from an elevated angle, from an upper level of the gantry perhaps, but not right down an axis. On the plus side the lighting is better and the escape tower is exposed.

So what did I do? In simplest terms, I blew up picture 1 until the core was 2" across and then I measured everything. The picture became my full size plan. This is only possible when, as in Picture 1, the focal center of the picture is the center of the rocket. I used Photoshop Essentials to enlarge it. I then cropped and printed sections until I had the whole rocket. It did take five pieces of cut-and tape paper to put it all together. I then cropped Picture 2 down to the aeroshroud over the capsule and the escape tower and then blew that picture up as well.

The rocket itself is pretty easy: 23.25" of Semroc Series 20 tubing and four 7.5" pieces of Series 13/BT-56 tubing, an engine mount and a parachute pretty much takes care of the basic booster. What's missing are the nose cones. We need the aeroshroud and the strap-on booster nose cones. Either we get Carl's Semroc Nose Cone Designer working or I've got another custom project for Sandman. The escape tower is some Semroc BT-4 with a 1/4 inch launch lug on top of that. Corregations will be handled using my corregated Scrapbooking paper. Conduits will be cardstock; fittings will be scrap balsa. We might need some decals, either enlarged from the Sky kit or reduced from the Dragon static kit, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I'll get started as soon as I get the nose cone thing worked out,

I Have the cone for my Soyuz already worked out.

The Shenzou is really close to that so shrinking the design, stretching a dimension here or there is a snap.

Do you have any better measurement?

If not I'll use your cheat method.

Actually I started using that cheat method years ago in model railroading.

[Cohetero-negro]

Funny, in the next few years, China will have a GREATER presence in space than the United States of America ...

who says buying Clinton and Obama didn't pay off for the Chinese! :rolleyes:

Jonathan

P.s., lets not forget Bush also!

[MarkB.]

Guys,

It's always fun when you guys are at least marginally interested in my projects!

To answer the questions:

1) I don't know where the corrugated paper I have comes from, but I will find out when SWMBO gets home. I know Semroc sells generic wraps, also.

2) I have already used the Semroc Nose Cone Designer for both the aeroshroud and the booster cones, gimme a day or two and if Carl green lights it, we can share. For what it's worth, the Shenzhou shroud appears to be almost proportionally identical to the Soyuz shroud except for the longer bi-conic nose.

3) Sandman, I'd like to get (buy) some more of those laser-cut Soyuz flop-down whatever-they're-called (stabilizers?), but with the center piece a rectangle 1" x whatever-the-ones-you sent me are, as the Chinese version is clearly longer but more or less the same width. Also, the side pieces need to be a little longer (maybe another 1/16) on the "foot" section where they mount to the aeroshroud. I'm going to throw an envelope in the mail for you tomorrow.

[sandman]

Guys,

It's always fun when you guys are at least marginally interested in my projects!

To answer the questions:

1) I don't know where the corrugated paper I have comes from, but I will find out when SWMBO gets home. I know Semroc sells generic wraps, also.

2) I have already used the Semroc Nose Cone Designer for both the aeroshroud and the booster cones, gimme a day or two and if Carl green lights it, we can share. For what it's worth, the Shenzhou shroud appears to be almost proportionally identical to the Soyuz shroud except for the longer bi-conic nose.

3) Sandman, I'd like to get (buy) some more of those laser-cut Soyuz flop-down whatever-they're-called (stabilizers?), but with the center piece a rectangle 1" x whatever-the-ones-you sent me are, as the Chinese version is clearly longer but more or less the same width. Also, the side pieces need to be a little longer (maybe another 1/16) on the "foot" section where they mount to the aeroshroud. I'm going to throw an envelope in the mail for you tomorrow.

Look at the picture you posted earlier, do the sides below the capsule seem to taper a bit at the top? Or is that an illusion?

Johnathan...just stop it...we're building models here! :mad:

[MarkB.]

I think its an illusion, but we are unlikely to know for sure. I've looked at the pictures available on the web including some assembly pictures (If you think the VAB is a rip-off on the outside, the only way to tell the pictures of the insides apart is what kind of rocket is being assembled) and they just don't seem tapered.

I did Bing image searches for "Shenzhou", "CZ-2F" and "taikonaut". You guys tell me what you think.

[sandman]

I think its an illusion, but we are unlikely to know for sure. I've looked at the pictures available on the web including some assembly pictures (If you think the VAB is a rip-off on the outside, the only way to tell the pictures of the insides apart is what kind of rocket is being assembled) and they just don't seem tapered.

I did Bing image searches for "Shenzhou", "CZ-2F" and "taikonaut". You guys tell me what you think.

Well...DUUHHHH!

I have one of those Sky Rockets models of the Shenzou! I forgot I had it!

It's a lot smaller. The main body is smaller than a BT-50 (0.87").

But it is indeed tapered, well this model is and ya gotta figure since it's made in China it's probably accurate.

It measures 0.942" at the top and 1.065" at the base.

According to the composite pic I made the model is close...not perfect but close. It needs a LOT of details added but you can do that with an upscale.

I could even do a decal upscale from it.

[sandman]

I played with the design last night and I came up with a capsule.

The drawing is a pdf.

It scales up to 236% of the Sky Rocket's model. [SHENZOU]

The only problem using an ST-20 tube is the scaling of the booster tubes.

They come out to 1.44" in diameter...nothing matches that size. A BT-56, ST-13 is too small (1.34"). A BT-58 is too big (1.54")

But!

If you scale it up slightly to a BT-70 (closer to 1/70th scale) the main body the booster tubes are 1.56" . [pdf SHENZOU2]

A BT-58 is very very close!

[Bill]

The only problem using an ST-20 tube is the scaling of the booster tubes.

They come out to 1.44" in diameter...nothing matches that size. A BT-56, ST-13 is too small (1.34"). A BT-58 is too big (1.54")

But!

If you scale it up slightly to a BT-70 (closer to 1/70th scale) the main body the booster tubes are 1.56" . [pdf SHENZOU2]

A BT-58 is very very close!


Did you mean "scale it up slightly to a BT-70 (closer to 1/60th scale)"?

Could it be that the Sky kit had to take liberties to use standard tube sizes rendering the boosters not quite scale?

Or go with TT-55 from Aerospace Specialty Products with an OD of 1.385? That is the closest commercial tube to 1.44" with the possible exception of 38mm propellant casting tubes which I have not researched and added to my list..


Bill

[sandman]

Did you mean "scale it up slightly to a BT-70 (closer to 1/60th scale)"?

Could it be that the Sky kit had to take liberties to use standard tube sizes rendering the boosters not quite scale?

Or go with TT-55 from Aerospace Specialty Products with an OD of 1.385? That is the closest commercial tube to 1.44" with the possible exception of 38mm propellant casting tubes which I have not researched and added to my list..


Bill

Yea, I was probably typing too fast.

I was making assumptions on the accuracy of the Sky kit. The tubes don't appear to be "standard".

I'm not sure where to find the correct dimensions or that they are even available.

The main body tube on the Sky kit does seem a bit long compared to the picture of the real one and the boosters seem a bit short.

[Bill]

Sadly, 38mm casting tube is too small. But the effort was far from wasted. It turns out that 98mm casting tube is a close approximation to the 3.4" tube I had been seeking!!!

http://www.rocketmotorparts.com/products.html


Bill

[Bill]

I'm not sure where to find the correct dimensions or that they are even available.


The best approach may be approximation using a photo as MarkB was doing. Even Peter Alway did that to a small degree on ROTW. At least one of the sounding rockets listed the diameter of a Nike booster as something slightly different than 16.5"


Bill

[sandman]

Sadly, 38mm casting tube is too small. But the effort was far from wasted. It turns out that 98mm casting tube is a close approximation to the 3.4" tube I had been seeking!!!

http://www.rocketmotorparts.com/products.html


Bill

Are you making a big one?

[Bill]

Are you making a big one?


3.4" comes up is two situations. 10 foot boosters in 1/35 scale (Atlas, Titan) for starters. It is a nice scale to build launch vehicles.

The second is that I like to build 1.67 upscales. Centuri ST-20 maps to 3.4"

BT-5 0.544" -> 0.908" T-.908" (ST-8)
BT-20 0.736" -> 1.229" T-52H (29mm motor mount tube)
ST-8 0.908" -> 1.516" T-40 Quest
BT-50 0.976" -> 1.630" BT-60
ST-10 1.040" -> 1.737" ???
BT-55 1.325" -> 2.213" BT-70
BT-56 1.346" -> 2.248" T-70H
BT-60 1.637" -> 2.734" Semroc LT-275?
ST-20 2.042" -> 3.410" Estes Mercury Atlas size
BT-70 2.217" -> 3.702" BT-100


Bill

[sandman]

The best approach may be approximation using a photo as MarkB was doing. Even Peter Alway did that to a small degree on ROTW. At least one of the sounding rockets listed the diameter of a Nike booster as something slightly different than 16.5"


Bill

Ya know...I noticed that error on the Nike booster too! I even asked Peter about it and he just shrugged his shoulders.

I'm interpolating dimensions from both the picture and the model, since the Sky model looks basically similar to the picture.

So I'm using both.

[MarkB.]

Guys,

I gotta tell you I think the Sky kit is wrong. I looked at the Real Space 1/144 Shenzhou moldings and the capsule is most certainly not shaped like Sandman's drawings. I think the taper, like the Soyuz, is all under the stabilizers. I'll post some more pictures including the one I enlarged specifically for the aeroshroud tonight.

[wilsotr]

Picture 2 shows a later Shenhzou (probably Shenzhou 7, the most recent three-manned mission) It's also from an elevated angle, from an upper level of the gantry perhaps, but not right down an axis. On the plus side the lighting is better and the escape tower is exposed.

Not sure it makes much difference to the discussion, but are you sure picture 2 is an actual picture? It looks more like an artist's concept to me, or a model superimposed over a background. Far as the spacecraft is concerned, I'd be willing to bet it's a direct duplicate of the Soyuz .... attached is an Expedition 13 pre-launch shot, just for reference.

[jharding58]

Not sure as to the accuracy of any of the Sky kits. As for the tube size, they are completely unique to Sky. The tubes are pre-printed and parallel wound on a mandrel - most being around 22mm diameter. As for the Taikonauts spacecraft I imagine that copying the Soyuz superficially was plausible, with differences from their own design bureau. As for the aeroshell: copying Soyuz dimensions would be the most logical solution - pretty close to certain that is what the Chinese did.

[MarkB.]

OK Guys,

Attached is the picture (actually two taped together) I used to develop my aeroshroud. Theoretically, if you print it out it should be "full size" in that the tube segment at the very bottom is a hair over 2". I had to cut off the tower as my scanner only handles 8.5 x 11.

Without getting too nuts about the history, the Chinese went to the Russians and exchanged engineers and designers in the early 90's. Shenhzou is an "upscale" to take advantage of the greater lifting power of the Long March and to be a true three person spacecraft. The whole spacecraft has greater volume and the orbital module is now self-contained. Think of it as the Soyuz the Russians would build if they would ever get around to upgrading the R-7.

jharding's first picture is the best, it shows the Shenhzou shroud does indeed resemble the Soyuz but in slightly different proportions. The others are good too; see what I mean about the inside of the VAB?

Look on the bright side, no lattice frame work.

[wilsotr]

Without getting too nuts about the history, the Chinese went to the Russians and exchanged engineers and designers in the early 90's. Shenhzou is an "upscale" to take advantage of the greater lifting power of the Long March and to be a true three person spacecraft. The whole spacecraft has greater volume and the orbital module is now self-contained. Think of it as the Soyuz the Russians would build if they would ever get around to upgrading the R-7.

Cool stuff! And the reason I don't place bets. :) (Ref my previous post)

I'm surprised they got the Russian design to "scale up." That approach usually doesn't work well in the real world ... issues with load paths, materials, and etc abound.

[MarkB.]

Guys,

SWMBO informs me that the corrugated sheets which I apparently "stole" were two sheets out of a 25 pack of various embossed designs called:

Background Basics Embossed Elegance, item #4764, Making Memories, P.O. Box 1188, Centerville, Utah 84014, 1.800.286.5263. She got them at Target about two years ago but has not seen them since.

Since I don't build to win NATS, anytime a project calls for corrugations, I cut a strip of this stuff. The two 12 x 12 sheets I have should last a while, although I note that the Shenzhou is going to use some as it has a number of sections on both the core and the strap-ons.

[jharding58]

It would appear there the aeroshroud confgures from the double conic immediately below the LES, cylindrical to the segment line immediately above the stabilisers, opening conic underlying them, cylindrical to below the national flag (which appears to be vertically centered in the cylindrical section), then a reducing conic to the adapter.

I suppose you could blow up the images until they pixilate and out a rule on them. But possibly there is more to follow - Dragon was supposedly releasing a CZ-2F in 1/48th scale; about 48" tall. That's Glenn' 1/144th on the right.

http://www.scalemodelnews.com/2009/09/blast-off-chinese-rockets-from-dragon.html

[MarkB.]

I've looked for the Dragon kit and it is now out of production (if anybody has Dragon CZ-2F, kit #1999 and wants to part with it, let me know). I haven't even seen it on eBay since this idea bubbled up in my brain a couple of months ago. I emailed Glenn at Real Space and he used the Dragon kit as a source for his 1/144 kit.

If you ever want to build a super display model, I highly recommend Glenn's Real Space Models. I've built all his 1/48 kits or sets and they are fantastic. He has detail parts to fix up the old Revell plastic space kits. He also sells the awesome David Weeks drawings of U.S. Manned Spacecraft; don't build one without them.

I broke down the aeroshroud the same way jharding did. One of the problems I have had is I have not been able to find super high resolution pictures on the Net which helps alot when you're blowing them up with Photoshop. As you can see from the pictures I posted, the views I have are pretty rough at that level of enlargement.

I also had my doubts about picture 2 as the background looked retouched to me, but I'm not good enough at this sort of thing to know for sure . . . .

[Bill]

SWMBO informs me that the corrugated sheets which I apparently "stole" were two sheets out of a 25 pack of various embossed designs called:

Background Basics Embossed Elegance, item #4764, Making Memories, P.O. Box 1188, Centerville, Utah 84014, 1.800.286.5263. She got them at Target about two years ago but has not seen them since.

Since I don't build to win NATS, anytime a project calls for corrugations, I cut a strip of this stuff. The two 12 x 12 sheets I have should last a while, although I note that the Shenzhou is going to use some as it has a number of sections on both the core and the strap-ons.


In the event what you have does not work out for you, I can send a sample of something I have been developing which may meet the need.


Bill

[luke strawwalker]

OK Guys,

Think of it as the Soyuz the Russians would build if they would ever get around to upgrading the R-7.

.

Like this?? :) OL JR :)

[luke strawwalker]

Or this?? OL JR :)

[luke strawwalker]

Or these?? OL JR :)

[luke strawwalker]

Or maybe some of these?? :D OL JR :)

[luke strawwalker]

Or maybe even these?? LOL:) OL JR :)

[luke strawwalker]

Or it might be these...

Neat stuff... :) OL JR :)

[MarkB.]

Ah yes,

Angara, Aurora, Vulkan, Super Zenit, Rus-M, Kliper -- all still-born Russian projects with zero chance of getting built because the money doesn't exist to test and build the rockets and the necessary new infrastructure unless we Americans throw (more) money at the Russian space program.

Those would be the ones. But you left out the most likely candidates, Soyuz 2-3 and Soyuz 3. Look at the second and third pictures of your third post -- they are the bottom pieces of Soyuz 3. These newly reengined but aerodynamically identical pieces would be coupled with a high-energy Hydrogen/Oxygen third stage to seriously boost the performance of old R-7. Soyuz 2-3 is an interm step with only the core reengined with a Zenit engine. The only reason Soyuz 2-3 and 3 survive as potential projects is because they use the existing pad and infrastructure. Soyuz 3 would make a neat Future Space build. Hmm . . . .

I couldn't find any non-copyrighted pictures but imagine that the Soyuz core stage did not taper back down above the strap-ons but remained a constant diameter and then a new third stage of similar constant diameter was attached to this. Rather than four small nozzles, all stages now have a single large engine bell. Maybe somebody who is handy with a drawing program could whip something up based on an existing Soyuz drawing.

[luke strawwalker]

Ah yes,

Angara, Aurora, Vulkan, Super Zenit, Rus-M, Kliper -- all still-born Russian projects with zero chance of getting built because the money doesn't exist to test and build the rockets and the necessary new infrastructure unless we Americans throw (more) money at the Russian space program.

Those would be the ones. But you left out the most likely candidates, Soyuz 2-3 and Soyuz 3. Look at the second and third pictures of your third post -- they are the bottom pieces of Soyuz 3. These newly reengined but aerodynamically identical pieces would be coupled with a high-energy Hydrogen/Oxygen third stage to seriously boost the performance of old R-7. Soyuz 2-3 is an interm step with only the core reengined with a Zenit engine. The only reason Soyuz 2-3 and 3 survive as potential projects is because they use the existing pad and infrastructure. Soyuz 3 would make a neat Future Space build. Hmm . . . .

I couldn't find any non-copyrighted pictures but imagine that the Soyuz core stage did not taper back down above the strap-ons but remained a constant diameter and then a new third stage of similar constant diameter was attached to this. Rather than four small nozzles, all stages now have a single large engine bell. Maybe somebody who is handy with a drawing program could whip something up based on an existing Soyuz drawing.

Yep... the Russians have had nearly as many fits and starts and go-nowhere projects since the Soviet Union fell as NASA has...

I heard about the Soyuz 3 but I don't have anything directly on it. I surf a lot at nasaspaceflight.com/forums and usually grab any interesting graphics or pics or studies that folks link to or attach... VERY interesting stuff!

I just figured I'd toss that stuff out there for anybody who was interested...

Here's a bit of humor... LOL:) Later! OL JR :)

http://www.theonion.com/video/nasa-scientists-plan-to-approach-girl-by-2018,14400/

[MarkB.]

OK

After our brief interlude . . . back to Shenzhou.

Starting at the bottom of the aeroshroud, I came up with:

.88" tapered section
1.5" cylindrical section
1.57" tapered section (under the stabilizers)
1.5" cylindrical section
1.19" conic section
.62" conic section - to BT-4 tubing

All of this is for a Series 20 based core at more or less 1/64th scale.

[MarkB.]

YAA-HOO!

My boss is on vacation so I got to spend a little extra time with the copy machine.

As I noted in the Russian Capsules build thread, I obtained the Shanghai Dragon 1/48 models of the CZ-2E and -2F. So, I copied the drawing from the instructions and blew it up to match the size of the photographic enlargement I made at the beginning of this thread.

Picture 1 shows these two side-by-side with my yardstick. Scale is about 1/63 with a planned core of Semroc Series 20 tubing. I choose this scale to more or less match that of my Russian R-7s. I blew up the instruction sheet by 200% and then a further 137% to get the proper size.

Not surprisingly, there were variations not only between the drawing and the picture but between the drawing and the model itself. The most obvious difference was the bi-conic portion of the aeroshroud. The drawing shows a shorter segment to the lower portion but the model and the picture (and my measurements in the post above) are almost exactly the same.

Also the model and the drawing show the fins for the LRBs which are visible in launch photos but apparently are not added to the rocket until shortly before launch and are not present on my picture which shows the vehicle leaving the VAB. Needless to say, I'm going to have slightly oversize fins on my flyer.

If anyone is interested, the plastic model would make a fantastic PMC (Plastic Model Conversion) as it is blow molded, very light (the plastic is translucent), well-detailed and would likely accomodate mid-power relatively easily. And as I mentioned, it 's over a meter tall.

Over the next few days, I'm going to post some measurements for my rocket and make a list of materials. I'm also going to send Sandman some measurements for the aeroshroud and the booster tops (Gordy, watch your mailbox). Again, the plan is 24mm power in Series 20 tubing.