DIY Space Shuttle Launch Model / Science Fair / Rocket

A working model of a space shuttle launch was on display at our school's science fair last year. The model was made using cardboard rolls, and when a button was pressed, the entire model would rise to a certain height accompanied by a series of beeps, and then lower back down. Its motion was achieved through a rack and pinion gear mechanism, resulting in a limited vertical displacement.

With the forthcoming science fair in mind, I envisioned an improved version of this space shuttle model. The enhanced version contains notable features such as a detachable booster, a control panel equipped with arm and fire buttons, and other exciting enhancements. This led to the development of this project.

So, Now what are you waiting for lets build this awesome project.

Materials :

• 4 x Neodymium magnet [ 5x5x2mm]
• Foam board [ 2mm & 3mm thick]
• Paper clip
• Nylon thread
• Transparency film A4 size [100 microns thick]
• Double sided tape
• Cello tape
• Super glue
• Acrylic Paint
• Geared DC motor
• Buzzer
• 10K ohm Potentiometer with knob
• LED [ Bicolor -Red/Green]
• TM 1637 / Ht16K33 LED Display module
• Toggle Switch
• 2 x Tactile switches
• 2 x Limit switches
• Arduino Uno
• 1 x L293d Motor Driver IC

Tools :

• Craft knife
• Soldering iron
• Wire stripper
• Scissors
• Plier

I wanted to create a model with minimal cost and also wanted it to look like an animated paper cutout. With this in mind, I started to design the model, and this is what I came up with.

I utilized Tinkercad to test my code and connections before the final assembly. In my case, I had the TM1637 display module. However, in Tinkercad, the available display module was the HT16K33. Consequently, I prepared two separate codes to operate these display modules. Depending on the type of display module you have at hand, you can select the corresponding code.

Once we've designed our model, we can start making templates and cutting out the sections from foam board. The templates are attached below.

Firstly, we will do the blue and black paint job on our foam board where our space shuttle is going to slide. I first painted one third of it blue, starting from the bottom, and then black from the top. At the intersection between them, I used a sponge to merge them together. Once the paint has dried, the structures for holding the pulleys and the motor are glued in place. The driver pulley is directly glued onto the motor shaft, and the driven pulley is attached to the structure using the mandrel portion of the rivet, as shown in the gifs.

Once the pulleys are in position, we can begin winding the nylon thread around them. Once the thread has been properly wound, we will glue the magnets and tab on the thread, as illustrated in the gifs. The tab section aids in the activation of the limit switch. As seen in the last gif, we will use Cello tape to affix a thin transparent sheet in order to reduce friction between the sliding contacts.

As seen in the photos, we will use super glue to attach the side panel cutouts.

Now we'll attach the LED, toggle switch, potentiometer, LED display, tactile switches, and so on to the front panel. Bends in the front panel can be achieved by slightly folding the section requiring bends. If your foam board is too stiff, use a hot gun to soften it. Once we have assembled everything, we will solder wire leads onto it for connecting it with the Arduino. The buzzer is glued to the rear of the setup using glue gun as shown in the pictures.

The connections / wiring diagrams / codes can be obtained from step 2.

Now we will make the connections with Arduino and close up the entire setup with a foam board cutout, as shown in the pictures.

The connections / wiring diagrams / codes can be obtained from step 2.

Using the templates, we will cut out the parts required for building the space shuttle. The magnet is attached to the back portion of one of the cutouts, as shown in the picture. The wire for connecting the detachable booster part of our model with the shuttle is made using a paper clip. The plastic cover of the clip is stripped using a wire stripper, and the bends in the wire are made in accordance with the designed model before gluing it into the booster part.

As seen in the gif, we will now connect the cutouts of the clouds and structure to the panel. We will now attach a tail piece to the shuttle, as shown in the picture. With this, our gluing/attaching process is over. All that is left to do now is paint.

Using acrylic paint we will now paint everything and do the finishing touches as shown in the pictures. The fiery cutout [made out of thin cardboard ] is glued onto to the shuttle with help of double sided tape. With this our shuttle is complete and ready for action.

Thank you for reading, and tag along for more amazing projects.