Pat Leblanc's Mattel Astrospace Center Capsule

Pat once again surprised me just before Labor Day this year (2006) by sending me a photo of his latest project, the Mattel Astrospace Center Capsule. The intent if for an initial launch during Labor Day.

Submitted 2006.09.15 by Pat LeBlanc

Here's a picture of my latest vacforming project.  I finally unpacked my equipment after being in the new house after nearly two years. It is the Mattel Astrospace Center Capsule.  It holds one astronaut in a molded couch similar to the Space Ship Case and will be launched on top of a 3-liter water rocket. 

Inspiration - The Mattel Astrospace Center Logo

The inspiration for this project is the capsule that appears on the Mattel Astrospace Center (MAC) logo.  I wanted to vacuform something that could be launched on a water rocket (similar to Steve Sherman's Space Bubble project).

I thought about doing another Mercury capsule but decided on something more in the MMM vein.

Form Patterns

The diameter of the capsule is 6-1/2" at the bottom and is 6-3/4" tall.  I drew the capsule on a piece of paper to make sure that the figure would be able to easily sit  inside without extreme bending (unlike the Mercury).  I then looked around for pieces of Styrofoam to fill in the cross section.

Layer Cake

The slabs are cut into rough disks and assembled on a spindle that mounts in a drill press.  The pattern for the capsule was transferred to a piece of plywood that is covered with sandpaper.

Before Turning

After Turning

Here's the assembly before and after turning in the drill press.

Filling Voids

There's always a few rough spots that need filling in with spackle.

Covering the Forms

In order to protect the Styrofoam from the heat of the melted plastic, the master is covered with pieces of aluminized duct tape.  Because of the odd shape, the master is covered with a series of triangles.

Vacuform!

Here is a vacuformed shell still attached to the sheet.

Seat Pattern

Seat Form with Astro-Trac Stickers

Custom Fit

These pictures show the master for the bottom of the capsule that has the couch for the astronaut molded in.  The couch is covered with decals similar to those on the seat of the Astro-Trak.

Working out the Side Graphics

I had to take a few liberties with the markings on the side of the capsule.  
In the logo, it looks like the capsule was divided into three sections.  No problem there, but the bottom of each panel looks kind of high considering I had to put a hatch in one of them  and place the figure into the couch on the bottom.   I extended each  section toward the bottom of the capsule so the bottom of the hatch is 1" above the bottom of the capsule.  The lines are pieces of black electrical tape.  The nose was painted flat black and sprayed with lacquer. The other sections are marked with a US flag and the traditional number "3"

The black section below the capsule is also a little longer than the logo.  
This section is made from two CD's and piece of a 2-liter soda bottle.  The section is a little longer to provide stability when the capsule is launched.

The Hatch

The hatch is held in place with flexible magnetic strips (four squares on the outside of the hatch and two strips on the inside of the capsule).  Another figure is shown standing next to the capsule for scale.

The Booster

Here's a picture of the capsule sitting on its 6-liter booster (two 3-liter bottles).  The overall height of the stack is right at 39".  The plan is for the capsule to separate from the booster and come down on its own parachute. We'll see!  The first test launch is scheduled for Labor Day 2006.

Submitted on 2006.09.03 by Pat LeBlanc

Submitted on 2007.07.22 by Pat LeBlanc

NEWS FLASH - BAYOU MISSILE RANGE
Mattel Astrospace Center has yet to announce the next test flight of it's MAC capsule.  As of today, the boosters have not been moved to the launch pad.  Informed sources believe the rough landing of the modified Titan booster may have damaged the staging mechanism and crews are working to ensure the next flight is 100% successful.  In the meantime, there has been activity at the MELF (Multi-Engine-Launch-Facility).  A prototype from Lockheed Martin's Nutriaworks was staged on the pad for dimensional checks.  It appears to be a variant of the MRG-1 but with an enclosed cockpit for the pilot and two 2L fall away boosters.  No launch date has been set for its first test flight.  Stay tuned for further updates.

Submitted on 2007.08.07 by Pat LeBlanc

NEWS FLASH - BAYOU MISSILE RANGE
Mattel Astrospace Center announced that progress on flight testing of its MAC capsule has been hampered by inclement weather.  Simulation and testing of simultaneous booster ignition for Phase III flights continues.  A time lapse photograph from a previous Phase II flight showing successful staging was released.  Chief test pilot, Major Matt Mason, remarked “In some cases there’s never enough time to get it right but there’s always time to do it over.  This ain't one of those cases.”

Submitted on 2017.12.03 by Pat LeBlanc

NEWS FLASH - BAYOU MISSILE RANGE
Mattel Astrospace Center released video of the latest flight of its unmanned booster rocket.  Chief test pilot, Major Matt Mason reported, “This bird has all new instrumentation including an altimeter and an on board camera.   While ascent was not nominal, possibly due to higher than expected cross-winds, it still reached an altitude of 372 feet.  The next launch will include an unmanned MAC capsule.  If that goes well, I'll be inside the one after that.”  Stay tuned for updates.

I realized I caught myself on camera yesterday

You can contact Pat through Facebook about his amazing custom here.

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