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Cassini Spacecraft 1/37 Scale Model
Learn by Building a Highly Detailed 1/37 Scale Model of the
The Cassini Spacecraft is the largest interplanetary robot ever flown. Launched October
15, 1997, Cassini's mission is to orbit Saturn, deliver the Huygens Probe to Titan's
atmosphere, and spend at least four years studying Saturn's atmosphere, magnetosphere,
icy satellites, its largest satellite Titan, and of course its ring system. Too massive to fly
directly to Saturn, Cassini orbits the Sun twice, flying by Venus and Earth, to gather the
momentum for its trip to the outer solar system. Jupiter provides the final boost to Saturn.
You can keep up with Cassini's flight, and learn more about the mission, and about Saturn
and Titan, by visiting the Cassini Web Site. This model is also available there, to download
directly, as well as a much simpler model version at 1/40 scale:
The Cassini 1/37 Scale Model is made by following the assembly instructions, cutting
out the printed parts, folding and gluing. The project requires several hours, and a good deal
of patience. By building the model, you'll learn all about the Cassini Spacecraft, in an
effective, enjoyable way.
One model can be assembled by several people as a group activity. Numbered assembly
instruction steps marked "•" can be accomplished at the same time, so more than one person
can work together. Or one person working alone may do one "•" step while waiting for glue to
dry on another "•" step. If more than one person is working, each person should explain what
was learned about the spacecraft during their work, to the rest of the group.
The following pages contain everything you'll need to build your Cassini Model.
Educational Brief
Cassini Spacecraft
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini
Educational Product
Educators
Grade 9
& Students
thru Adult
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Summary of Contents for NASA Cassini 1/37
- Page 1 1/40 scale: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini The Cassini 1/37 Scale Model is made by following the assembly instructions, cutting out the printed parts, folding and gluing. The project requires several hours, and a good deal of patience.
- Page 2 Cassini 1/37 Scale Model Assembly Instructions v 3.1 This scale model of the Cassini spacecraft, with Huygens Probe, is designed for anyone interested, although it might be inappropriate for children younger than about ten years of age. Children should have adult supervision to assemble the model.
- Page 3 DOWN INBOARD means toward the center , OUTBOARD means outward from center C. IN GENERAL: Sections marked with a • may be accomplished at the same time if two or more people are working on assembly, or if you wish to work on one section while glue dries on another. In fact these steps were performed separately in building the actual spacecraft.
- Page 4 Fold over the twelve small tabs around the bottom of the BUS toward the inside. Leave them at about 90° to the bus. Set the BUS upside down on your work surface. Cut out the BUS BOTTOM from Parts Sheet 1. Be sure to remove the central shaded circle. Smear glue on the area marked GLUE.
- Page 5 • 2. ASSEMBLE THE PROPULSION MODULE Cut out the rectangular PROPULSION MODULE AND LOWER EQUIPMENT MODULE STRUCTURE from Parts Sheet 2. This model part will be referred to as the PM. Smear some glue along the end of this piece marked GLUE, and roll it around into a cylinder. Overlap the opposite end onto the glue, press together, and let the glue dry.
- Page 6 Without disturbing their alignment, mark with a pencil on the UPPER EQUIPMENT MODULE in a circle where the two pieces join. Separate the pieces again. Cut off the bottom of the UPPER EQUIPMENT MODULE below your pencilled circle, leaving a small amount, a couple of millimeters or an eighth of an inch, remaining below the circle. Set the BIPROPELLANT TANKS piece down inside the PROPULSION MODULE (PM), securing with a blob of glue at the bottom (don't put any glue near the top of the PM yet).
- Page 7 center them in between.) Bipropellant Tank Monopropellant Tank Helium Tank RCS Thruster Cluster Cut out the PRESSURANT CONTROL PANEL from Parts Sheet 2, and smear some glue down the center of the non- printed side, in the long dimension. Set the panel onto the PM, its center covering the words PRESS PANEL. Align its top with the T on the PM. Its larger rectangle is on top.
- Page 8 After the glue drop is thoroughly dry, adjust the PROBE SUPPORT RING BASE so that more of its vertical ring is circular and in position around the edge of the flat ring. Add another drop of glue at one or two points, and let it dry. Continue to glue and adjust, until the rings are securely joined, and nicely aligned.
- Page 9 Cut out an HGA SUPPORT ARM from Parts Sheet 3. Fold its tab marked G over 90° toward the non-printed side, and apply glue to the G. Glue this tab to the HGA RING at the point where the arm will reach out along the HGA main reflector, immediately over the visible seam.
- Page 10 Optional: Cover the outside of the HUYGENS PROBE SHIELD with some kind of gold colored sheeting. NOTE: This part is a very rough approximation of the Huygens Probe, which is actually a highly instrumented scientific package. The intent here is simply to complete the appearance of the Cassini Spacecraft, rather than attempt to represent the actual Huygens Probe in any detail.
- Page 11 patterns. This is useful mostly in the inner solar system when the HGA must be used as a sunshade, and cannot be pointed to Earth. Fold over the black tabs 90° in opposite directions, and apply glue to them. Glue the LGA to the +Z mark below the PROBE ADAPTOR RING, with the LGA pointing straight down and outward.
- Page 12 Mount the RSP to the UEM directly below BAY 1. Carefully adjust the bend in the two upper legs to make the RSP align vertically with the PM. The bottom leg glues right to the seam between the UEM and the PM, at exactly the +X side of the UEM.
- Page 13 Set your spacecraft down on its side, supported by a cup, with BAY 7 (the -X side) facing up. Apply glue to the three feet of the tripod. Set the tripod down onto the triangle above BAY 7, with one tripod foot connected to each corner of BAY 7's triangle.
- Page 14 No taxpayer dollars were harmed in the production of this model. Please take a moment to evaluate this product at http://ehb2.gsfc.nasa.gov/edcats/educational_brief Your evaluation and suggestions are vital to continually improving NASA educational materials. Thank you. Cassini Spacecraft 1/37 Scale Model EB-1999-04-001-JPL Page 14...
- Page 15 PARTS SHEET 1 The Spacecraft Bus Parts Set version May 1999 Cassini’s spacecraft bus consists of twelve equipment bays arranged in a regular polygon with three extra bays added as appendages to it. The bus contains electronics and computers used for radio communications, detection, storage, and execution of commands, data storage, attitude control, power switching and control.
- Page 16 PARTS SHEET 2 The Propulsion Module Cassini’s Propulsion Module carries a large mass of propellant mainly to power its rocket engine for deceleration into orbit at Saturn, a maneuver called Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI). The module also provides the means for managing the spacecraft’s attitude, and for small propulsive maneuvers called Trajectory Correction Maneuvers (TCMs).
- Page 17 PARTS SHEET 3 The High-Gain Antenna (HGA) Cassini’s HGA is used for high-rate radio communications with Earth. It is also used as a radar dish for penetrating the hazy atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest sattelite, to image its surface. It works with the Radio Science experiment, and it also serves as a sunshade for the spacecraft while it flies in the inner solar system en route to Saturn.
- Page 18 PARTS SHEET 4 The Lower Equipment Module (LEM) Cassini’s Lower Equipment Module supports the three Radioisotope Theremoelectric Generators (RTGs) which provide electrical power and heat for the spacecraft, and three reaction wheels. The reaction wheels, also called momentum wheels, are massive discs driven by electric motors. Applying torque to one causes the whole spacecraft to rotate in the opposite direction.
- Page 19 PARTS SHEET 5 The Huygens Probe Cassini carries another spacecraft along for the ride to the Saturnian system. The Huygens Probe, built by the European Space Agency, will separate from Cassini once in orbit at Saturn, and will descend into the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
- Page 20 PARTS SHEET 6 The Science Instruments Cassini’s scientific instruments are the reason for having a spacecraft at all. Remote sensing instruments, such as cameras and spectrometers capture light reflected from Saturn or other targets. Direct sensing instruments, such as the dust detector and magnetometers measure phenomena which they encounter in the spacecraft’s immediate environment.