THE DESCENT STAGE, B, D, F, G AND H SERIES

The early lunar modules were categorized in different classes depending on the kind of mission, the B class was for the unmanned test of the LM, this happened during the Apollo 5 mission around the Earth. Manned flight tests around the Earth (Class D) and around the Moon (Class F) were carried out during the Apollo 9 and 10 missions. The Class G LM (Apoll 11) performed the first lunar landing, it did have a limited amount of scientific equipments and the crew performed only one EVA. The Class H lunar modules carried the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Experiment Package) and stayed two days on the Moon, the astronauts performing 2 EVAs. The Class H LM of Apollo 12 and 14 were successful while the Apollo 13 LM didn't land on the Moon and was used as a life boat following an explosion in the service module of the Apollo spacecraft.

More or less the Apollo 12 to 14 LMs were very similar but all other LM offered differences depending on the mission. This section will allow you to built any LM you want between Apollo 5 and Apollo 14. If you follow the various steps you will be able to order all individual parts as requested by the LM you choose. However in order to make things easier and also cheaper I combined many parts into one product which will allow you to save money mainly on handling fees. The combined parts are offered in Strong White and Flexible (in this case ordering the combined product or each part individualy is about the same in terms of price) and in Frosted Ultra Detail plastic (combining the parts for FUD makes a great difference since the handling fees is $5 per product, so basiccaly if you combine 9 different products into one you save $40).

Descent Stage with  Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) closed - Scale 1/32
Apollo 5
Apollo 9	or
Apollo 10	or                             Scale 1/24
Apollo 11	or                             Scale 1/24                                                   Scale 1/24
Apollo 12 to Apollo 14	or                             Scale 1/24                                                  Scale 1/24
Descent Stage with  simple Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) open (still covered with thermal blankets) - Scale 1/32
Apollo 11	Scale 1/24                                                  Scale 1/24
Apollo 12  & Apollo 14	Scale 1/24                                                  Scale 1/24
Descent Stage with  detailed Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) open - Scale 1/32
Apollo 11	Scale 1/24                               Scale 1/24                               Scale 1/24
Apollo 12  & Apollo 14	Scale 1/24                               Scale 1/24                               Scale 1/24

Step 1 : The Descent Stage : Cruciform and Underside

Material :

• 1 mm / 0.04 in styrene sheet

  Scale 1/32

  • cruciform pattern in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in mm)

  Scale 1/24

  • cruciform pattern in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in mm)

Step 2 : Top of the Descent Stage

Material :

• 1 mm / 0.04 in styrene sheet
• 1x1 mm / 0.04x0.04 in styrene strips

  Scale 1/32

  • top pattern in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in mm)

  Scale 1/24

  • top pattern in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in mm)

Step 3 : The Quadrants

Material :

• 1 mm / 0.04 in styrene sheet

  Scale 1/32

  • quadrant pattern in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in mm)

  Scale 1/24

  • quadrant pattern in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in mm)

Alternate Steps 1, 2 & 3 : Descent stage Body

Material :

For the descent stage body you will need to choose between two versions whether you want to represent an open or closed MESA.

Scale 1/32

• descent stage underside from Shapeways

Scale 1/24

• descent stage underside from Shapeways

Step 4 : Descent Stage Coating

Material :

• Yellow gold survival blanket
• Orange gold survival blanket
• Aluminium paper painted in mat black
• Aluminium paper painted in metallic red brick, here is an example for the color
• Adhesive aluminium paper
• Kapton tape, here is an example
• 2 mm double sided tape, here is an example
• 1 mm / 0.04 in styrene round rod
• Satin white and flat aluminium paint

  Scale 1/32

  • Coating pattern for the descent stage sides (only Apollo 11)
  • Coating pattern for the descent stage top and underside (only Apollo 11)
  • Panel patterns
  • Underside patterns in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in millimeters)
  • Landing gear outrigger patterns in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in millimeters)

  Scale 1/24

  • Coating pattern (only Apollo 11)
  • Panel patterns
  • Underside patterns in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in millimeters)
  • Landing gear outrigger patterns in A4 format or Letter format (indications are in millimeters)

  Important note : the coating pattern used in the following slides only applies to LM-5 (Apollo 11). Other LMs had different patterns, LM-3 was red birck and black, LM-4 almost entirely black, LM-6 and 7 similar to LM-5 and LM-8 yellow gold with bare legs. Paul Fjeld who was project manager on the restoration of LM-13 has an excellent page pointing out to the differences between LMs (see http://home.earthlink.net/~pfjeld/lmdata/index.html), other good sources of information are :

  • Space in Miniature by Mike Makowski
  • David Weeks's drawings
  • The Apollo Image Gallery
  • My little space museum by Karl Dodenhoff, in particular its Project Apollo section.

Step 5 : Descent engine, propellant drains, landing radar, helium vents, landing gear uplock

Material :

• 0.75mm / 0.03 in styrene round rod
• 1 mm / 0.04 in styrene round rod
• Grey, white and flat aluminium paint

Step 6a : Extended landing gears

Important note : If you intent to build LM-1 (Apollo 5), this step is not needed. LM-1 was launched unmanned around the Earth for testing and had not any landing gear.

Material :

• 1 yellow gold survival blanket
• Thin mat black paper
• Thick mat black paper
• Aluminium paper painted in metallic red brick, here is an example for the color
• Kapton tape, here is an example
• 2 mm double sided tape, here is an example
• Flat aluminium paint

  Scale 1/32

  • Landing gear Coating pattern

  Scale 1/24

  • Coating pattern

Step 6b : Folded landing gears

This is an alternative build if you want to show the LM either inside the SIVB stage or docked with the CSM enroute to the Moon.

Important note : If you intent to build LM-1 (Apollo 5), this step is not needed. LM-1 was launched unmanned around the Earth for testing and had not any landing gear.

Material :

• 1 yellow gold survival blanket
• Thin mat black paper
• Thick mat black paper
• Aluminium paper painted in metallic red brick, here is an example for the color
• Kapton tape, here is an example
• 2 mm double sided tape, here is an example
• Flat aluminium paint

  Scale 1/32

  • Landing gear Coating pattern

  Scale 1/24

  • Coating pattern

Step 7 : Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA) for Apollo 11, 12 and 14, and egress platform (G & H missions)

Important note : If you intend to model your LM in flight, Its is not nessecary to model the MESA as it will not be open. If you want to show the MESA deployed you will need to choose between a simplified version where the MESA will be covered with 0.5 mil kapton (gold foil) or the detailed MESA where the kapton foil is removed showing the inside of the MESA

Material :

• Yellow gold survival blanket
• Orange gold survival blanket
• Aluminium paper painted in mat black
• Kapton tape, here is an example
• 2 mm double sided tape, here is an example
• Grey paper
• Flat aluminium, grey, yellow and brown paints

The detailled MESA is offered in various parts so it can be possible to show an empty MESA with the tolls removed or a complete MESA. In this case the instructions to complete the MESA are given herebelow

Step 8 : Plume deflector and ALSEP fuel cask

This is the final step for the descent stage assembly. If you intend to build LM-1, LM-3 or LM-4 (Apollo 5, 9 or 10) this step is not necessary as none of these LMs had either plume deflectors or the ALSEP fuel cask. The plume deflectors were introduced after Apollo 10 when it was felt that the RCS engines could damage the scientific equipment inside the various quadrants. For the first lunar landing (LM-5 for Apollo 11) the LM did not have the ALSEP (Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package), quadrant 2 was basically identical but contained the EASEP (Early Apollo Scientific Experiment Package) that did not required a RTG for power. Consequently LM-5 is the only LM that landed on the Moon but did not have an ALSEP fuel cask.

Material :

• Aluminium paper
• flat black paper
• Kapton tape, here is an example
• Flat aluminium, grey, white and gold paints

  Scale 1/32

  • Plume deflector assembly pattern in A4 format or letter format

  Scale 1/24

  • Plume deflector assembly pattern in A4 format or letter format

Your lunar module descent stage is now complete, this is how it should look. For comparison I put it next to an old 1/48 Revell model of mine.

Created by IrfanView