Sunday, May 19, 2013

Finishing the StarBay and Zeiss Model


Time flies!  I apologize for the hiatus in posting and appreciate your patience; between finishing up the major parts of the program, preparing for and carrying out the 50th Anniversary of the Planetarium Celebration Week and finishing my Masters degree this poor little blog slipped through the cracks.  I've got some great (in my opinion) updates for you all though!

 Building accessible and durable casework took a bit of planning but it was worth it.


On a table sits to pieces of wood at a right angle. Each is yellow and measures 34 inches by 34 inches by 34 inches. There is a long metal weight along the piece lying parallel with the table to help support the one that is perpendicular to the table. There is a belt sander in the background which has a wheel about half way up a post that has the belt used for sanding on it. There are also grey cabinets along the walls.
The casework starts coming together
On a table sits the casework. It is a yellow box with no top that measures 34" by 34" by 34". A young man in a long sleeved dark blue shirt stands behind it on the table measuring the diagonal distance between two points on the top of the box with a yellow tape measure. A bottle of yellow colored wood glue can be seen in front of the box and the grey cabinets can be seen on the wall in the background.
A box is formed
On top of a wooden work table is the top of the casework. It is basically a lid of yellow wood measuring 34" by 34" by 34" with a lip about two inches wide by one inch thick. This is the bottom side of the lid. In the center is a black Sharpie sketch of the Zeiss star projector - an oval ball on stilts with eight square boxes in front of it. Next to the lid is a yellow tape measure and a young man's hand rests on top of the lid.
The top is made
A large yellow wooden box of 34" x 34" x 34" sits on the ground with a large black clamp and a silver square weight holding it together. There is no top or bottom yet to the box so a thin piece of wood about two feet long can be seen in the box leaning against the side. The floor is a grey concrete and there are paint splatters on the floor. There are cardboard boxes behind the wooden box and a sanded down wooden post as well.
Casework being assembled

A young man wearing a blue long sleeved shirt's arms can be seen. He is wearing plastic cloves and using a dark green spray gun with a back cord to spray a whispy yellow adhesive to the brown back of the laminate. Another young man's hands can be seen holding the laminate while the other young man sprays.
Applying adhesive to the back of the black laminate
The casework lies on its side and the inside of the box can be seen, and now there is a bottom to it. One young man in a dark blue long sleeved shirt is smoothing down the laminate as the other young man in the same shirt slowly lowers the black laminate down on the box.
The black laminate is applied to the wooden casework
Once the laminate has been applied, what hangs off the edge of the box must be cut. A young man in a dark blue long sleeved shirt is using a router - black cylinder with a sharp silver rotating bit - to cut off the excess black laminate from the yellow box.
The black laminate is is trimmed to size
The crescent shape of what will become the Planetarium's walls is sitting on a wooden table with blue paint splatters on it. The concave curve of the walls has a green putty like material on it preparing it for paint. There is a piece of cardboard next to the wall with the green putty in a puddle and two popsicle sticks that have been dipped in it to apply it to the wall.
The Planetarium's walls are prepared for paint

Once the casework was built and the walls of the Planetarium ready and waiting for the dome to arrive, it was time to continue figuring out how to cast our mini Zeiss.  The process required the creation of a positive which was then submerged in the silicon material that would solidify to become the mold.  
The hands of a young man wearing clear plastic gloves are seen pouring a thick blue liquid with the help of a stick out of an opaque white container with measurement marks along the side. The liquid is collecting in a purple wooden box and covering the positive which is now not visible. The box sits on a wooden table in the shop with an orange metal clamp near by and two more pieces of the purple wood. In the background is a tactile model of the Planetarium building from the outside - a curved shape called a single-sheet hyperboloid.
Making the Mold




When the positive is removed, the mold is ready to use, at which point the casting can begin.  The casting liquids are mixed and poured into the mold where they set as hard as a rock, creating the model.
On a grayish brown table sits a cardboard box and a rag with a stick on it. There are also four blue rubbery molds, each one a rectangular shape. In each mold is a different shape though; a couple wedges of different sizes, a rectangle with eight perpendicular rectangles sticking out of it, and another with a blue rubber lid on it with a whole and a triangle, circle, square and x marking each side of the lid. All but one wedge are filled with a clear, yellowish liquid that will soon solidify and turn hard and white to become the model.
The Model is Poured and Cast from the Molds




It took a few tries as you may have seen in previous posts...
A Zeiss StarBall that did not form properly out of the mold sits on a red palette. There is half of a white casting of the Zeiss StarBall that is half an oval ball with many raised circles for "lenses" sits in a puddle of white casting material. It looks as if the Starball melted.
Half of a Zeiss StarBall
In the end though, the final product turned out great.
On a piece of light brown wood sits a successfully cast piece of the model - the Planet Projectors. These are white and there are eight vertical boxes that are in two rows of four and measure about one inch high and two inches long. They sit on top of the blue rubber mold they came out of which is a square of about 4 inches by four inches by three inches. The impression of the cast model can be seen in the mold's center.
Success for the Planet Projectors!

Around the time the casting was wrapping up was when the dome finally arrived.  It came clear and cut in half as we desired.  A map of the Northern Hemisphere's night sky when fall is turning to winter was printed out and I drew the constellations on the dome with Sharpie.  Ian was then able to drill holes where the stars (painted rivets) would go.
The clear half dome has a piece of blue paper covering the outside of it. On the paper that can be seen through the dome are constellations. Each star on the paper has been marked on the inside of the dome with green pen. The dome sits on top of the finished planetarium dome with an unfinished model of the Zeiss and a pair of safety goggles. The walls of the planetarium are dark purple and the floor is the black laminate at the moment.
The dome gets mapped


The dome was then painted black and many rivets of different sizes were painted white (with a blue one for Sirius, an orange one for Aldebaran and a red one for Betelgeuse).  
The dome has been painted black but specks of white light can be seen from where the holes were drilled for the rivet stars to be inserted later. The black dome sits upon the purple curved wall of the Planetarium and the floor is now a grey carpet just like what is in the real planetarium. The black laminate that it sits upon is a little dusty from being in the Exhibit Production shop and fingerprints can be noticed here and there on the casework because of the sawdust.
Holes for the stars are drilled and the dome is painted black



The rivets turned stars were then cemented into the previously drilled holes in the dome, creating the tactile stars.


The exhibit text also had to be created at this time.  The text needed to be descriptive and explanetory, but also concise so that both the large print and Braille would fit.  Our wonderful volunteer, Deb,created all the Braille we needed from the text I wrote.  Ian then took the Braille and created mold and cast our exhibit panels with the Braille on it.  
A rectangular box of about 5" by 9" sits on a wooden table. In the box is the blue mold making material. It is over a piece of plastic with the desired Braille for the exhibit text and will create the mold for the cast of the exhibit text that will go on display.
The mold for the Braille exhibit text is made

 Mr. Smith very kindly helped us get the printed text set up to be back printed on no-glare plex.
In large print and Braille reads the following exhibit signage: "The Zeiss Star Projector. The object in the center of the StarBay is the star projector. Pinpoints of light from the ball (Exhibit1) create stars. The eight separate boxes (Exhibit 2) focus light in the form of planets, the sun and Moon."
Exhibit text explaining the Zeiss Star Projector
In large print and Braille reads the following exhibit signage: "Touch the Night Sky. This is a model of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium's Orthwein StarBay. Feel the night sky on the inside of the model's half dome."
Exhibit text explaining the purpose of the model
In large print and Braille reads the following exhibit signage: "Can You Recognize the Constellation? Groups of stars create the constellations our culture recognizes, like the constellation Orion the Hunter to the right." To the right of the text is a raised version of the constellation Orion like what would be found inside the dome made of black rivets on the white panel of text.
Exhibit text explaining the constellation
In large print and Braille reads the following exhibit signage: "A Dome of Perforated Aluminum. The Planetarium's dome is metal with tiny holes to minimize weight and allow for better sound. Feel a piece of perforated aluminum to the right." To the right of the text is a piece of silver aluminum with many small holes in it for visitors to feel.
Exhibit text about the dome


It was then time to assemble everything.  
A young man's hands can be seen holding a white rag and carefully wiping down the black laminate of the casework; preparing it to roll out on the floor.
The casework gets spruced up for its opening
On top of the lid of the casework sits the purple wall of the Planetarium model with out the dome on top. On the grey carpet in the middle sits the pieces of the Zeiss model waiting to be assembled and fastened to the floor of the model. There are the two smaller black wedges and the long black wedge as well as the now teal colored eight vertical boxes for the planet projectors and the oval ball on stilts for the StarBall which are also teal. There is also a white Allen wrench set sitting on the carpet. Around the sides of the walls, also on the black lid of the casework, sits the white text panels that contain the Braille exhibit text.
Some assembly required...

On top of the lid of the casework sits the purple wall of the Planetarium model now with the dome on top . On the grey carpet in the middle sits the Zeiss model which is now assembled and fastened to the floor of the model. There are the two smaller black wedges and the long black wedge as well as the now teal colored eight vertical boxes for the planet projectors and the oval ball on stilts for the StarBall which are also teal sitting on top of the three black wedges. There is also a white piece of paper sitting on the carpet which is holding all the extra rivets and hardware needed to secure everything. Around the sides of the walls, also on the black lid of the casework, sits the white text panels that contain the Braille exhibit text. A young man's hands can be seen fastening the dome to the walls. All the stars are secured in the dome as well.
The dome is secured
The model is now out in the Planetarium's lower level in the lobby! The black dome with all the stars of white rivets sits upon the purple wall and grey carpet. In the middle is the Zeiss model. The teal oval StarBall on stilts sits on the two smaller black wedges and the teal eight planet projector vertical boxes sit on the long black wedge. Next to it on the carpet sits a small white exhibit text panel of about three inches by one-and-a-half inches. It has Braille and large print marking the StarBall as exhibit one and the Planet Projectors as exhibit two to correspond to the other exhibit text.
Ready for my close-up!

The exhibit is now out in the Planetarium lobby. Other casework that is light brown can be seen behind it in the background as well as a black wall and a red pillar. The black box casework sits at about 34" by 34" by 34". On the front wrapping around the corner to the right side of the casework is the curved single sheet hyperboloid shape of the Planetarium in white. On the top of the casework is the black dome with all the stars of white rivets sits upon the purple wall and grey carpet. In the middle is the Zeiss model. The teal oval StarBall on stilts sits on the two smaller black wedges and the teal eight planet projector vertical boxes sit on the long black wedge. Next to it on the carpet sits a small white exhibit text panel of about three inches by one-and-a-half inches. It has Braille and large print marking the StarBall as exhibit one and the Planet Projectors as exhibit two to correspond to the other exhibit text. To the right of the model is the exhibit text. There are three visible rectangles of large print and Braille text framed by black.
Waiting for its first visitors to arrive!


Words truly cannot express how excited I am about how well this turned out in the end.  It seems just like a mini version of the real StarBay and Zeiss Projector!  So many people brought it to life.  I have to give huge thanks to Lighthouse for the Blind Saint Louis for generously funding the project.  A big thank you to Dave in Electronics, Chris in Production, Justin for your advice, Pete and Thom for you extra hands and help, and Mr. Smith for your advice and help as well.  Deb, so much thanks goes to you for your consulting, your advice and all the Brailling you did.  Finally, thank you Ian.  When I told you my idea gave you the drawings for this exhibit, I never guessed it would turn out even better than I could have imagined.  You brought this model to life.

Since the model has gone on display,  visitors who are blind or have low vision and visitors with sight have both explored the model with their hands, prompting questions from children and adults alike about the Planetarium as well as Braille.


If you are in Saint Louis, you can experience the exhibit yourself in the lobby of the Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center.
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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Creating the right casework

The model is progressing nicely and pretty soon it is going to need something to hold it.  This is where casework comes in.  The casework you see in museums is many times built to house specific objects and artifacts.  Our casework for the model is no different, and we wanted to make it as accessible as possible.
First and foremost, the casework will be the proper height and have the proper reach for visitors who use wheelchairs, for those who have a smaller stature and children according to ADA specifications.  The casework will also be tactile though for our visitors who are blind or have low vision!  The same preparator who has been working on the model, Ian, came up with the idea of having the shape of the Planetarium itself sticking out on the sides of the casework so visitors can experience what the shape of the the building they are standing in feels like, since it has such a unique shape!  

 I quickly drew up what this will look like when complete:
A computer rendering of the model is shown sitting on a black box for the case work with a white version of the planetarium raised about an inch out that wraps around the corner. The shape of the planetarium is a single-sheet hyperboloid which looks like someone took a tube and pulled out the bottom to be very wide and the top to be about half as wide as the bottom with a bottle neck effect about one-third of the way down from the top. Half of this image is on the front of the box and the other half wraps around the right side. On top of the casework sits the model which has a 24" diameter base that is grey with the mini Zeiss of an oval ball on stilts in front of eight vertical boxes (all of the Zeiss is a dark teal). The half dome extends about 20 inches above and is black. There is a purple wall between the dome and floor which is about two inches high. Next to this model are the graphics and exhibit text for the model which in this drawing are represented as tan rectangles. There are three measurements off the casework that show it is 36" tall by 36" wide and 36" inches long.
The Front View

A computer rendering of the model is shown sitting on a black box for the case work from the top down. On top of the casework sits the model which has a 24" diameter base that is grey with the mini Zeiss of an oval ball on stilts in front of eight vertical boxes (all of the Zeiss is a dark teal). The half dome extends about 20 inches above and is black. There is a purple wall between the dome and floor which is about two inches high. Next to this model are the graphics and exhibit text for the model which in this drawing are represented as tan rectangles. There are three measurements off the casework that show it is 36" tall by 36" wide and 36" inches long.
The Top View

A computer rendering of the model is shown sitting on a black box for the case work from the bottom down. The casework is hollow showing the four casters that it is sitting on and the wood on the inside as the inside remains uncovered by paint or laminate. There are three measurements off the casework that show it is 36" tall by 36" wide and 36" inches long.
Bottom View

It's a brilliant idea and I think it will make a great addition to the whole program!
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Sunday, February 10, 2013

Mini Zeiss

The model of the Zeiss and the StarBay have been progressing and it has been very exciting to see the details emerge from raw materials.The model will actually be produced through casting.  To cast, a mold will be made from a positive (kind of like a very polished rough draft of the final product).  When the mold is made, the casting product (plastic, bronze, etc.) can be poured in to create the final product.  This update will take you through creating a lot of the positive that will create the mold in which the final product, our "Mini Zeiss" tactile, will be produced.
A piece of yellow foam that is about 2.5 inches long sits on top of a black and white computer drawing of the Zeiss Universarium IX projector. The piece of foam has two 1/8" cuts going width wise and then two more cuts going width wise that are about 1/16" wide. There is also a quarter inch cut going lengthwise. There is a two-by-four in the foreground as well.
Testing out some material to create the Zeiss Planet Projectors
The practice planet projectors cut from the block of yellow foam that is about 2.5 inches long and one inch wide sits in the middle of a circle drawn with black on a wood work bench. It looks very small in the circle. There is a half circle of wood that has the same diameter as the drawn circle of 24" sitting in the drawn circle as well. There is another half circle mocking up where the walls will go as it sits on silver metal weights. On another wood table to the left there is a bottle of wood glue, a red clamp and a black clamp.
Practice Foam Planet Projectors sitting in the mock up of the StarBay


Of course trying to get things looking perfect takes a bit of time and a lot of effort! 
In the background is a white piece of paper with a drawing of a circle that has many other circles all over inside of it. The page is labeled "Starball" and each of the small circles in the big one is labeled but the font is too small to read. In the foreground is a hand with it's palm flat and open and resting on it is a small model of the Starball. It is like a large fat pill or capsule with both ends being yellow and the center being grey. There are washers and nails all over it to act like small lenses. The washers and nails are silver metal.
First attempt at creating the starball with accurate lenses





A few different Zeiss positives have been made now until the right size that will be durable enough emerged.
On a grey cart sits many pieces of graph paper and computer drawings of the Zeiss Star Projector in black and white. The papers cover the top of the cart. There is also a piece of wood with some wedges of yellow foam sitting on it. In the foreground is a pencil and three foam versions of the planet projectors. the smallest is about 1.5 inches long by 1 inch tall with four boxes about .5 inches wide cut into the block. The medium one has the same shape but is about 2 inches long by 1.5 inches tall. The biggest is about 3 inches long and 1.5 inches tall.
Different scales of foam planet projectors


Third time's a charm though and now we have the right scale.  Next up was the creation of a Starball that was the right size...

On a grey cart sits two round chunks of clay about the size of an adult's palm and a child's palm. In each is a dome shaped dent with a diameter of about one inch. There is a clear plastic starting to solidify from a syrupy liquid the middle of the clear plastic is turning a milky white. Behind the clay is a white bottle and a couple of small plastic clear cups.
Molding the sides of the Starball

On a black cart sits the round clay mold for the sides of the starball with one dome shaped 1-inch diameter indent. Two white plastic dome-shapes are sitting on the mold. there is also a silver metal screw of about one inch, a small metal clamp and another chunk of clay to the right of the main mold.
The sides of the Starball are complete!

A young man in a blue sweatshirt and blue jeans stands in front of a metal table. On the table is a lathe; it is silver metal and has a large black and yellow caution sign on the side. It is about a foot tall and 2.5 feet long and one foot wide. There are a few cranks on the side that the young man is using to control the metal arm with a sharp point that goes back and forth to cut the grey plastic piece that will be the middle of the starball.
Creating the center of the Starball on the lathe

A silver and blue drill press is being used in this picture. The press stands about 6.5 feet tall and has a large box at the top for the motor. it is attached at the back to a silver metal pole wit ha diameter of about six inches and has a counter at about four feet. On top of the counter sits a black box and a piece of yellow foam. A red bit is being pressed into the foam. It is connected to a silver metal pole attached to the large box at the top of the machine. A hand is using the crank to lower the bit into the foam. Below the machine is a white box with pieces of wood in it.
Making the base for the Starball on the drill press
We want it to be as accurate as possible, so checking it against the real thing now and then never hurts!
In the Planetarium under the large white dome sits the teal colored Zeiss Universarium IX Star Projector. It is about 15 feet tall, 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. The starball looks like a giant slightly elongated ball (so that it is not a perfect sphere) and on it are many smaller circles that are lenses. These lenses cover the entire ball. It is perched on four legs that hold it to a rotating circular base that sits upon two black wedges. On a third black wedge that extends in front of the ball are the four planet projectors. Each one is about 4 feet tall and two feet wide. The whole thing is enclosed by a blue metal fence. On a chair in the foreground is the yellow foam and white plastic positive of the Zeiss. It is about six inches long total, two inches wide and ten inches tall, but it mimics the real projector almost exactly in a smaller scale.
The Mini Zeiss positive meets the real Zeiss

In the open fingers of a left hand sits the Starball positive for the Mini-Zeiss Model. It has many small washers and nail heads attached to it now to mimic the lenses of the real Zeiss. It has also been painted with Hammerite which gives it a metallic silver appearance. It is about 1.5 inches long and 1 inch in diameter.
The Mini Zeiss's Starball positive gets some lenses and a coat of Hammerite

Once again I'd like to give a special thank you to Ian for all his hard work.  When I first thought of this model, I had no idea how much time and effort would be involved but he has truly brought the small version of the Zeiss to life and it's not even finished yet!
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Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Test Tactile Follow-Along Little Star Book is Complete!

Just a quick update today.  I finished all the molds for the pages of the show (I still have to finish up the constellations), and I've now printed a page from every mold!  Phew, did it get hot in my cubical, but it was great to see how every page came out in the Braillon.  I know I need to tweak some things, but I also need to have them vetted by their audience.  Hopefully soon I will have some pre-K through 2nd graders giving me feedback and testing them (and the plush characters)!  I thought for this blog post it would be fun to post a video of how I make each page:





I hope you enjoy it!  I also have a picture of some of the pages as well:
There is a green mat sitting on an off-white L-shaped desk. On the green mat sits a gladware container that is empty, white measuring spoons, a can of salt, a white scrub brush with red bristles, a white strainer, a purple and black planetarium flyer and a tan metal lunch box with red boomerang shapes on it. Also on the mat are several pages of the book that have been formed in the manila Braillon paper. Each one features Little star meeting another character. There is also a page sitting in the EZ-Brailler starting to curl on the edges from all the heat. The EZ Brailler is a black box and the top half slides back when pushed by a red handle sticking off the front side of the top half. On the front side of the bottom half is a red plaque with two silver and black heat control knobs, a black toggle switch, a silver button and green, orange and blue lights.
Several pages of the book
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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Mr. Star goes to Washington..

Little Star got to make a trip to Washington D.C. with me recently (I had to go for my Masters in Museum Studies Capstone Seminar) and boy did we have an adventure!  One of the most special moments for us though, was meeting Dr. Elizabeth Eder in person.  She is the reason that Feeling the Stars - our accessiblity program for the McDonnell Planetarium exists.  It was for her class that I wrote the original proposal.  It was an exciting moment to introduce Dr. Eder to Little Star in person.
In front of a bookshelf holding many books that are primarily blue and red stands two women. The woman on the left is this blog's author, about 5'4", blonde and smiling. She is wearing a grey 3/4 sleeved shirt with a black jumper and a maroon scarf. She has in black dangling earrings and is holding a manila-colored Braillon page that will go to the Little Star That Could Tactile Follow-Along Book (page 1 - Little Star is born in a cloud of gas and dust, with Little Star shown as a circle with rays radiating out from him and a cloudy nebula around him - he is smiling). On the right is a woman of about 5' 7" who has long dark hair and is also smiling. She is wearing a grey plaid jacket, has small silver hoop earrings and a diamond ring on her left hand and a silver necklace with a silver hoop on it. In her hands is the Little Star plush, a Yellow Star with a round nose, big brown eyes, plump cheeks and a large smile. He has some rays jetting out from him as well.
Little Star meets Dr. Eder
Little Star also saw a few other sites, but the other highlight was going to the Smithsonian with me to meet the Director of Accessibility for the entire Smithsonian, Beth Ziebarth.  She is an amazing woman (the entire department was very kind - as was every Smithsonian Institution I walked into, especially both Air and Space locations and American History).  She gave me feed back on Little Star and his book page as well.  She also gave me some great advice and resources as well!
Little Star also started reaching out without realizing it.  I was taking his picture outside of Air and Space and I heard some voices.  Finally I heard one ask what I was doing.  I wound up talking to a couple of lovely women for several minutes about the accessibility program in the McDonnell Planetarium at SLSC and they were very encouraging!  All in all, Little Star and I had a big, but very special and rewarding trip to our nation's capitol!
On an airplane seat that has a large stripe of brown down an otherwise navy blue vinyl seat sits the yellow Little Star. He has a round nose, plump cheeks, big brown eyes, a smile and rays pointing out from around him. He is seatbelted in by the navy blue and silver belt. In front of him is an open safety instruction card on what to do in case of an emergency on the plane.
Little Star's first airplane trip


Little Star (a yellow star) is smiling as he sits on a black post in front of the very tall and pointed Washington Monument. It has 50 US Flags around it and it is a sunny day with a blue sky in winter (as all the trees are bare of leaves).
Little Star with the Washington Monument

Little Star (a smiling yellow star) sits in front of a vitrine holding Kermit the Frog. Kermit is green and looks much like a real frog except he has more human like hands/fingers. He sits with his legs crossed and his mouth is red and pink and his eyes are half ping pong balls with black cloud like pupils. There is a small text panel talking about Kermit on his exhibit mount base.
From one character who promotes learning to another - Little Star meets Kermit the Frog

In a very large and well lit airplane hanger (the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center) sits a replica of the Wright Brothers' Flyer. The plane is made of wood and features what looks like scaffolding, propellers and a small engine. Little Star is sitting in the pilot's seat, difficult to see.
Little Star was so popular with the docents they let him sit in the Wright Flyer replica!

A blonde young woman of about 5'4" wearing a long sleeved purple shirt and black pants stands sideways with her head turned to smile at the camera. She has arms extended up bronze statue of Helen Keller as young girl water pump that helped Annie Sullivan teach her ASL. In the blonde's hands is small plush yellow star face used tactile tool for shows planetarium. The statue extends about three feet above the woman. It sits white pedestal plaque which states representing state Alabama. All text is also printed and in Braille. The room in which the picture was taken has stone walls and was bright due skylights overhead that are not visible in the picture.
The Blog Author holds Little Star to the hand of the accessible Helen Keller statue for the State of Alabama at the U.S. Capitol Building

In a brightly lit space with maroon carpet sits the gumdrop shaped Apollo 11 Capsule, tan in color and looking old but majestic on its mount of black and gold. Little Star (a smiling yellow star) sits on top of the mount and overhead "The Spirit of Saint Louis" can be seen. The airplane is silver with small black tires, a propeller and the name of the aircraft on the side of the body near the nose.
Little Star at the Smithsonian Institute's Air and Space Museum National Mall Building

On a green exhibit text panel for the Big Bang sits a bronze tactile example of what it is thought the Big Bang looked like, showing from right to left how everything started densely and then expanded out creating a cloud of gas and dust which is designated by divots in the bronze. In one of the divots at the end sits Little Star (a yellow star who is smiling)
Little Star is born in a cloud of gas and dust... at the end of the tactile big bang

In a planetarium with a big 70' diameter dome sits many blue seats that face the center. In the center is a Zeiss Universarium Mark VI projector which looks like a dumbbell. On one of the closest chairs sits Little Star (a smiling yellow star) looking up.
Little Star sits in his first Planetarium seat at the Einstein Planetarium at the Smithsonian Institute's National Air and Space Museum National Mall Building (there are no real seats in the McDonnell Planetarium in Saint Louis - we have mats to lie on the ground for our shows)
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Saturday, January 12, 2013

The Model Begins!

I cannot tell you how excited I am that work has begun on the cut-away tactile model of the Planetarium's StarBay and Zeiss Universarium IX Projector!

 We've done some work to figure out the layout on the casework, and while I knew it was going to be 24" in diameter, it was completely different experiencing how big that is, for lack of a better phrase, "in real life."  Below are some pictures of the process of mocking it up to get an idea.


On a wooden table sits three more pieces of wood and on top of those sits a circle of wood that is 24" in diameter. There is a stick of wood the same length as the diameter of the circle of wood with a screw holding it loosely to the circle. Seen in the picture are the hands of a young man using a drill on the side of the stick. He is dressed in a dark blue sweatshirt. Also on the table is a yellow tape measure. In the background sits a belt-sander and several other work benches and two-by-fours. The room is very brightly lit and has plain white walls.
Figuring out the base and dome size

A young man can be seen cutting a square piece of wood on a band saw which as a white case and, like the head of the young man goes out of the frame of the picture. The young man is wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and brown work boots. There are many drawers behind him that are blue and hold small pieces of hardware such as screws. The room is well lit and has a grey floor. There are scraps off wood around the band saw.
Cutting out the shape of the dome with the band saw

The young man dressed in a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and dark blue jeans holds the half circle of wood that represents the done over a cut away curved piece of wood that is propped up on silver square metal weights to represent the walls and dome of the StarBay. It sits over the 24" diameter circle of wood that is the floor of the StarBay. This all sits on top of a large wooden table with piece of wood around it. Behind this table is a green table that holds the table saw and it has a white guide running perpendicular to the wood table on it as well.
Giving an idea of the size of the model


It is going to be so amazing when it is done!  I was also excited to receive some pictures today.  I am now out of town but work on the model has continued.   I'm very excited to see the Zeiss model's positive in person when I get back (and special thanks to Ian for all your hard work)!

Sitting on a grey cart is a black pencil and several sheets of graph paper. On the graph paper sits discarded yellow pieces of foam and the beginning of the positive to create the mold for the Zeiss Model. The view is from the top and there is a sloped rectangle with a couple triangles at slight angles jutting out from the tallest end with the small point of the triangles by the rectangle. On top of the end of the rectangle and the two triangles is a circle of foam. On the sloping rectangle are eight rectangles sticking up perpendicular to the sloped rectangle. These are the eight planet, sun and moon projectors.
Zeiss model starts to appear as a positive in foam! Here is the base and planet projectors

Sitting on a grey cart are several sheets of graph paper. On the graph paper sits discarded yellow pieces of foam and the beginning of the positive to create the mold for the Zeiss Model. The view is from the right side and there is a sloped wedge, or rectangle with a couple triangles at slight angles jutting out from the tallest end with the small point of the triangles by the rectangle. On top of the end of the rectangle and the two triangles is a circle of foam. On the sloping rectangle are eight rectangles sticking up perpendicular to the sloped rectangle. These are the eight planet, sun and moon projectors. In the fore ground is a ball of the foam about the size of a golf ball
Side view of the Zeiss model's base and planet projectors


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