Artemis - Parts Bag #6

Judging from the numerous white cylindrical elements that emerged from this bag, the build will now focus on the SRBs.

For those of you who are not well-versed in rocket technology, 'SRB' is short for Solid Rocket Booster.  The two side boosters are solid propellant motors that are jettisoned once the fuel is expended. They give a lot of extra thrust to the entire vehicle during the initial push to escape gravity and atmospheric drag.  Once separated, the core vehicle, powered by liquid fuel, continues its journey without the weight of the booster airframes.

Now that I've bored you with tech-talk, let's get back to some LEGO clicking.

This is the first group of elements in the set that contains some standard LEGO pieces, but it's still mostly Technic.

The SRBs are built up using a series of Technic cylinders and standard 2x2 round bricks and plates.  At this point only the top two-thirds of the SRBs are assembled.

Roll pattern details and markings are added thanks to a lot of  self-adhesive decals.

Once completed, a handful of Technic parts are added on to attach the units to the mechanics on the main model section.

Here is a close-up of one of the SRBs attached to the model:

In addition, a pair of long axle pieces are added to the model support system to secure the core vehicle.

With these tasks completed, the action of booster separation can now be tested using the hand crank. Here are the pics:

The motion is very cool, because the core vehicle continues its upward motion as the SRBs seperate.

Tomorrow, I will post the 7th and final entry in this build series.

Looking forward to seeing (and playing with) the completed model.

Stay tuned!