{"id":97063,"date":"2019-07-22T13:48:54","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/?p=433745"},"modified":"2019-07-22T13:48:54","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T13:48:54","slug":"microsoft-makers-recreate-iconic-apollo-11-hatch-for-50th-anniversary-of-historic-moon-landing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/07\/22\/microsoft-makers-recreate-iconic-apollo-11-hatch-for-50th-anniversary-of-historic-moon-landing\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft makers recreate iconic Apollo 11 hatch for 50th anniversary of historic moon landing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>But unlike aerospace shops with enormous equipment, the lab houses machines for prototyping computer devices, which were too small to cut the hatch as a single piece. Breaking down and designing separate pieces was one of many puzzles to solve, especially as the scope of the project ballooned with additional requests.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In addition to making the 65-pound hatch replica, the team designed and welded a 140-pound steel stand, encased in plywood, to display the hatch when completed. The team integrated 211 brass inserts into the hatch, so Savage and other builders would be able to attach parts faster during the live assembly. Savage\u2019s team also asked the lab to supply descriptive plaques, which the lab quickly made with a waterjet and ultraviolet printer in-house just in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Much of the logistical work landed on Jay Trzaskos, a model maker and prototyping architect who iterated on the design challenge over many late nights and early mornings to meet a long list of goals. The hatch had to be light enough for easy handling, but durable enough to support the weight of added parts. It had to be accurate in measurement to the real hatch \u2013 including size and location of every insert \u2013 and beautiful with no visible seams or rough edges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[embedded content]<button class=\"cookie-consent-btn\">Click here to load media<\/button><\/p>\n<p><span>The team used a high-density plastic tooling board, specifically sized so each section of the hatch could fit in the lab\u2019s CNC machines. It also designed the display stand to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act for the Smithsonian.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cSo a lot of work went into this, a lot more than we thought it was going to be,\u201d Haley said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Trzaskos, a longtime NASA fan who studied mechanical and aerospace engineering, didn\u2019t mind. On the day he learned of Progress Egress, he happened to be wearing a NASA shirt and commemorative Apollo 11 sneakers when he glanced at a model of the Columbia on a co-worker\u2019s screen, instantly recognized it and bobbed with excitement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cTo be able to say I worked on something connected with the Smithsonian is huge,\u201d said Trzaskos, whose grandfather had worked on Apollo guidance systems. \u201cBut just looking at the Apollo missions and what the engineers accomplished, it\u2019s inspiring. Saying \u2018something is difficult\u2019 wasn\u2019t an option. You have to push to be successful and find the most elegant solution within the timeline.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_433615\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/3er1viui9wo30pkxh1v2nh4w-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/prod\/2019\/07\/MSFT-OutsideIn-Adam-Savage-195-5d27938166397.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-433615 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/microsoft-makers-recreate-iconic-apollo-11-hatch-for-50th-anniversary-of-historic-moon-landing.jpg\" alt=\"Two men look at prototypes\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span><em>Adam Savage (right) with John Haley at Microsoft\u2019s Advanced Prototyping Center in Redmond, Washington.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>Based on his designs, lead model maker Eric Roth and other machinists constructed eight pieces that would become the hatch. For Roth, it was a fun job in a fun place, a grown-up toyland brimming with state-of-the-art 3D printers, laser cutters, fabric splitters, industrial waterjet machines, and wire and form electrical discharge machines. Project Egress was a chance for Roth to stretch his passion for building.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI was always making things as a kid,\u201d he said. \u201cI was given a budget of one Scotch tape roll a day and easily went through it with all the paper-tape-string things I made. I saw \u2018Tron\u2019 and the next day, I had string and taped paper things running everywhere.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After assembly, model maker and finisher Thomas Randall hand-sanded the hatch and painted the front the same color as Microsoft\u2019s Surface silver, evoking the Mylar thermal coating of the Columbia\u2019s heat shield. He then pounded in all 211 brass inserts. The project appealed to Randall\u2019s industrial design background and passion for large-model rocketry, rooted in a childhood with parents who built and launched rockets with car batteries on dates. He liked challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cProject Egress perfectly ties into what we do every day in our jobs,\u201d Randall said. \u201cWe iterate on an idea and make it work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The components from other makers turned out to be one of the biggest challenges. The team didn\u2019t know the weight of the components, but wanted to ensure the hatch was stable for Savage and his team to assemble on stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_433613\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/3er1viui9wo30pkxh1v2nh4w-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/prod\/2019\/07\/3H9A0343-5d278bd554f96.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-433613 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/microsoft-makers-recreate-iconic-apollo-11-hatch-for-50th-anniversary-of-historic-moon-landing-1.jpg\" alt=\"Man in industrial mask spray-paints hatch replica in a lab\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span><em>Bryan Adams sprays water-based paint on the hatch replica in the APC paint lab.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>The APC group studied historical documents and estimated the weight of over 300 potential attachments, including screws, to be about 160 pounds. Trzaskos then modified the display stand design in CAD (computer-aided design) to safely lower the model\u2019s center of gravity. Randall measured the inserts\u2019 pull strength \u2013 the weight the screws can hold before failure \u2013 and found they can hold thousands of pounds. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis is not only about providing something that\u2019s going to look great, but making the experience as easy and seamless as possible,\u201d said Trzaskos.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_433619\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-433619 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/microsoft-makers-recreate-iconic-apollo-11-hatch-for-50th-anniversary-of-historic-moon-landing-2.jpg\" alt=\"Empty Columbia command module photographed against black background\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span><em>Apollo 11 command module Columbia was part of the first-ever manned lunar landing. Photo by Eric Long, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>When Savage visited the APC in May, he loved the lab\u2019s powerhouse capabilities for rapid prototype iterations that merge beauty and function, from next-gen headphones to the pioneering \u201czero-gravity\u201d hinge of Surface Studio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThis is one of the most intense and delightful playgrounds I\u2019ve ever stepped into,\u201d he said on his podcast, \u201cStill Untitled: The Adam Savage Project.\u201d Creator of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tested.com\/\">Tested<\/a> and the show \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discovery.com\/tv-shows\/savage-builds\/\">Savage Builds<\/a>,\u201d the former \u201cMythbusters\u201d host met many of the APC\u2019s industrial designers, mechanical engineers, model makers, toy designers, sculptors, welders and artists who comprise the 60-member group.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_433620\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/3er1viui9wo30pkxh1v2nh4w-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/prod\/2019\/07\/Vans_x_NASA_SK8_HI_Space_Voyager_003.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-433620 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/microsoft-makers-recreate-iconic-apollo-11-hatch-for-50th-anniversary-of-historic-moon-landing-3.jpg\" alt=\"black high-top sneakers with Apollo 11 Eagle patch \" width=\"300\" height=\"169\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span><em>Model maker and prototyping architect Jay Trzaskos has three pairs of NASA sneakers, including these Apollo 11 Vans.<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>\u201cThe energy of people doing a job they love and who feel valued is impossible to overestimate,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Microsoft model makers often draw inspiration from side projects, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/features\/high-fives-around-young-inventor-fits-girl-robotic-hand\/\">robotic hand<\/a> they helped a young engineer make for a 10-year-old girl missing her right arm. For the Apollo 11 celebration build, the hatch itself symbolized a feat of engineering that was deeply motivating. Able to swing outward in five seconds, the \u201cunified hatch\u201d emerged in the aftermath of the Apollo 1 fire that killed three astronauts who couldn\u2019t open the original three-part hatch design in time to escape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt\u2019s the perfect story of human ingenuity,\u201d Trzaskos said. \u201cIt\u2019s a story of how much can we persevere and come together to meet a goal. That\u2019s what we do \u2013 adapting and working together to solve problems to create the best product that reaches and inspires everybody.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><em>Originally published on July 16, 2019. Updated on July 19, 2019.&nbsp;<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>But unlike aerospace shops with enormous equipment, the lab houses machines for prototyping computer devices, which were too small to cut the hatch as a single piece. Breaking down and designing separate pieces was one of many puzzles to solve, especially as the scope of the project ballooned with additional requests. In addition to making [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[616,50],"class_list":["post-97063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-microsoft-news","tag-advanced-prototyping-center","tag-recent-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}