I’m still intending to scan some clippings from 1981 about the first shuttle orbital mission – flown by Columbia, as it happens, and marked by the loss of heat-resistant tiles. However, my scanner is balking, so I may postpone it for a bit. Here’s some card models to tide you over.

From NASA: Shuttle Card Model – free

Columbia Shuttle Card Model, by Dan Shippey, free, in memoriam. Normally Dan sells this at Fiddler’s Green for a more than reasonable $3.00.

The NASA model is very considerably less detailed and easier to build. It’s also one of the first card models I recall building – a die-cut version was bound in to an early issue of National Geographic World, a kids’ magazine that regularly featured interesting card models, including the shuttle, a truly elegant globe, and a flying pterosaur model that was simply exquisite.

2 thoughts on “Shuttle card models

  1. Thanks for the cards – anyone got any card stock? – and looking forward to the clippings.

    Was naturally thinking back to 1981, staying up all the night before w/a couple of my geek friends to watch the launch (undoubtedly you did the same). I was also lucky enough to see a Columbia launch in person once (STS-3) over spring break, which my college buds & I chose over wet t-shirt contests in Ft. Lauderdale (um, did I mention the word geek?)

    Something very sad about the mundanity of the mission stories – esp. the tribute to the Challenger crew.

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