*2010* Model Puzzle from Museum Exhibit

Friends, I have a puzzle for you.

What spacecraft is over my head in this picture?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/350870509/

In September, I visited a terrific place, the American Museum of the Moving
Image, in Queens, New York, New York. See my brief review of it in my blog
at http://beamjockey.livejournal.com/45027.html.

Hanging from the ceiling are models from the 1984 film *2010*; one is part
of a world, the other is a spacecraft. They are labeled as being models of
the Moon and of *Discovery* (a spacecraft you'll also recall from *2001: A
Space Odyssey*).

I decided the exhibit was mislabeled. The world is obviously Io, big orange
moon of Jupiter-- much of the action of *2010* takes place in orbit around
Io.

Since the spacecraft did not resemble *Discovery* much, I leapt to the
conclusion that it was the *Leonov*, with which I was less familiar. I
labeled it that way in my Flickr caption of the photo I took.

Yesterday I heard from Miriam Posner, AMMI's Collections and Research
Manager. She had spotted my photo online and was concerned about correcting
the exhibit label. She pointed out that the model doesn't really look like
the *Leonov* either. So I am wrong about that.

She offers two more images of the exhibit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584128/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584132/

So if it isn't *Discovery* and it isn't *Leonov*, what is it?

My best guess at present is this: The model is a section of the long "spine"
of *Discovery* built for a close-up, or a small portion of a much larger
model. The flat boxes are the repeated "fuel modules" arranged in a triangle
around the central spine.

If so, the similarities ought to be apparent in stills from the original
movie, *2001*. (Models from that production were destroyed, so the folks who
made *2010* had to build duplicate models and sets based on photos.)

See http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3508.jpg for a decent shot of
this arrangement.

This view does not show as much detail, but gives a different angle:
http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3506.jpg

This view shows the whole ship from the side, and the repeated symmetry of
the fuel modules is apparent:
http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3506.jpg

Stills from *2010* are not as common on the Web, but here is one:
http://www.physics.hku.hk/~tboyce/sf/assignments/2010/2010_large_07.jpg

Can you confirm or refute my hypothesis?

Is the size of this section consistent with a large *Discovery* model built
for *2010*, or was it made for a closeup?

Can you spot a shot of this model within the film?

Is there a "Making of" book, article, or documentary where this model can be
seen?

Does it really represent some other spacecraft that can be identified?

--
Bill Higgins
Fermilab

http://images.google.com/images?sour...&q=leonov+2010

--
"""Remove "zorch" from address (2 places) to reply.
http://www.sirius.com/


"Bill Higgins" wrote in message
l.gov...
Friends, I have a puzzle for you.

What spacecraft is over my head in this picture?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/350870509/

In September, I visited a terrific place, the American Museum of the Moving Image, in
Queens, New York, New York. See my brief review of it in my blog at
http://beamjockey.livejournal.com/45027.html.

Hanging from the ceiling are models from the 1984 film *2010*; one is part of a world,
the other is a spacecraft. They are labeled as being models of the Moon and of
*Discovery* (a spacecraft you'll also recall from *2001: A Space Odyssey*).

I decided the exhibit was mislabeled. The world is obviously Io, big orange moon of
Jupiter-- much of the action of *2010* takes place in orbit around Io.

Since the spacecraft did not resemble *Discovery* much, I leapt to the conclusion that
it was the *Leonov*, with which I was less familiar. I labeled it that way in my Flickr
caption of the photo I took.

Yesterday I heard from Miriam Posner, AMMI's Collections and Research Manager. She had
spotted my photo online and was concerned about correcting the exhibit label. She
pointed out that the model doesn't really look like the *Leonov* either. So I am wrong
about that.

She offers two more images of the exhibit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584128/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584132/

So if it isn't *Discovery* and it isn't *Leonov*, what is it?

My best guess at present is this: The model is a section of the long "spine" of
*Discovery* built for a close-up, or a small portion of a much larger model. The flat
boxes are the repeated "fuel modules" arranged in a triangle around the central spine.

If so, the similarities ought to be apparent in stills from the original movie, *2001*.
(Models from that production were destroyed, so the folks who made *2010* had to build
duplicate models and sets based on photos.)

See http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3508.jpg for a decent shot of this
arrangement.

This view does not show as much detail, but gives a different angle:
http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3506.jpg

This view shows the whole ship from the side, and the repeated symmetry of the fuel
modules is apparent: http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3506.jpg

Stills from *2010* are not as common on the Web, but here is one:
http://www.physics.hku.hk/~tboyce/sf/assignments/2010/2010_large_07.jpg

Can you confirm or refute my hypothesis?

Is the size of this section consistent with a large *Discovery* model built for *2010*,
or was it made for a closeup?

Can you spot a shot of this model within the film?

Is there a "Making of" book, article, or documentary where this model can be seen?

Does it really represent some other spacecraft that can be identified?

--
Bill Higgins
Fermilab

"Fred Shecter" ) writes:
http://images.google.com/images?sour...&q=leonov+2010

Looking at all the photos, I would say that the spacecraft section hanging
in that exhibit is a close up piece of USS Discovery's spine that likely
was used for a shot in 2010 where the docking clamp of the Leonov grabs
onto the central spine of the Discovery. This was to allow Discovery's engines
to be used as a first stage in order to send Leonov away from Jupiter space
before Leonov's nominal launch window was available.

The moon model is Io.

"Bill Higgins" wrote in message
l.gov...
Friends, I have a puzzle for you.

What spacecraft is over my head in this picture?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/350870509/

In September, I visited a terrific place, the American Museum of the Moving
Image, in Queens, New York, New York. See my brief review of it in my blog
at http://beamjockey.livejournal.com/45027.html.

Hanging from the ceiling are models from the 1984 film *2010*; one is part
of a world, the other is a spacecraft. They are labeled as being models
of the Moon and of *Discovery* (a spacecraft you'll also recall from *2001:
A Space Odyssey*).

I decided the exhibit was mislabeled. The world is obviously Io, big
orange moon of Jupiter-- much of the action of *2010* takes place in orbit
around Io.

Since the spacecraft did not resemble *Discovery* much, I leapt to the
conclusion that it was the *Leonov*, with which I was less familiar. I
labeled it that way in my Flickr caption of the photo I took.

Yesterday I heard from Miriam Posner, AMMI's Collections and Research
Manager. She had spotted my photo online and was concerned about
correcting the exhibit label. She pointed out that the model doesn't
really look like the *Leonov* either. So I am wrong about that.

She offers two more images of the exhibit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584128/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584132/

So if it isn't *Discovery* and it isn't *Leonov*, what is it?

My best guess at present is this: The model is a section of the long
"spine" of *Discovery* built for a close-up, or a small portion of a much
larger model. The flat boxes are the repeated "fuel modules" arranged in
a triangle around the central spine.

If so, the similarities ought to be apparent in stills from the original
movie, *2001*. (Models from that production were destroyed, so the folks
who made *2010* had to build duplicate models and sets based on photos.)

See http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3508.jpg for a decent shot
of this arrangement.

This view does not show as much detail, but gives a different angle:
http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3506.jpg

This view shows the whole ship from the side, and the repeated symmetry of
the fuel modules is apparent:
http://www.palantir.net/2001/tma1/pics/ae3506.jpg

Stills from *2010* are not as common on the Web, but here is one:
http://www.physics.hku.hk/~tboyce/sf/assignments/2010/2010_large_07.jpg

Can you confirm or refute my hypothesis?

Is the size of this section consistent with a large *Discovery* model built
for *2010*, or was it made for a closeup?

Can you spot a shot of this model within the film?

Is there a "Making of" book, article, or documentary where this model can
be seen?

Does it really represent some other spacecraft that can be identified?

Andre

On Wed, 02 May 2007 18:37:19 GMT, Bill Higgins
wrote:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584128/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beamjockey/481584132/

So if it isn't *Discovery* and it isn't *Leonov*, what is it?

My best guess at present is this: The model is a section of the long "spine"
of *Discovery* built for a close-up, or a small portion of a much larger
model. The flat boxes are the repeated "fuel modules" arranged in a triangle
around the central spine.

....That's exactly what it is. It's the segment built for the Leonov's
docking clamp sequence, so that the camera could get in the right
angle without having the command sphere blocking the way. And since
the segment from "2001" was destroyed because Kubrick was having a
moron moment, that has to be from "2010". Especially if the coloring
is yellow.

OM
--
]=====================================[
] OMBlog - http://www.io.com/~o_m/omworld [
] Let's face it: Sometimes you *need* [
] an obnoxious opinion in your day! [
]=====================================[

On Wed, 2 May 2007, Andre Lieven wrote:

"Fred Shecter" ) writes:
http://images.google.com/images?sour...&q=leonov+2010

Looking at all the photos, I would say that the spacecraft section hanging
in that exhibit is a close up piece of USS Discovery's spine that likely
was used for a shot in 2010 where the docking clamp of the Leonov grabs
onto the central spine of the Discovery. This was to allow Discovery's engines
to be used as a first stage in order to send Leonov away from Jupiter space
before Leonov's nominal launch window was available.

The moon model is Io.

Aha. I thought it might have turned up in the "revolving *Discovery*" scene
where the cosmonauts are initially boarding. I looked at that part of the
DVD, but didn't spot the model.

I'll look over the spine-grabbing scene (much later in the story) to confirm
your notion. Sounds promising.

I have come across a vanished, but fortunately archived, site with better
snapshots of the model. It was displayed at COSI, the Center of Science and
Industry, in Columbus, Ohio before it arrived at the American Museum of the
Moving Image in New York.

http://web.archive.org/web/20020708001040/neolase.lasers.org/Modeling/2010/2010Model.shtml
http://web.archive.org/web/20040518142938/neolase.lasers.org/Modeling/2010/2010_0167.jpg
http://web.archive.org/web/20040518140843/neolase.lasers.org/Modeling/2010/2010_0166.jpg

You can see more detail, and the yellowish color, which makes the spine
theory more convincing to me.

--
"Read my lips, Hal: Bill Higgins
Open the Pod Bay doors!" Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Internet:

On May 2, 9:37 pm, Bill Higgins wrote:
Friends, I have a puzzle for you.
snip
Does it really represent some other spacecraft that can be identified?

Nope.

Discovery, definitely Discovery, definitely :-)

Bill Higgins ) writes:
On Wed, 2 May 2007, Andre Lieven wrote:

"Fred Shecter" ) writes:
http://images.google.com/images?sour...&q=leonov+2010

Looking at all the photos, I would say that the spacecraft section hanging
in that exhibit is a close up piece of USS Discovery's spine that likely
was used for a shot in 2010 where the docking clamp of the Leonov grabs
onto the central spine of the Discovery. This was to allow Discovery's engines
to be used as a first stage in order to send Leonov away from Jupiter space
before Leonov's nominal launch window was available.

The moon model is Io.

Aha. I thought it might have turned up in the "revolving *Discovery*" scene
where the cosmonauts are initially boarding. I looked at that part of the
DVD, but didn't spot the model.

IIRC, at that part of the film, we first see Discovery at some distance,
then we get closer ups until we're pretty much focused on the command
ball structure at the forward end of the ship. So, likely not any real
spine close ups there.

I'll look over the spine-grabbing scene (much later in the story) to confirm
your notion. Sounds promising.

Indeed. Another poster over here on space.history also suggested that
portion of the film.

I have come across a vanished, but fortunately archived, site with better
snapshots of the model. It was displayed at COSI, the Center of Science and
Industry, in Columbus, Ohio before it arrived at the American Museum of the
Moving Image in New York.

http://web.archive.org/web/20020708001040/neolase.lasers.org/Modeling/2010/2010Model.shtml
http://web.archive.org/web/20040518142938/neolase.lasers.org/Modeling/2010/2010_0167.jpg
http://web.archive.org/web/20040518140843/neolase.lasers.org/Modeling/2010/2010_0166.jpg

You can see more detail, and the yellowish color, which makes the spine
theory more convincing to me.

Yep. :-)

Andre

On Thu, 3 May 2007, Andre Lieven wrote:

Bill Higgins ) writes:
I'll look over the spine-grabbing scene (much later in the story) to confirm
your notion. Sounds promising.

Indeed. Another poster over here on space.history also suggested that
portion of the film.

Confirmed. Full account at http://beamjockey.livejournal.com/62904.html.

The spine-clamping scene comes at one hour, 29 minutes into my copy of the
DVD.

The museum's model is indeed a piece of *Discovery's* spine.

Interestingly, it can also be seen in the documentary featurette, hanging
behind Arthur C. Clarke as, Hari-Seldon-like, he addresses the viewer.

Once again, I recommend the American Museum of the Moving Image in New York.
Not only is it fascinating to anyone with an interest in movies and
television and how they're made, it presents its collection outstandingly
well, and is a good example for other museums.

(The Museum of the Moving Image in London is very good as well-- but I stray
off-topic.)

--
She was only a | Bill Higgins
rocket scientist's daughter, | Fermilab
but she left the boys | Internet:
exhausted behind her. |