Airbus - Travelling to the Moon V1

The following a single lesson in a larger series of Airbus - Discovery Space - Living on the moon tutorials

Project Overview:

Imagine being able to travel into space. Training for months to blast off into outer space and visit the international space station or walk on the moon. Imagine living and working on the moon looking back at the earth every morning when you wake up.

In this project you will learn how to use Tinkercad to try and realise these dreams. Follow a series of steps in this tutorial to design and build a rocket fit for your space exploration mission. Once you have learnt the basics try and complete a creative challenge to make your rocket a feat of engineering. Enjoy.

In this lesson you will learn how to build a rocket for your space exploration.

You will need to follow all of the Airbus tutorials to design and build your basics for your space mission. Once you are comfortable with the skills learnt feel free to be as creative as you wish using the challenges to apadt and build your own space exploration components in Tinkercad.

Instructions

Continue to the next step

Before you begin, take a moment to look at and identify the shapes in the model.

This will help you mentally create a plan of how the model should be created. The entire rocket is built from 3 simple shapes, including a Cube, Cylinder, and Half Round Roof.

Instructions

1. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Place a Cylinder on the Workplane edit the size of it to be 20mm in diameter and 72mm high. This is the start of the ET, where all other components will attach.

2. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Place a half sphere shape onto your work plane. Resize the height of the half sphere by pulling down the white square and making the half sphere 8mm high. Then click on the Black arrow and pull the shape 72mm above the work plane in line with the top of the ET cylinder you have already created.

2. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Select the cylinder and the half sphere, use the align tool to place the half sphere directly on top of the cylinder.

2. Once the components are aligned group them together.

3. Now pull the new shape off the work plane by 20mm. This will allow us clearance to add engines to the tank.

4. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Pull into the work plane another cylinder. Resize this, 10x10x80mm so that you have the simple shape for one main engine.

2. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Grab a cone shape and resize it to 10x10mm.

2. Using the black arrow pull up the cone 80mm off the work plane.

3. Select both shapes and align them together and then use the group tool to join the shapes.

4. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Now grab a torus shape. Resize this to 15x15mm.

2. Align the torus with the main engine shape and pull the torus off the work plane 10mm.

3. Make the torus a 'hole' shape, so that we can remove material from the model. Click on the torus and then select hole. Once you have done this select both components and group them together.

4. Continue to the next step.

We will start by creating the External Tank (ET) of the rocket. This will be centre of the model where all over components will attach.

Instructions

1. Select a paraboloid and once again resize this to 8mm x 8mm x 10mm.

2. Make the paraboloid a hole and then align it with the main engine shape. Once the shapes are aligned group them together. This completes the main engine.

3. Continue to the next step.

We can now complete the engine and engine tank section of the rocket. To do this will be duplicating the engine and attaching it to the ET.

Instructions

1. Select the main engine that you have just created. Click 'duplicate' in the top left of the browser.

2. You will now be able to drag the engine shape and real an exact replica left in it place.

3. Continue to the next step.

We can now complete the engine and engine tank section of the rocket. To do this will be duplicating the engine and attaching it to the ET.

Instructions

1. Use your creativity in step to align your main engines with the ET.

2. For this tutorial I have used the work plane and arrows on the keyboard to move the main engines into the correct place.

3. From the middle of the ET I moved each engine 5 steps towards the engine and 6 steps away from the middle of the ET.

4. Once you have placed these in the correct place select all 3 shapes and group them together.

5. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Move your existing rocket to one side of the work plane. We will need this later in the tutorial.

2. Drag a paraboloid onto the work plane and resize it as follows; 18mm x 18mm x 20mm.

3. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Pull a cylinder onto the work plane and resize this to; 20mm x 20mm x 5mm.

2. Raise the cylinder off the work plane so that it will neatly sit on top of the booster created in the previous step. This will be 15mm above the work plane.

3. Use the align tool to centre both components together and group them.

4. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Pull a cone onto the work plane and resize this to; 25mm x 25mm x 20mm.

2. Raise the cone off the work plane so that it will neatly sit on top of the base created in the previous step. This will be 20mm above the work plane.

3. Now pull on a square (hole), align it with both components and raise it off the work plane by 30mm.

4. Use the align tool to centre all three components and then group them together.

5. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Pull a cylinder onto the work plane and resize this to; 10mm x 10mm x 2mm.

2. Raise the cylinder off the work plane so that it will neatly sit on top of the base created in the previous step. This will be 30mm above the work plane.

3. Use the align tool to centre all three components and then group them together.

4. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Pull a cone onto the work plane and resize this to; 8mm x 8mm.

2. Now pull on a square (hole), align it with the cone and raise it off the work plane by 12mm.

3. Use the align tool to centre both components and then group them together.

4. Pull another cylinder onto the work plane and resize this to; 2mm x 2mm x 20mm. Raise it 12mm off the work plane and align it with the cone. These shapes can also be grouped together.

5. Finally pull another cone onto the work plane and resize this to; 2mm x 2mm x 20mm. This time using the black arrow raise the cone 32mm off the work plane and again align it with the other components. These shapes can also be grouped together.

6. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Pull a tube onto the work plane and resize this to; 3mm x 3mm x 2mm.

2. Raise the tube off the work plane by 14mm.

3. Use the align tool to centre both components and then group them together.

4. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Align both the antenna and cockpit.

2. Now raise the antenna off the work plane by 32mm.

3. Group them together.

4. Continue to the next step.

The rocket requires a place for the astronauts to sit and safely control the rocket. This must be detachable as the modular cockpit will break away from the ET and engines as the rocket enters space.

Instructions

1. Drag a paraboloid onto your work plane. This will need resizing as follows; 15mmx15mm.

2. Make the shape a hole.

3. Align the paraboloid (hole) with the modular cockpit and then group the components together.

4. This completes the modular cockpit, in the next section of the tutorial you will attach the ET with the cockpit.

5. Continue to the next step.

You now have modelled the ET and Cockpit - well done. There needs to be a way to join these two components together to complete the rocket. Over the next few steps you will complete this method of joining and render the blocks to make the model look realistic.

Instructions

1. Drag a tube onto your work plane, resize this as follows; 25mm x 25mm x 20mm

2. Align this with the bottom of the ET that you made earlier in the lesson.

3. Raise the module off the work plane by 88mm.

4. Using the shape tools, pull the bevel bar from 1 to 5 to create a more realistic shape and change the wall thickness from 2.5mm to 2mm.

5. Lock the component in place so it doesn't move while you complete the tutorial.

6. Continue to the next step.

You now have modelled the ET and Cockpit - well done. There needs to be a way to join these two components together to complete the rocket. Over the next few steps you will complete this method of joining and render the blocks to make the model look realistic.

Instructions

1. Highlight the cockpit module and raise it off the work plane by 88mm.

2. Align the cockpit module with the joining component so that they are in line

3. You are nearly complete.

4. Continue to the next step.

You now have modelled the ET and Cockpit - well done. There needs to be a way to join these two components together to complete the rocket. Over the next few steps you will complete this method of joining and render the blocks to make the model look realistic.

Instructions

1. All the components are in the correct place now. Unlock each component and choose different colours to make your rocket look realistic.

2. I have chosen a white and black colour scheme - use your imagination.

3. Congratulations you have completed this tutorial - move to the next step for a creative challenge.

Well done for completing this tutorial. Now you should use all the skills covered in this tutorial to design and model your very own space rocket.

Things you could consider;

How is it going to be powered?

How will it be piloted?

How far into space does it need to travel?

How will you land safely on another planet?

Be imaginative and enjoy modelling your rocket!

TOO INFINITY AND BEYOND!