Lunar Module Flying Toy - 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11

Build a miniature Lunar Module toy that really flies in under 5 minutes from scrap packing foam, 2 toothpicks, and white glue.

Use a hobby knife or box cutter to cut a roughly 1-inch cube of expanded polystyrene packing foam. Like the kind you find inside a box when you buy a small appliance like a TV or radio.

Cut off the top 4 corners from the cube at a 45 degree angle to each edge. Save the corner pieces to make the feet in step 4.

Take 2 flat or round toothpicks and cut them in half to make 4 shorter landing gear struts.

Put a drop of white glue on the ends of the landing gear and stick them into the 4 bottom corners of the cube at 45 degree angles. In the same way, attach the 4 cut corners to the bottom of the struts with the flat cut face pointing down.

Decorate your finished LEM with markers, paint, or stickers. I printed out some American Flags and black triangles on my inkjet, then cut them out and glued them on with white glue.

To "fly" your LEM, simply drop it with the feet facing down. You can adjust its flight by twisting the landing feet slightly to make the LEM spin left or right, or drop straight down.

I've dropped it down a 20 foot stairwell and it remains upright all the way to the floor.

Turn it into a game to see how many times the "Eagle" will land on her feet.

Enjoy!