How To Not Get Lost On The Way To The Moon

One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting on my dad’s lap watching news coverage of an Apollo mission. It may very well have been Apollo 11, but I just remember excitement and grainy black and white video of astronauts. While we celebrate the 50th anniversary of landing on the moon, a lot of artists are expressing their appreciation for the event in awesome ways. Builder Akula Bricks has recreated the Apollo Guidance Computer and the DSKY, a display and keyboard interface. I recognized this incredible feat of 1960’s engineering immediately, with it’s large keys and iconic multi segmented display. This version, with custom printed inserts, could be mistaken for the real thing it’s so accurate.

VAB

Have very few regrets in life, but one of them is not getting to see a shuttle launch with my dad. Not that it was an easy thing to do, I live about as far away from Cape Kennedy as you can in the continental US, and my dad lived in Kansas. Any given mission could be scrubbed at the last minute, that’s a long way to travel on a bet. I did eventually get to stand in the shadow of this building, and it’s every bit as impressive as you’d expect. It’s on a scale that’s hard to imagine until you’re actually there. This version by Rphilo004, is a little less intimidating, but still very impressive at micro scale. As we approach the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, I’m sure we’ll see more builds like this, and I’m personally really looking forward to it.

NASA's Evil Twin

I’ve got to admit, I’m a sucker for NASA’s rockets and I can spend hour gawking at the marvels of human engineering. But NASA ain’t got nothin’ on this ship by halfbeak! With a ton of black, a handful of green, a dash of realism and a pinch of antimatter, what’s not to like? Not to mention a hint of nefarious criminal activity by NASA’s evil twin, NAST (pronounced nasty). Put simply, if NASA were Futuron, NAST would be the Blacktron of space exploration.

ISS

Right now, as you read this, there are brave people speeding at just under 5 miles a second approximately 250 miles up in what is essentially a bunch of bus-sized tubes connected together. The overall size is about a football field, in a never ending free fall around the planet. You can see it with the naked eye if you know where and when to look, and it just blows my mind. I'm talking about the International Space Station, and it's a wonder of human innovation and exploratory spirit. While this version by builder Jussi Koskinen is an order of magnitude smaller, it's still pretty amazing. The attention to detail is fantastic, and the presentation is stellar, pun intended.

BrickNerd LiveBuild - Women Of NASA

I've always had a fond spot for NASA and the space program, and the deepest respects for those men and women who make it happen. This new LEGO Ideas set celebrates some of the women who blazed the trail to the final frontier. Join us as we build it live starting at 10am PST.

LiveBuild Tomorrow!

Yes, it's been too long since we've built live, so let's do it! Join me and Mrs BrickNerd as we build the new LEGO Ideas 21312 Women of NASA live.

Building starts at 10am PST, it's a fairly small set so it won't take very long, perhaps we'll sneak in something else to build. See you then!

We Have A Landing

An appropriate time for a recreation of a lunar module, done by Sad Brick. I think what I love about this overall scene is the terrain. It's not just studs, or SNOT bricks. Using 1x1 round tiles adds such a nice texture. The module itself is also wonderfully done, and stands out amongst other models I have seen. Quite a nice view in this photo!

TESS

Meet TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. TESS will be in space planet hunting sometime next year, but thanks to builder Apojove you can have one on your desktop right now. You can download instructions and learn all about this fascinating satellitr and it's mission on Rebrickable.

To Da Moon!

It seems to me that the "One small step for man" would be a bit smaller here, considering this is LEGO. Dorian Glacet built this awesome Apollo lunar lander and moon rover. The lander uses some clever techniques and looks very accurate (to my untrained eye, at least). But my favorite part of the build is the set of tracks left behind the rover. It looks very cool and really evokes some of those pictures the astronauts took on the moon.

EDIT: This model by Dorian is actually a reworking and representation of a lunar lander built by Saabfan. So, since credit needs to go where it is due, I wanted to mention both builders here. This is a good example of how work from two equally skilled builders can be combined to great effect.

ISS

This International Space Station MOC by Lia Chan DFW is so brilliantly built I thought it was just a photograph at first. I've had the pleasure of watching this engineering wonder built live through many, many hours of streaming NASA feeds (space doesn't happen quickly, but always fascinatingly) and I sort of wish I could have been watching this MOC being built the same way. It measures over five feet long and is amazingly detailed. It's also up to date with the addition of BEAM and Cygnus-6, awesome.

We Have Liftoff

The NASA space program is arguably one of the greatest engineering achievements of the past millennium. It put men on the moon, for goodness' sake! This build by Lia Chan showcases one of the famed space shuttles that regularly sent humans into orbit. I know, LEGO space shuttles have been built many times before, including in at least three official sets. But this build shows the shuttle with its launch facility and transportation vehicle, all recreated in great detail. This is one of those super realistic creations that makes you do a double take and say, "Wait, that's LEGO?!"

Columbia

I've always had the highest respect and admiration for the US space program. One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting on my dad's lap and watching the drama of a NASA mission unfold on TV. This excellent command service module from Apollo 11, nicknamed Columbia, by builder eldeem gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Voyager

A lot happened when I was 9, many things that shaped me as a person, many things that happened around me. I remember the hype about this mission, recreated quite faithfully here by eldeeem, and watching the launch on the news. Knowing that it has since passed the boundaries of our solar system and is doggedly continuing on it's mission fills me with pride in the US space program. Of course it will come back in the year 2271 as V'Ger and attempt to destroy us, and that's kinda messed up.