12/27/2023 0 Comments Lego space shuttle discoveryThe head of the contractor's team, a vice-president with the firm, poked at the book and proudly announced "See, 8 metric meters by 21 metric meters by 57 metric meters! We're fully compliant with room to spare!"Īt which point we had to explain to him that "mm" stood for "millimeter" not "metric meter" and that the plane itself wasn't even 57 meters long (and how could an entire division of Fortune 500 defense contractor not notice that over the course of a year and half's effort?). In a matter of moments everyone was on the same page which clearly stated the available space was "8mm x 21mm x 57mm". ![]() With a multi-million dollar contract on the line, naturally this resulted in an unprofessional shouting match where everyone whipped out copies of the spec and the contract to "prove" their point of view. At which point the vender told us we were crazy and opened the truck to reveal a pallet full of equipment that wouldn't fit in the cockpit if you dumped it in the pilot's seat let alone the open slot in the nosecone. To this we countered that even if the device were a solid block of plutonium it could only weigh in at a few kilos. The vendor reminded us that there was no weight requirement in the spec, only size limits. After a few minutes of confused stares and occasional blinks of disbelief we ask why he needs a forklift. Eighteen months of sloppy oversight go by and it comes time for the vendor to test the prototype in the field, so we show up with the airframe (and it's empty slot for the module), and the contractor shows up with a moving van on the tarmac asking us where our forklift is so they can offload the device. Several of our preferred vendors looked at our RFP (request for proposals) and told us it couldn't be done - or doing it would be so expensive it wouldn't be profitable - one vendor, however, said "Sure, no problem" and won the contract. I can't go into details but basically we needed a company to build a device to do X and it had to fit in a well defined space, only consume so much power and only give off so much heat. On a slight tangent, years ago I was working for a government think tank and we'd spec'ed out a subsystem that needed to fit in a very tight spot in an existing airframe. It's an enjoyable (and occasionally clever) build nice display model, slid enough to be swooshable articulated enough to hold my 5 year olds' interest and a good parts pack to boot. Speaking of getting back on topic, I liked the Discovery Space Shuttle so much I've decided to pick up another one. Personally, I'm very interested in both discussions, I just think we've gotten a bit off topic here and (in the unlikely event that someone from TLG is browsing the forums) I think we should make our opinions about the Ulysses "reward" and the VIP system itself easier to find. Perhaps we could redirect complaints/ commiserations/ suggestions regarding the poor handling of this reward kit rollout to over there and let this thread get back to the more specific focus of the space shuttle kit itself. The LEGO NASA Space Shuttle Discovery (10283) set is part of a series of buildable models for adults, offering an escape from everyday life with display pieces to admire.For those who care (or just want to continue ranting about the Ulysses Space Probe Debacle ) I resurrected the "New VIP System" thread over in the GENERAL DISCUSSION section. The multiple display stands let you display the space shuttle model and telescope individually or together. The telescope features movable solar panels and an aperture door. ![]() ![]() The cockpit opens to reveal flight and mid-decks with seats for 5 crew members. Adjust the elevons, engage the landing gear on reentry and deploy the robotic arm. Open the payload bay to deploy the Hubble Telescope on its mission to explore the cosmos. Packed with features, this build marks the amazing accomplishments of Discovery. With 2,354 pieces, this engaging challenge lets you build the Space Shuttle Discovery, plus the Hubble Space Telescope, launched on NASA’s STS-31 mission in 1990. Celebrate the wonders of space with this LEGO® NASA Space Shuttle Discovery (10283) model building set for adults.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |