I can highlight three events that helped setting out a path for me towards becoming an aerospace engineer who now designs satellites:
1. The release of the LEGO ® Space Galaxy Explorer in 1979
2. The release of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ movie in 1981 (and seeing it multiple times in the cinema)
3. Watching the movie ‘Into the Night’ on tv somewhere in the late 80’s
LEGO’s Galaxy Explorer (code: ‘LL928’) was, and still is, something special. Not only did it feature a star ship you could build yourself, it even included a small Moon base with a Moon landing site as well. There were other models available at the same time, like smaller space ships and Moon buggies. They were all on display in the local toys store, and this was enough to make me drool in front of the shop window.
Fast forward to 2022… I am now an aerospace engineer working at the European Space Agency visiting the LEGO House in Billund, and I am still drooling next to a window with the Galaxy Explorer on the other side of the window. This time my 6-year old son is standing next to me and we are both excited about this model. My son is an enthusiastic LEGO builder and has collected a fine set of LEGO models and bricks over the years. When we get back home in The Netherlands I ask him…shall we try and build it using your bricks?
We couldn’t. Due to obsolescence, it is nowadays not possible to build the wings, cockpit lid and many other items as the bricks needed for those are not available nowadays from the LEGO store. Needless to say, this became a project completely out of control, as I was determined to make the design work with modern bricks. Many iPad drawings later, we got very close to the original design. But then my son asked to create an Instructions Book so that we would never forget how to build it. Clever indeed. I discovered though that the fastest way to make a nice booklet was to learn to use the BrickLink ® Studio design software. This software creates an instruction book for you once you’ve modelled your design in a 3D CAD environment.
I tried to base the instructions book as much as possible on the original 70’s instruction book. The problem that came with this is that it is a complex build. With a little help from me though, my six-year old son completed the build and my creation is now on display in my office upstairs.
For those interested in building it, I have attached the instructions book below in PDF format. The parts list is included.
Below are the steps with a different view from the booklet.
The lid of the cockpit is not something I am proud of. I simply couldn’t find a lid in transparent yellow so I made a lid from several small pieces tight together in a rather unstable way. Any ideas for improvement are very welcome.
My design included the spacecraft only. The Moon base and buggy are not yet included. Maybe one day I will design those as well using modern bricks, but I am sure others can do this much better. In case you are building this, the list of parts is given using both design and element ID’s so that you can order the parts from e.g. Bricklink or the official LEGO Pick a Brick store. Let me know how it went and I hope you enjoy this build as much as we loved designing it!
Ciao!
Robin
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