NASA/ESA Ulysses solar probe

NASA/ESA
Ulysses solar probe

As part of the NASA Space Shuttle program - officially called the Space Transportation System (STS) - different payloads were transported into space with the help of the space shuttle.
This also included the Ulysses solar probe.

Before I get to LEGO-relevant things, a brief description of the Ulysses mission.
(--> directly to the LEGO MOC section)

	The IUS -Inertial Upper Stage- was used to transport Ulysses into space. It takes the spacecraft out of orbit and ultimately on its mission. For the IUS, a rotatable holder is installed at the end of the payload bay of a shuttle orbiter, in which the IUS is mounted with the space probe to be launched.
Preparation of the Ulysses probe (Image: NASA/ESA)

The IUS -Inertial Upper Stage- was used to transport Ulysses into space. It takes the spacecraft out of orbit and ultimately on its mission.
For the IUS, a rotatable holder is installed at the end of the payload bay of a shuttle orbiter, in which the IUS is mounted with the space probe to be launched.

Preparation of the Ulysses probe
(Image: NASA/ESA)

After the deployment, the 1st and 2nd stages were ignited one after the other to bring the space probe to a speed with which the gravitational pull of the earth could be overcome. Before the PAM-S (payload assist module) was finally used, a spin motor was used to stabilize the spacecraft by rotating it during flight.

Identification of the IUS stages (Image: NASA)

	After the deployment, the 1st and 2nd stages were ignited one after the other to bring the space probe to a speed with which the gravitational pull of the earth could be overcome. Before the PAM-S (payload assist module) was finally used, a spin motor was used to stabilize the spacecraft by rotating it during flight.
Identification of the IUS stages (Image: NASA)

After launching and entering Earth orbit, the orbiter's payload bay doors were opened.

Before the spacecraft was deployed from the payload bay, the rotatable bracket of the IUS was rotated up to an angle of 58 degrees.
At the pre-calculated point in time, the space probe is launched by a jumping mechanism.
With the help of existing control nozzles, the orbiter moves away from the IUS.

(Source: ESA - Ulysses)

The Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery lifted the combination IUS / Ulysses into Earth orbit during the STS-41 mission on October 6, 1990, from where -as described above- it was on its way with the help of the IUS and another rocket motor (PAM-S) was brought.

Ulysses reached Jupiter in February 1992 and the effect of the giant planet's gravity support was used to bring Ulysses out of the ecliptic plane into its unique solar polar orbit.

	Ulysses reached Jupiter in February 1992 and the effect of the giant planet's gravity support was used to bring Ulysses out of the ecliptic plane into its unique solar polar orbit.
(Image: NASA/ESA)

The first south solar pole passage ended in November 1994, and the spacecraft swung open to complete its first north pole passage in September 1995. Ulysses completes about 3 orbits of the sun.
The mission was scheduled to end in July 2008 when the spacecraft's weakened power supply was expected to drop below the minimum, this is necessary to prevent the fuel lines from freezing, without which Ulysses would not be controllable.
At that time, the ESA / NASA operations team was planning to continue operating the spacecraft for a few more weeks at reduced capacity.
However, through intelligent engineering and real-time innovation, the controllers found that they could prevent the lines from freezing by briefly firing the engines every few hours. In fact, Ulysses continued to collect valuable scientific data in 2008 and the first half of 2009.
However, as higher priority missions required access to NASA's deep space network and the reception of scientific data from Ulysses decreased overall, ESA and NASA made a joint decision to end the mission on June 30, 2009.
After more than 18 years in space, Ulysses had his last contact with a ground station on June 30, 2009. The last command switched the spacecraft's radio communications to monitor only mode. No further contact with Ulysses is planned.

Throughout the mission, Ulysses's instruments examined the solar wind, which flows continuously from the sun and creates a giant bubble in space called the heliosphere. Ulysses provided the first map of the heliosphere from the equator to the poles.

The mission was a cooperation program between ESA and NASA. The science tools for Ulysses were provided by US and European science teams. The space probe was built by Dornier Systems in Germany for ESA. NASA provided the space shuttle orbiter Discovery for launch, the upper stages, and the thermoelectric radioisotope generator built by General Electric Co. Ulysses tracking and data reception was provided by NASA's Deep Space Network, operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Spacecraft operations and data analysis were carried out at JPL by a joint ESA / JPL team.

The Ulysses Mission Support Area (MSA) was located in JPL, Pasadena, California.

The Shuttle Mission STS-41
with LEGO bricks

Preliminary remarks:

I have not yet bought the LEGO CREATOR Set 10283 NASA space shuttle "Discovery".
All findings are based on the constructions in studio.
To check whether the combination IUS / Ulysses fits into the payload bay, I recreated the Discovery in studio and for optical reasons coulored it in sky blue. Result: in order to have a continuous diameter in the entire payload bay, the two payload bay walls had to be modified (Fig. 1: marked in red)
Due to the other plates and tiles that connect the payload bay doors, I assume that these are still stable enough.

	After the many reports about the situation around the LEGO set Ulysses, I took a look at the various LEGO MOCs and came to the conclusion that I don't really like any. Even if it is difficult to depict every aspect correctly to scale, I tried anyway and only had to deviate from it in a few areas. (Fig. 2)
MOC data Dimensions: W = 8.7 cm, H = 8.6 cm, L = 18.5 cm. Number of stones: total = 199 different ones: 76

After the many reports about the situation around the LEGO set Ulysses, I took a look at the various LEGO MOCs and came to the conclusion that I don't really like any.
Even if it is difficult to depict every aspect correctly to scale, I tried anyway and only had to deviate from it in a few areas. (Fig. 2)

MOC data

Dimensions: W = 8.7 cm, H = 8.6 cm, L = 18.5 cm.
Number of stones: total = 199 different ones: 76

Various moments
of space shuttle mission STS-41

Installation of the rotatable holder for the IUS in the payload bay (Fig. 3)

Assembly of the IUS / Ulysses combination (Fig. 4)

In Earth orbit: Tilt the IUS holder to 58 degrees just before the IUS / Ulysses combination is released (no gripping arm required)
(Fig. 5)

In order to "freeze" the deployment of the IUS / Ulysses combination for the LEGO Discovery, I created a support that shows the scene shortly after release.
(Fig. 6)

Over here in Germany there are companies which makes prints on LEGO bricks on demand.
All but two printed bricks in the above MOCs I ordered from such a company.