Own Your Own (Replica) ISS Module

AMD-lover writes with word that you can purchase a museum-quality replica of the Destiny laboratory module used on the International Space Station. "Keep in mind the weight of approximately 20,000 pounds and the dimensions of 29 feet by 15 feet. But with a price of $1,650,000.00, it is really a steal."

As mentioned in the article...

[monstroyer]

Slashdot millionaires only, ModuleDestiny?$1,650,000.00?

On another note, here's hoping AMD-lover is not an affiliate [thespacestore.com], because by slashdoting the site there's a better chance that someone does buy this thing with their left over dot com dollars. And if someone does buy the ModuleDestiny, he/she gets 6% commission.

Re:As mentioned in the article...

[AMD-lover]

No, I'm not an affiliate. I was cleaning up my room when I came across a folder from spaceportUSA and Googled their website. Just browsing I noticed this item.

Sweet!

[AssProphet]

I can use this to upgrade my museum quality replica of the millenium falcon!

Re:Sweet!

[Anonymous Coward]

How the hell would it be an upgrade? The Millenium Falcon's laboratory modules are far superior.

Re:Sweet!

[batquux]

Yeah, really. It could make the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs!

Why by a replica...

[Realistic_Dragon]

...when the real thing is due to crash into my backyard in 10 years time due to maintainance budget cuts?

Re:Why by a replica...

[BabyDave]

Hey, don't forget that if it does, you owe us all a taco.

Re:Why by a replica...

[bcrowell]

Why not a replica...
...when a replica can do just as much science as the real thing? [sentry.net]

Re:Why by a replica...

[websaber]

What I'm trying to figure out is how do they replicate zero gravity. The breakthru in physics alone is probably worth the price.

Re:Why by a replica...

[zcat_NZ]

'fraid not. It's much more likely to crash in OUR back yard! (Like Skylab. It came down on a small island just off the west coast of New Zealand!)

How do you know?

[Chemisor]

Why do you think that it will crash into YOUR back yard? After all, some of us have friends at NASA, and all that money for "unintentional" trajectory errors will surely outperform your uneducated guess.

Re:How do you know?

[TobiasSodergren]

As long as everybody involved in the calculations agrees on the metric system. Otherwise the module will end up on a back yard, after going through the earth first.

per ounce

[tsunamifirestorm]

it only costs $5.16 per ounce. good deal ;)

Heck....

[JoeLinux]

For that price, I'll take 2!!!

Re: Filled with hot grits?

[aardvarko]

And then make them into a Beowulf cluster?

Re:Heck....

[CaptBubba]

Sure, they may only be asking for $1.65million, but where they will really get ya is on shipping.

Re:Heck....

[AMD-lover]

They just send it by Atlas III.

Especially if...

[Chemisor]

Especially if you want it shipped to your space station. Then your shipping costs really skyrocket.

muhahaha

[77Punker]

This will really push forward some of the model rocketry enthusiasts! P class rockets will be small potatoes once somebody buys this!

Re:muhahaha

[Anonymous Coward]

Can we drop it from an airplane to get that weightlessness effect?

Re:muhahaha

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but just once.

A little pricey...

[bc90021]

While this is definitely "news for nerds", I think the price puts this out of the price range of "stuff that matters" for most of us. ;) I imagine, though, that several of these will get sold in December when all those government agencies are trying to figure out how to spend what remains in their budgets or else face a smaller budget the following year... ;)

Re:A little pricey...

[timothy]

How dare you impugn the fine reputation of our Federal servants with such a base accusation! Are you implying something untoward in the process of budgeting for the grand and glorious pursuit of all things heavenly? Why, your shame must know no lower bound, you cad, you boor, you naysayer! Shall I have to ask you to step outside and repeat your vile imprecations in the presence of witnesses and seconds?

Oh ... but you're right. Please disregard above.

timothy

Now we know...

[SharpFang]

where the air leaks from the station!
Now just how did they steal it from the orbit and why nobody noticed it missing.... maybe they were too busy looking for the leak to perform any experiments, then they would notice there's nowhere to perform the experiments.

Re:Now we know...

[OgGreeb]

Since they don't perform any experiments (too busy maintaining the station) they probably didn't notice it missing.

I like it

[citroidSD]

Cool, I have a 10% off coupon for the SpaceStore, I think i'll buy one!

oh wait...

Please note: No discounts or coupon codes may be used with this item.

I guess that base won't belong to me afterall...

authentic reproduction.

[tloh]

Ya know, I can only think of one way to simulate true microgravity in that thing. Too bad it can be done just once for at most a few minutes before you need to bail out.

For true accuracy...

[NightWulf]

Random unknown pieces have to start flying away from the model. Then my replica astronauts can attempt a spacewalk until the duct tape holding the suit closed breaks down.

The fine print

[ReverendLoki]

And to think I was this close to getting it when I saw the fine print:
"Please note: No discounts or coupon codes may be used with this item."

Wait...

[Maljin Jolt]

...until some chinese clone makes it to ThinkGeek. It will be more affordable to avarage de-socialised hacker. Must say, all those WORF (World Observation Research Facility), TIVS (Treadmill Vibration Isolation System) and HRF (Human Research Facility) features may even improve a sexual life of an average geek...

Re:Wait...

[Kenardy]

For $1.65 million, even YOU could get some.

Not that you'd know what to do with it, but we've all got to start somewhere.

This reminds me of,,,

[Zakabog]

... the cartoon network ultimate wish list [cartoonnetwork.com]. Does anyone actually buy this stuff? Well I can see the module being bought by a museum, MAYBE, but 1.65 million dollars is a lot of money to buy on something like that, it seems you could build your own for much cheaper. Sure it wouldn't be as accurate but you could make it as accurate as you want, and is this one even accurate? Does the real module weigh 20,000lbs? Wouldn't it have some super lightweight materials? Would any real people pay for one? I don't think anyone who actually has the money for this, would want this, since for a few million more they can probably go up to the ISS.

Re:This reminds me of,,,

[owlstead]

I don't think anyone who actually has the money for this, would want this, since for a few million more they can probably go up to the ISS.

Most people won't be able to go to the ISS though. The problem with that is not so much money as the other requirements. They won't let people that are not 100 fit for it on a space craft.

Not everything is for sale you know. Bah, it would not fit in my 3 by 4 (meter) room anyway.

ISS?

[LordK3nn3th]

For a second I thought it was talking about that god-awful web server.

Re:So...

[SWTP_OS9]

Actualy between that and the Rusan Brawn shuttle.

Re:So...

[Chanc_Gorkon]

Buran is the shuttle. And I believe it's in a park somewhere in Russia.

not a replica

[pizza_milkshake]

this is actually the original version of the module, tested by midget astronauts; god rest their souls.

The one that got away

[MajorDick]

In my life I have had a chance to buy some pretty odd things, some I bought some I didnt, of the many things I didnt buy there are a few that haunt me, a 1971 Superbird for 5 grand in 1988. and a full scale repilca of the Mercury Capsule in about 1985 for $800 , I dont think anyone except the flight engineers could have told it wasnt real, the fellow that built it spent 15 years building it then passed away, I had a chance to buy it and almost did, but I couldnt imagine where the heck I was going to put it, it was heavy as hell. I wonder what ever happened to it what a work of art

Someone should...

[222]

buy it and donate it to the IIS, seems like theyve been losing a few parts lately :)

Re:Someone should...

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually this 'replica' is just governments way of selling off one of the 'bigger' pieces that fell back down to Earth.

A well costed piece of history

[Linker3000]

For a mere $1,650,000.00 all their (replica) bases are belong to you.

But has it been inspected by...

[Fiz Ocelot]

But has it been inspected by the Nasalnaut [slashdot.org]?

Actually if you did have this thing outside in a very warm summer climate, you could have some problems there.

Re:But has it been inspected by...

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually if you did have this thing outside in a very warm summer climate, you could have some problems there.

especially if you farted in it...like a dutch oven.

4-6 weeks for delivery

[JohnsonWax]

Considering that they'll deliver it and assemble it in 4-6 weeks, why didn't NASA just hire them for the real thing since they have their own shipping worked out.

Maybe there are benefits to this outsourcing thing after all.

'The perfect addition to any school'

[hattig]

Sorry kids, due to budget limitations this year we can't afford any books and you'll be taught in classes of 90 ... but check out the playarea at lunch!

Re:Offtopic, but I need to know...

[RenaissanceGeek]

that would be an "engorgement-activated sundial"

Not realistic enough...

[psi42]

For the REAL space station experience, the thing has to be inside a sealed airless low-pressure vacuum chamber, and have holes poked in it. Then we can simulate the composure necessary to become an astronaut

Swear they had these at the WB store...

[UltimaL337Star]

A steal compared to ...what competition's price?

It belongs in the Wisconsin Dells..

[microcars]

just stick it across the street from the MIR SPACE STATION [roadsideamerica.com] so it won't get lonely...

Entire station...

[Jeff DeMaagd]

Hmmm. While not a replication, I have found and downloaded PDF specs that would allow a model builder to scratch build a scale model of the entire space station. I think it was on NASA's site somewhere, but it has been about five years since I've downloaded them. I think I strarted redrawing the specs for easier readability, I never got around to cutting plastic.

Quality

[pwroberts]

What exactly does "Museum Quality" mean? :-)

Is the thing airtight?! Can we send Cowboyneal into orbit in one of these?

sweet...

[liloconf]

I can finally own a piece of the Hindenburg...

WARNING!

[ffub]

For terrestrial use only. Do not use in space.

Seriously...

[StarKruzr]

Suppose for a minute I had some breakthrough propulsion system at my fingertips. Maybe I've figured out a way to generate gravitational force independent of mass. Now I need a spacecraft to test my propulsion system with. Actually building one myself from scratch would be wildly expensive (a lot more than 1.6m USD). Could I buy this thing and expect it to protect from radiation, be airtight, etc. etc.?

Using the metric system

[pixas]

for you lazy bastards using the metric system...
Keep in mind the weight of approximately 9 tonnes and the dimensions of 8.8 by 4.5 meters.

Build Your Own, It's Cheaper

[max born]

Question for slash dotters: If you had 1.6M to spend on a lab, what would you buy?

Oscilloscope, vacuum chamber, some high quality microscopes (optical. electron), breadboard (and an entire Radio Shack to go with), a decent laser, spectrometer, a good chemsirty set, an atomic clock, some high grade uranium (for experimental purposes only, of course), a G5 cluster? Oh and how about a cyclotron?

What have I missed?

Re:Build Your Own, It's Cheaper

[Lord of Ironhand]

What have I missed?

Coffee machine?

Re:Build Your Own, It's Cheaper

[tiled_rainbows]

And a bunch of grad students to make you coffee. Cute grad students.

Re:Build Your Own, It's Cheaper

[djeaux]

What have I missed?

A fridge & two cases of Shiner Bock.

Re:Build Your Own, It's Cheaper

[dtl]

let us price this up.

'scope, HP do some nice 3GHz bandwidth models = 30k

Vac. Chamber = well, we were quoted 500 for a 6" by 12" alu chamber, so call it 5000 for something of a reasoable size for general work. (ours is specialised)

Microscopes, ebay suggests ~20k for a 10 year old SEM, expect another 5k on optical + decent lenses, etc.

Breadboard = 25, parts from radioshack, no idea, expect them to be as over prices as Tandy was in the uk. Allow 2k.

Decent laser, excimer UV laser pumping a dye laser sh

Re:Build Your Own, It's Cheaper

[dtl]

these prices are UK pounds. Seem to have lost the sign in posting. Not that is makes avast difference to the cost.

Re: Zero-G Stowage Rack?

[GarthSweet]

No true!!!! At the exact center of mass of the universe there is no gravity! Geesh how ignorant can you be :-)

Anti gravity

[krusadr]

If upon entering it you were magically weightless then it would be worth the money.

That's the only thing holding me back. Oh, wait!

Re:Anti gravity

[SYSS Mouse]

Install an anti-gravity pad and there you go. Now my home country can train taikonaunt (I'm a Chinese, go Shenzhou spaceships.)

gosh darnit

[Anonymous Coward]

"Please note: No discounts or coupon codes may be used with this item."

gosh darnit i had a 50% off coupon! whats $825,000.00 amongst friends?

Just think if NASA was selling them...

[nexusone]

If you buy things in quanitity, the price will drop.

Just get people to put down money for their own copies of the modules, and NASA would be ordering them hundreds at a time.

This would be a great way for NASA to build the space station at a lower price and meet market demand. Maybe even make a profit!!!!

Units

[brucmack]

Wow, the International Space Station is apparently measured in Imperial units...

Re:Units

[Wolfrider]

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed..." [/Imperial March]

U.S. Laboratory Module Destiny

[simonharvey]

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery and assembly. Please note: No discounts or coupon codes may be used with this item.

assembly? does anybody know how to assemble an ISS module?

how thick is the manual -2 maybe 3 feet?

i'll just put it next to the 1:1 scale model of the deathstar which is just to the right of my holden

Re:U.S. Laboratory Module Destiny

[Chalybeous]

Five bucks says that the manual is in a language you don't speak, that you're missing at least one panel and a bag of small screws, and that some of the framing members are the wrong size - which would basically make it the NASA version of a flat-pack garden shed...

This is great, but...

[I_Love_Pocky!]

what about a beowulf cluster of these things? Now that would be something.

Dang

[Turismo86]

"No discounts or coupon codes may be used with this item." I'm never going to get to use my "Buy one space station get one free coupon."

Considering back in the day...

[NeuroManson]

When Challenger was built, it was originally planned as an alternative Enterprise demonstration model. Would it be possible to modify the module to act as part of another space station?

Re:Considering back in the day...

[Vokbain]

When Challenger was built, it was originally planned as an alternative Enterprise demonstration model. Would it be possible to modify the module to act as part of another space station?

And look what happened to Challenger...

Re:Considering back in the day...

[NeuroManson]

Yeah, but that wasn't directly due to a flaw in Challenger, it was a failed o-ring gasket in the solid rocket booster that did it in.

Too bad Bill Gates doesn't seem to be interested

[melted]

in space-related stuff. He could buy this thing with spare cash from one of his pockets. Heck, he could probably buy the entire ISS together with astronauts.

sounds great....

[BravoVictor]

...but does it run linux?

Or make your own - for FREE :)

[M0b1u5]

http://www.marscenter.it/eng/modellismoiss.htm

Raimondo Fortezza has done a great job of creating downloadable PDFs of the ISS components. It's cost me about NZ$220 to print them all, and I am most of the way through assembling them all.

http://www.mistaril.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35 2

for photos of the parts.

The work is time consuming but rewarding. The parts are very detailed and not for children - but for model makers and enthusiasts.

I have done about 300 hours so far on it - and have maybe another 150 to go before it's complete (in its current state.)

We are still waiting for PIRS docking module and US Airlock components.

YeeHaaw

[BCW2]

That would make someone into high class trailer trash.

Ive found a cheaper model..

[adeyadey]

Dont worry guys, Ive found a much cheaper alternative here.. [animationpitstop.com]
Nearly as useful too!

Mir Crashinsanity

[Ray Radlein]

I used to have a functional replica of the Mir space station, but after the carburetor broke and its transmission rusted out, I sold it to some guy who always wanted his own 1969 Camaro.

Last words from the ISS :

[ColaMan]

"Hmm, that's funny, the airlock to the science module won't open... I'll just open it manually..."

pounds?

[fuck_this_shit]

What are these pounds you are talking about? There are quite a few different "pounds" in use across the world. How about using the agreed standard kilogram instead? There is only a single definition for it. thanks. It pays to be clear in what you say.

I'll wait about 10 years...

[GodLived]

... then pick one up cheap at a Hamfest [arrl.org].

Re:I'll wait about 10 years...

[AMD-lover]

In another 10 years, the real thing will be lying in your back yard. Solar panels and the other modules included.

Makes a nice computer lab...

[Lodragandraoidh]

I have been meaning to add a computer lab/server room to my house - THIS IS PERFECT!!