MOL Manned orbiting laboratory

[KILTED COWBOY]

I was just watching a show on Smithsonian Channel on cold was secrets
Ther was a program called MOL to put astronauts in orbit in a spy lab
Looks like it used a Titan 3C with a special Gemini capsule.
Has anyone built one of these.
I am intrigued and may start looking at it

 

[kuririn]

Dr. Zooch had a Titan IIIC MOL kit.
There is also an Estes DOM using the Gemini capsule with a lab and solar panels
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/eirp_73.htm

 

[kuririn]

Or you can take this
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/est2019.htm
And sub a Gemini capsule for the payload section.
Here's a pic

 

[aerostadt]

That is an amazing picture, Kuririn! As a lot of TRF'ers know there was another USAF Titan IIIC project that carried the Dynasoar into orbit like the MOL. As Kuririn mentioned the Estes kit can be used to make a MOL model. At least two TRF'ers have used this Estes kit to make a Titan IIIC/DynaSoar model.

 

[KILTED COWBOY]

Where can you find that Estes kit is eBay the best place

 

[kuririn]

If you build it from the IIIE kit then eBay would be your best bet since it has been long out of production. Finding one at a reasonable price is another matter.
You can also clone it from the plans at JimZ's (above) and using John Brohm's Estes body tube reference list. That list shows all the tubes in the kit and their lengths. I'll post the .pdf below for you.
Erockets has the balsa Gemini capsule in a BT-60 size
https://www.erockets.biz/semroc-balsa-nose-cone-bt-60-3-0-gemini-capsule-sem-bnc-60gt/
The nose cones for the boosters will be more of a problem. Erockets has two BT-60 size blunted conical cones, but one is too short and the other is too long. You could cut the longer one down and sand/turn to shape, or have one custom turned at Roach Werks, for example. You can also check Shapeways or Thingiverse, they may have the booster nose cones in 3D. Or not.
Finally there is a dimensional drawing and color scheme for the MOL in Alway's Rockets of the World. If you don't have the book or access to it then PM me, I can send you the scan. Don't want to post copyrighted info here out of respect to the author.

 

[Ez2cDave]

I am re-uploading my LARGE library of GEMINI MOL / DORIAN data to Dropbox.

If anyone wants this data, send me an email and I will send you an invitation.

[email protected]

Dave F.

 

[John Brohm]

...
There is also an Estes DOM using the Gemini capsule with a lab and solar panels
https://www.spacemodeling.org/jimz/eirp_73.htm

It's a fun build. My attempt at it:

 

[Ez2cDave]

 

[Initiator001]

At NARAM-57, Chris Flanigan won the C Division scale event with a Titan III MOL.

 

[KILTED COWBOY]

Nice stuff all around.

 

[Jay Chladek]

The MOL was actually going to fly on the Titan IIIM, which would have featured longer length solid rocket boosters. The vehicle that flew on the Titan IIIC test launch was a boilerplate lab built from a Titan 1 body. The mission was primarily a test of the capsule's heat shield with a hatch cut into it to make sure the concept would work before doing it with a manned flight.

Not much data exists on the IIIM boosters, but I gather the preliminary work was dusted off when the Air Force got approval to develop the Titan IV as that bird uses longer length SRBs as well. Peter Alway's Rockets of the World (if you can find a copy) has lots of scale data on the Titan family of rockets including the MOL IIIC and the IV (but not the IIIM as that variant was never built or flown).

 

[GlenP]

I think the Viking 1 & 2 Mars landers and the Voyager 1 & 2 deep space probes were launched on some versions of the Titan III/Centaur rockets also.

 

[burkefj]

Boyce has a parts set for the titan III, I'm sure he could do a bt60 gemini or get the balsa cone from erockets