Dec 222015
 

I’ve finally received a copy of The 2001 File: Harry Lange and the Design of the Landmark Science Fiction Film which covers the work done by designer Harry Lange on “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Included within it is a *mass* of preliminary sketches and he like… and one “Space Station-5 Final Design Blueprint.” The model is shown as being 8 feet in diameter. The scale of the model is given as 1/32″ = 1’0″ which, if I’ve done my math correctly equates to 1/384 scale. Und zo… overall diameter of Space Station 5 is 8*384 feet… 3,072 feet.

UPDATE, two years later: Welp, turns out I made a stupid mistake. The 1/384 scale is correct… but for the *drawing,* not the *model.* The Drawing was reproduced at 1/4 the full scale of the model, so the diameter of the full-scale space Station V would be 1/4 X 3,072 feet = 768 feet, much more in line with understanding and logic.

Around about a year ago I got some vague rumors that one of the forthcoming books would have a reliable blueprint of the Station; awaiting this was one of the reasons why my work on my Space Station V diagrams ground to a halt. I figured the diagrams would show the station to be smaller than I had estimated. I did not expect that it would be *way* bigger. Well, there it is. When the facts don’t match your cherished theory… change the theory to match the facts.

The diagram is a close match for the model as built; it’s not some really early concept (though there are lots of those). So it is as close to “canon” as you can get.

As for the book: this is one of those books us “2001” engineering nerds have been waiting for. it doesn’t commit the dreadful sin of trying the force the pages into some weird shape or size; the pages are about 10″ by 11.” It’s more than 300 pages, *filled* with sketches and art and diagrams, including many of the Orion III, the Station, Discovery, Moon bus, etc. Layout map of Clavius Base, satellite designs, secondary vehicles, the works. If you haven’t ordered a copy, do so. It’s worth the price.
The 2001 File: Harry Lange and the Design of the Landmark Science Fiction Film


 Posted by at 1:08 pm