Fun Fact: The International Space Station was Acton’s first model designed to always be hung from above. He incorporated an aluminum frame to provide additional support, as the model is quite heavy.
International Space Station
Acton built the International Space Station for Ripley Believe It or Not in 2014. The model of ISS and its companion cutaway modules took 282,000 matchsticks to complete.
Ripley’s asked Acton to include cutaways, showing the interior of some of the station’s modules to viewers. Despite the model’s large 1/28 scale, viewers would have a difficult time seeing any interior details with the model hanging high above their heads. To resolve the problem Acton built 1/14 scale cutaways of the Zvezda and Jules Verne ATV modules.
The 1/14-scaled cutaway models represent the Russian Zvezda module and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jules Verne Automated Transport Vehicle (ATV) module, which make up a small portion of the International Space Station (ISS). The Zvezda was the third module launched as construction of the real ISS began back in 1998. The ATVs came later and play an essential role carrying supplies to and from the ISS, since the retirement of the United States space shuttles.
ZVEZDA
The Zvezda took about 33,000 matchsticks to complete. The module originally provided all life support systems for the space station as well as reboost capabilities to change the orbit of the ISS. It still serves as the Russian living quarters. The cutaway section shows the command center as well as the “manual docking controls” that are used if the automated system were to fail during vehicle docking maneuvers. Also shown in the cutaway are dozens of storage compartments, Earth observation windows, work/dining table, bathroom, airlock hatches, and fuel, oxygen, and water tanks section.
JULES VERNE/ATV
Jules Verne, constructed with 22,000 matchsticks, is the second of two cutaway modules constructed for Ripley’s. The Jules Verne ATV is one of European Space Agency’s five different ATV units used to ferry supplies to the ISS and remove waste from the space station. The ATVs carry water, gas, propulsion fuel, oxygen, and solid materials to the station. They are then loaded with waste and unwanted materials from the ISS before returning to earth during a controlled burn, where they disintegrate in the upper atmosphere.
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