 Whether it's a full-scale mock-up of the shuttle used by astronauts for training or a display model of a futuristic lunar transportation system, a small group of craftsmen at NASA's Johnson Space Center has probably had a hand in their construction. For 30 years, modeling has been an integral part of engineering support for the space program. Each project, whether large or small, has its own set of challenges, according to veteran model builder Mike McGuire. It's just skills acquired over a period of time. I don't believe there's a school that you can actually go to and learn everything that's done out here in the model shop. It's a pretty unique position. The shop typically has a number of projects going on at the same time. Here, Tom Loosmoor forms a part for a space station vacuum cleaner that Roger Megason and Jack Anthematin assemble. Larger projects like this model of a heat shield for space payloads go through a series of trial stages before the final component is built. A low-cost wood and fiberglass mock-up helps engineers decide where to place instruments and wiring. A foam core model assures that the heat shield's tiles will fit properly. These are all necessary steps taken before the final prototype is built. You're not going to go out and buy a $25,000 chunk of aluminum and mill that all the way down, and suddenly you discover that's not what I wanted at all. So it's a lot easier to do that out of cheap material. Most model building is still done by hand. But recently, labor-saving computer-driven machinery has taken over some of the tasks. The model shop's latest high-tech apparatus literally grows parts out of plastic with the aid of lasers and computers. JSC has one of only a few laser stereolithography machines in the country. Engineers can come into the shop with the part they've designed and the machine will build it by scanning laser beams into a vat of light-sensitive plastic. Minute by minute, the laser builds up layers of hardened resin, a part that might have taken a week to machine can be completed overnight. Although labor-saving devices play a vital role in modeling, it is the skill and artistic ability of the people that bring ideas to life. The model builders helping turn the concepts of today into the flight hardware of tomorrow. Thank you.