Galileo Restoration Update - February 2013

Galileo restoration continues and we are making a great deal of progress. We have had a great deal of support from fans. Below are some highlight photos from February 2013.

Rear - before impulse deck built.



The impulse deck being built... laminating the layers.


From the front: coming along!


Part of the paint match process - an original piece of Galileo wood, and note how the colors in test don't come very close. Remember, the wood is old and the color weathered.



Impulse deck - assembled!!




Inside looking forward:


Inside looking rear:


And the landing gear being fit in!


Finally: we made The New Yorker - great article and a bit of "day in the life" of the restoration. Thanks to Tom Vinciguerra who is a dedicated fan.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/02/the-fate-of-star-treks-galileo.html

Enjoy. Appreciate everyone's support.

 

It's not very clear from these photos was was actually left of this thing when it was first acquired. It looks like there was nothing more than a metal frame and no interior or shell. Are there any good photos documenting what actually existed before the new pieces started getting fabricated? Post-restoration you're going to want to know what's still original and what's not. If there's nothing left of the shell after restoration, it's really not much of a restoration anymore. It's a recreation over a metal framework that could just as well have been built from scratch also.

 

Do you know that many of the "restored" aircraft in museums around the world contain very few parts of the original? This is an amazing effort. The fact that the "masonite" skin was left outside for 30 years and needed to be replaced is not a big deal. The structure which is the frame is completely intact and putting the new wood on the existing frame should give an exact match to the original. I am so tired of hearing that since the decayed press board was not saved (it could NOT be used) that this is more of a rebuild; it is not. This is better than any fan could hope for given the condition of the Galileo. Also, fans should be appreciate this even more since just 2 years ago the Galileo was thought destroyed.

Thank you for the update and great photos . . . looking forward to more!!


Will

P.S. I think the colors look great!

 

I agree. I don't give a flying f--- how much of the original wood was left. If all anyone wants to do is quibble about whether or not to call it a restoration or a rebuild, well, they have too much time on their hands. Kudos to Mr. Schneider for great work.

Thanks for the update and I look forward to the next one.

 

I'm excited about this restoration project, and I hope the Galileo ends up on permanent display somewhere. Maybe the sci-fi museum needs a new wing...?

 

Long live the Galileo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeuoYctp2fo

 

Glad to see an update! From the looks of it, they are doing a very professional job.

 

Thank you so much for the update. I am so excited about this and appreciative that this is happening.I only hope that when she is done and on display that I will be able to see her in person. Again...thank you!

 

There is information as well as pictures of Galileo in various stages of decomposition on various sites on the internet. There are even pics out there of the Miarecki work. You could extrapolate from there what is old and new.
In my thoughts comments throughout the years gave Ed a bad rap back when he worked on the prior restoration. I don't know...perhaps his work on her helped to stabilize her so that she would not have deteoriated even more. I know that she sat outside and all but a coat of paint can make alot of difference.Again, I am glad that she is still with us.

 

Ed did not actually work on the Galileo; he only visited during the renovation.

 

Looks amazing. Great job!

Not everyone who asks how much of Galileo is original is going to quibble over the terms "restore" and "rebuild." Some just want to know, without searching online for photos of often unstated vintages and speculating about unseen parts of an unfamiliar structure. Asking people who actually know is reasonable. Just saying.

Keep up the good work!

 

Thanks Feek as I did not know that. Back in the day when that was all over the net with his work on the Big E in the museum I would have thought that he did. I even remember many posts on the boards lamenting him as they still do over his paint scheme on Big E. They were afraid that he was going to carry this over to Galileo.Thanks again.

 

I find this interesting and inspirational. Makes me think of what it might have been like when it was first built and slowly taking form. Man those guys had imagination. And to my thinking no subsequent full-size Trek mock-up was as effective. Certainly not the dorky looking TNG shuttlepods.

 

BTW, while Ed did not work on Galileo (he visited) he has been helping us with color samples from the original Enterprise model... its not clear the studio model and the set piece Galileo should be the same color, by the way, but it seemed reasonable to check!!

 

Just don't add any grid lines to the shuttle and things will be fine!

 

Someone over on the HobbyTalk forum mentioned the Ship of Theseus paradox. I never knew it had that name until now. You learn something new every day.

At any rate, since most of the Galileo's metal parts (framework, nacelles, wing/pylon structures) are still intact, the old girl is probably still more than 50 percent original if you go by weight.

 

LoL....that is the exact same thing that they were saying back then. As far as what to call this and me being an old ship builder here we would have call it an "Overhaul". She was pulled out of mothballs, saved from being scrapped and she is being overhauled in a boat yard.

 

They could easily finance the repairs the way NASA finances restoration of the old spacecraft. The old rotted and unusable scraps could be placed in acrylic and sold to fans. I would love to own a piece of the Galileo.

 

Yes, but the Galileo has undergone several restorations over the years. Does any of the wood from the original shuttle still exist or is it all from a prior restoration?