# Questions about the Astrogator on the J2



## Vindi (Mar 20, 2009)

I'm picking up the J2 next week to start on it this summer. The questions I have are these:

1. In the series was the Astrogator ever shown raised?
2. On the model, is the dome for the Astrogator able to fit in the dome on the top of the hull?
3. How much room is there between the floor and the bottom hull?
4. How high would the Astrogator have to be raised the fit in the dome?

I think some might be able to see where I'm going with this.

I'm thinking of being able to raise and lower the Astrogator into and out of the dome.

Anyone thinks this is possible?

Vindi


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

It has been said the Astrogator is shown raised in the very first episode "The Reluctant Stowaway", I have that episode PVR'd and I cannot find a scene showing that happening.


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## skinnyonce (Dec 17, 2009)

Vindi said:


> I'm picking up the J2 next week to start on it this summer. The questions I have are these:
> 
> 1. In the series was the Astrogator ever shown raised?
> 2. On the model, is the dome for the Astrogator able to fit in the dome on the top of the hull?
> ...


1-In the pilot and first episode there is a brief allure to the astrogator being lowered to the floor level of the ship,

2-I think the domes are the same size so youll need a different combo 

3-1.5 inches/ at center of ship, and thats a tight fit

4- dont know

Of coarse these need to be verified by someone who actually has built one, I am taking measurements off an unassembled kit..

are we gonna use an antenna retract sytem off a car to raise and lower the astrogator, or similar idea.....


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Yes in the pilot episode the Astrogator is shown lowering into the floor. It might be the first scene inside the ship? If you dont know what you are looking at, you will miss it

Actually its at 7:45 in the original PILOT Nowhere to Hide... once the Gemini 12 blasts off and is headed towards Alpha Centauri there is a nice shot of the Astrogator lowering down into the floor.


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

The astrogator can clearly be seen in "And There Were Giants in the Earth", raised and housed in the upper dome. Clearly the upper dome is bigger, to accomodate the astrogator dome. The circular opening in the ceiling is wide enough to allow the unit to fit in the "roof" and the pole to lift it is clearly seen. The base is also clearly visible on the floor. Technically it is the Gemini XII from the pilot, but it is standing in for the Jupiter II so to me it is "canon"!


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I made a quick screen shot off Hulu... Nowhere to Hide 7:45


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## skinnyonce (Dec 17, 2009)

RSN said:


> The astrogator can clearly be seen in "And There Were Giants in the Earth", raised and housed in the upper dome. Clearly the upper dome is bigger, to accomodate the astrogator dome. The circular opening in the ceiling is wide enough to allow the unit to fit in the "roof" and the pole to lift it is clearly seen. The base is also clearly visible on the floor. Technically it is the Gemini XII from the pilot, but it is standing in for the Jupiter II so to me it is "canon"!


Notice to Junes left, there is no wall , just a straight shot to the storage closet


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## RSN (Jul 29, 2008)

skinnyonce said:


> Notice to Junes left, there is no wall , just a straight shot to the storage closet


Yup, no airlock!


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Richard Baker said:


> It has been said the Astrogator is shown raised in the very first episode "The Reluctant Stowaway", I have that episode PVR'd and I cannot find a scene showing that happening.


Take a look at "No Place To Hide", 7:43 in to the video and you will see the Astrogator coming down........


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## Fernando Mureb (Nov 12, 2006)

Being impossible to conciliate the astrogator "raising-till-fit-into-dome" feature of the G-XII with the spinning scanner of the J-II, my choice is the beautiful lighting effect of the second. I don't have $$$ to build two J-II.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

teslabe said:


> Take a look at "No Place To Hide", 7:43 in to the video and you will see the Astrogator coming down........


I have never seen that pilot before-it would have been an interesting show if they had continued in that direction without the B-9 and Smith. 

.


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Richard Baker said:


> I have never seen that pilot before-it would have been an interesting show if they had continued in that direction without the B-9 and Smith.
> 
> .


It was never aired, it's included in the "Complete First Season" DVD set. The B-9 would have been a must and if they would have keep Dr Smith a straight creep, I think it would have worked better then the way they took the show in season 2 and 3, IMHO......


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

I was watching the first couple again- Dr. Smith was a rather sardonic character- he attacks a security guard before lift off (with a karate chop to the neck no less) and the camera pans to a warning sign about the Reactor- you get the impression he was about to shove the unconscious guard in there. The guard ends up sliding down the disposal chute into just a dumpster, but the way it plays the whole scene was so different from the screaming buffoon of the later shows.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

well harris knew if the character had been left the way he was, they would have had to kill him off before the end of the first season. you just couldnt keep up him trying to kill the robinsons without him either succeeding in offing at least 1 of them, and/or getting caught in the attempt and executed.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Ya also have to wonder how you would hold those star charts to get the correct orientation.


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## Richard Baker (Aug 8, 2006)

I wonder how the Astrogator functioned. You see it being used as a flight control, both with the pistol grip stick and the roating ring at the base of the dome (magnetic Ring Scene), the interior seems to be a fancy way to show the craft's orientation in flight.
Why would it ascend into the top dome?
If it was providing critical data from up there why have the controls on it where you could not reach them then? 

.


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## starseeker (Feb 1, 2006)

Fernando Mureb said:


> Being impossible to conciliate the astrogator "raising-till-fit-into-dome" feature of the G-XII with the spinning scanner of the J-II, my choice is the beautiful lighting effect of the second. I don't have $$$ to build two J-II.


You could do both: an astrogator on a small scrap antenna or something, capable of raising into a removable vac formed clear top dome, and an alternate replaceable plug-and-spin top dome with lighting effects. If your motto was something crazy like: "How can I possibly make this more complicated?" Which, I have to admit, sounds very familiar, to me, at least.



Richard Baker said:


> I wonder how the Astrogator functioned. You see it being used as a flight control, both with the pistol grip stick and the roating ring at the base of the dome (magnetic Ring Scene), the interior seems to be a fancy way to show the craft's orientation in flight.
> Why would it ascend into the top dome?
> If it was providing critical data from up there why have the controls on it where you could not reach them then?
> 
> .


I always assumed that when the automatic pilot was in the raised position, at launch or landing, the ship was under automatic control. When the ship was in flight, coasting, and the autopilot was lowered so that the pilot, if thawed, could reach the controls, then the ship allowed for manual override. Which wasn't supposed to be necessary if all functioned as it should. Much like the Mercury or Gemini missions of the day. The astronauts had no control over the launch at all, had the ability to do some limited "piloting" during the flight, but were only supposed to take control the landings in case something went wrong. Which happened a few times. And even once later on, during the most famous landing of an Apollo on the moon. The Jupiter 2 is very much an extension of the Mercury/Gemini days. Same interior colors used throughout, for one thing. Much as the Seaview was based of the Navy's Nautilus.


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