Deep-space exploration vehicles such as the starship U.S.S. Enterprise in the iconic science fiction series “Star Trek” carry several auxiliary craft for short trips to other spacecraft or to make planet landings. “Galileo” is perhaps the most famous such vehicle.
The Galileo shuttlecraft is a Class F shuttlecraft carries up to seven passengers and has space-warp engines for interstellar travel. A Constitution-class starship like the U.S.S. Enterprise typically carries four shuttlecraft.
For “Star Trek,” the sets that would represent Galileo were constructed by the Aluminum Model Toys company (AMT). The sets were built for free in exchange for the rights to manufacture plastic model kits of the show’s various spaceships. Early designs by “Star Trek” designer Walter “Matt” Jefferies proved too complex to build in time, so AMT redesigned a boxier shape. [See Photos of the Galileo Restoration] Car customizer Gene Winfield led the team that built the Galileo exterior mockup. The 23-foot (7 meters) mockup has a 5.5-foot (1.7 meters) ceiling height and is empty inside with no interior details. The mockup’s framework was welded from 2-inch square steel tubing. Carpenters covered the frame with wood and sheet metal.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration
