Hidden Figures – Friendship 7

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Portraits of NASA mathematicians Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson in bas relief on the Friendship 7 capsule. The story of these African-American women's pivotal role in the first orbit of the Earth by an American is told in the book and movie Hidden Figures. The model is easily recognizable as a space capsule but only when it is lit from inside do these 'hidden figures' fully reveal themselves. This model symbolizes the invisible but vital contribution African-American women made to the early space program. There are three versions of this model available: v1, a one-piece model of Friendship 7 with portraits in bas relief on the exterior; v2, a two-piece model of Friendship 7 with portraits in bas relief on the exterior; and v3, a two-piece model of Friendship 7 with portraits engraved from the interior. The appearance of the portraits with backlight (lithophane) depends on several factors, including scale factor, slicing settings, and filament opacity. Experimentation and test prints are required to achieve the desired effect. These models are suitable for remixing for a variety of projects. Example photos show the model scaled at 60% for use as a nightlight. Invaluable technical assistance was provided by @HoneyPoint3D (https://www.honeypoint3d.com/) and @CentralScience (http://www.thingiverse.com/contentbydesign/about). This model would not have been possible without the conversion of the NASA Friendship 7 3D model to STL by my good friend @Zheng3_Jim (http://zheng3.com/).