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As seen in the depths of the Smithsonian, here it is disassembled Company.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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Here’s a natural light shot of the dish area.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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And the same in infrared!
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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We hope the Smithsonian also displays its collection of “original photos and negatives” of the model!
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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Conservator Ariel O’Connor performs X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry to find out exactly which metal alloy was used to build the harbor gondola.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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Who knew this is what the inside of the original is Company resembling?
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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And the innards of the saucer part!
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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This is a cross-sectional color analysis done last year.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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More cross-sectional color analysis.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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Nice colours!
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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Museum specialist David Wilson tries to figure out which gray exactly matches the paint hidden inside.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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Museum specialists Zabih Sadighian (right) and Larry Berger conduct initial tests with LED lighting strips concealed within the model.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
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The original model of the Company is 3.4 meters (11 ft) tall.
2016 is a big year for it Star Trek fans – it’s the 50th anniversary of the series’ debut! To mark the occasion, a new film (Star Trek on) and likely first glimpses of the upcoming new television series. But the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum also does its part.
The organization is currently undertaking major restoration work on the original Company model, the one used in filming all 79 episodes of the original series. The model was donated to the Smithsonian in 1974, but was removed from public display in September 2015 for urgent preservation.
“We’re working on both stabilizing it and making it appear the way people saw it on the show,” Nicholas Partridge, a Smithsonian spokesperson, told Ars.
The restoration is specifically to restore the model to the way it was during the filming of the episode The problem with Tribblesi.e. the “last known modification of the ship during the production of Star Trek.” By the summer of 2016, the Company is scheduled to move to the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.
The Smithsonian was kind enough to share images of the work in progress (below). But if you happen to be in DC this weekend, visitors to the annual Open House at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on Saturday, January 30 will be able to get an up close look at the model restoration.
Frame image by Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum