How to fold an origami moon base
A real space project. Fold a lander whose legs and foot pads come from outside reverse folds, a pleated dome with a door, a buggy, craters, Earth, a satellite and an astronaut.
You need: 23 pieces: navy A4, grey, dark grey, white, yellow, gold, orange, blue, green, silver, pale grey and navy paper (sizes in steps). Scissors, glue, pens.. Challenge, 65 steps, about 90 minutes.
Steps
- Moon surface: curve the horizon. Start with the moon surface, a 29.7 × 11.7 cm grey piece. Fold both top corners behind, 9 cm along the top and 3 cm down the sides.
- Moon surface: round it. Fold the two new corners on the top edge behind, 2 cm along each edge, so the horizon bends round smoothly.
- Crater: new sheet. Set the moon surface aside. For a crater, take a 4.8 × 2 cm dark grey piece, grey side up.
- Crater: make it oval. Fold all four corners behind, 9 mm along each edge, so the crater is a flat oval.
- Crater: new sheet. Set the crater aside. For another crater, take a 3.6 × 1.5 cm dark grey piece, grey side up.
- Crater: make it oval. Fold the four corners behind the same way, for a flat oval.
- Crater: new sheet. Set the crater aside. For another crater, take a 3 × 1.2 cm dark grey piece, grey side up.
- Crater: make it oval. Fold the four corners behind the same way, for a flat oval.
- Earth: new sheet. Set the crater aside. For Earth, take a 5.2 cm blue square, blue side up.
- Earth: corners behind. Fold the four corners behind, 1.5 cm along each edge.
- Earth: round it. Fold the eight new corners behind a little, about 5 mm each, so Earth is round.
- Land: new sheet. Set the Earth aside. For the land, take a 3 × 2.8 cm green piece, green side up.
- Land: big corners. Fold the top left and bottom right corners behind, a long way: 1.6 cm along one edge and 1 cm along the other.
- Land: little corners. Fold the other two corners behind just a little, 5 mm each way. A lumpy land shape, like a continent.
- Solar panels: new sheet. Set the land aside. For the solar panels, take a 6.3 cm blue square, white side up.
- Panels: edges to the middle. Fold the top and bottom edges to meet on the middle line.
- Panels: fold in half. Fold the top edge down onto the bottom edge to make one long blue strip.
- Satellite body: new sheet. Set the solar panels aside. For the satellite body, take a 2.8 cm gold square, white side up.
- Body: sides to the middle. Fold the left and right edges in to meet on the middle line.
- Dish: new sheet. Set the satellite body aside. For the dish, take a 1.9 cm silver square, white side up, as a diamond.
- Dish: make a triangle. Fold the top corner down to meet the bottom corner.
- Dish: flatten the bowl. Fold the bottom point up behind, so the triangle becomes a shallow bowl.
- Dome: new sheet. Set the dish aside. For the dome, take a white piece, 8.8 cm wide and 9 cm tall, white side up.
- Dome: base ring, fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1.4 cm above it.
- Dome: base ring, fold down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. The ledge is the ring the dome sits on.
- Dome: shoulders. Fold both top corners behind, 3 cm along the top and 3 cm down the side.
- Dome: round it. Fold the four new corners behind, 9 mm along each edge, so the top is a smooth round dome.
- Door: new sheet. Set the dome aside. For the door, take a 1.9 × 2.8 cm yellow piece, yellow side up.
- Door: arched top. Fold the two top corners behind, 6 mm along each edge, for an arched door glowing with light.
- Lander legs: new sheet. Set the door aside. For the lander's legs, the hard part: a 14.4 × 3.2 cm dark grey strip, white side up, lying long.
- Lander legs: edges to the middle. Fold the top and bottom edges in to meet along the middle. Now it is grey on both sides.
- Lander legs: fold in half. Fold the bottom half up onto the top half. The fold along the bottom is the lander's underside.
- Lander legs: legs down. Outside-reverse-fold each end down and out, creasing up from the bottom fold 1.6 cm each side of the middle. Two splayed legs.
- Lander legs: foot pads. Outside-reverse-fold the last 1.4 cm of each leg out sideways, creasing from the leg's fold. Flat foot pads to stand on.
- Lander cabin: new sheet. Set the lander legs aside. For the lander's cabin, take a 5.6 × 5.3 cm gold piece, gold side up.
- Lander cabin: band, fold up. Fold the bottom edge up, creasing 1.6 cm above it.
- Lander cabin: band, fold down. Fold it back down 4 mm higher. The step splits the cabin from the lower stage.
- Lander cabin: corners. Fold the two top corners behind, 1.2 cm along each edge, for a chunky capsule.
- Backpack: new sheet. Set the lander cabin aside. For the backpack, take a 4 cm darker grey square, grey side up.
- Backpack: top and bottom behind. Fold the top and bottom edges a little way behind to make a wide box.
- Arms: new sheet. Set the backpack aside. For the arms, take a 6.8 cm pale grey square, white side up.
- Arms: edges to the middle. Fold the top and bottom edges to meet on the middle line.
- Arms: and again. Fold the new top and bottom edges to the middle line again.
- Arms: round the hands. Fold all four corners of the strip a little way behind to round the gloves.
- Spacesuit: new sheet. Set the arms aside. For the spacesuit, take a 3.4 cm pale grey square, grey side up.
- Suit: fold in half. Fold the left edge over onto the right edge.
- Suit: cut the shape. Cut through both layers: snip off the top right corner for a shoulder, then cut a slanted gap up from the bottom of the fold to make the legs.
- Suit: open it. Unfold the suit. It has round shoulders and two chunky legs.
- Helmet: new sheet. Set the spacesuit aside. For the helmet, take a 3.1 cm pale grey square, grey side up.
- Helmet: round it. Fold all four corners a little way behind to make a round helmet.
- Visor: new sheet. Set the helmet aside. For the visor, take a 2.3 cm navy square, navy side up.
- Visor: top and bottom behind. Fold the top and bottom edges a little way behind so the visor is wider than it is tall.
- Visor: round the corners. Fold the four corners behind to round them off.
- Wheel: new sheet. Set the visor aside. For a wheel, take a 2.8 cm dark grey square, grey side up.
- Wheel: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for a chunky round wheel.
- Wheel: new sheet. Set the wheel aside. For the other wheel, take another 2.8 cm dark grey square.
- Wheel: round it. Fold all four corners behind, 8 mm along each edge, for a chunky round wheel.
- Buggy: new sheet. Set the wheel aside. For the moon buggy, take a 9.8 × 4 cm orange strip, white side up, lying long.
- Buggy: edges to the middle. Fold the top and bottom edges in to meet along the middle. Now it is orange on both sides.
- Buggy: fold in half. Fold the top half down onto the bottom half. The fold along the top is the buggy's deck.
- Buggy: seat back. Outside-reverse-fold the left 2.4 cm up, leaning back a little, creasing down from the deck fold. It is the seat back.
- Buggy: nose. Fold the top right corner behind on a slant, 1.4 cm along the deck and down to the bottom corner, for a sloping nose.
- Sky: new sheet. Set the buggy aside. Last, the sky: a deep navy A4 sheet, coloured side up, lying long.
- Build the scene. Glue the moon surface, craters, Earth with its land and the satellite on the sky. Add the dome and door, the lander, the astronaut, then the wheels and buggy.
- Stand it up. Bend the sky gently towards you, just right of the astronaut, and stand the moon base up on the table.
One small step!
Draw crater rims, the dome's windows, seam and door knob, the lander's window, the astronaut's chest pack, wheel hubs, white clouds on Earth and stars.