Maker Builds Fully Working Project Hail Mary Control Panel from Trailer Footage Alone

Matt from Creative Geekery knew from the moment he spotted the cockpit in a Project Hail Mary pre-release trailer that he was going to have to build it. The layout of those buttons and panels hooked him immediately, and despite having almost no reference material to work from, he set about recreating the feel of it using parts he already had around the house. What came out the other side looks like it belongs on a spaceship.

Components started arriving at his workspace in ordinary boxes, including a 7 inch HDMI screen comprised the primary part of the display, connected to a Neumi Atom 4K media player to handle video playback. Push buttons came with protective covers that required custom shaping, which took a lot of trial and error. Rotary dials turned out to be ordinary potentiometers with stylish silver knobs. An old broken keyboard completed the lower section.

Design work began with Tinkercad, a free piece of software in which Matt began sketching out the layout on paper before measuring each item to obtain the on-screen dimensions as close as feasible. The button covers required some reworking, but he eventually arrived with a design that resembled a shuttle. He also tried several times to get the keyboard’s hinge mechanism to work properly before it swung effortlessly out.

He utilized laser-cut plywood for the base layers and 3D printed a variety of other parts to create depth and structure. It was a little difficult to get things to work properly after it was all put together. The screen was first secured using hot glue, but shifted slightly as he began testing. He had to disassemble everything and thoroughly secure the display before it was stable. Wiring everything up required some guesswork, but he eventually got it functioning in a sensible series configuration. Buttons were directly linked to the media player, so each hit triggered a distinct video clip or sound effect.

He also created the on-screen images in Microsoft PowerPoint, converted them as simple animations, and loaded them onto the player. For added impact, he added a few LEDs to give the buttons some subtle backlighting. He connected power to a standard multi-plug wire in the back. The finishing touches were what gave it that authentic look and feel. He sanded down some of the rough edges before spray painting it all silver. With a little weathering to give it some wear and tear, and some matte gaffer tape to conceal the gaps between the panels, the keyboard now swings out on its homemade hinge, allowing him free access beneath.
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