The 20,000th Mission's Virtual Celebration!

Hello Troops,
A milestone was reached last week and went almost unreported. Last Tuesday afternoon the Space Center ran our 20,000 mission! I’m not sure which mission it was because it happened during an afternoon school field trip when the Voyager, Odyssey and Phoenix were running. simultaneously. I intended to make it a big deal with some kind of celebration but didn't. I'm a bore, according to my staff. My idea of a party is staying up past 10:00 P.M. on a weeknight and 11:00 P.M. on a Saturday. A knock your socks off celebration is a good movie with diet coke and large, yes I said large, popcorn. My excuse for letting the event slip by uncelebrated was the Magellan projector bulb drama (posted earlier. Go find it and read it. It's too fresh in my mind to repeat it here). My attention was off the mark. You see, I like to worry about things. I especially like to worry about thing I have no control over. I plan on getting a good sized ulcer and taking some of my 180 days of built up sick leave. Anyway, the event came and it went. Two days later I realized the lost opportunity and felt bad about it, for a moment.

Forgetting things that should be celebrated is one way to trim a leaking budget. Yes, I said leaking. The Space Center's accounts sprang a leak. We are sending money into other people's pockets instead of the other way around, the way it should be. The new Galileo is the reason. I'd like to say it keeps me up at night but it doesn't. Come to think about it, the Swine Flu didn't keep me up either. I'm guessing the only thing that would keep me up past 10:30 P.M. would be an impending disaster capable of wiping out mankind. Of course, if that was going to happen I wouldn't go to bed. I'd invite family and friends over for light refreshments. Then we would have one of those interventions and tell each other what we really think about them. Once the air was clear we'd go out onto my deck, look out over Utah Valley and wait for impact.
There I go again, getting off topic. Forgive me. Let's get back to the 20,000th celebration.

So, in order to make amends and save a buck or two (we all know how I am with Space Center funds) I want to congratulate the staff and volunteers of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center on reaching 20,000 missions!

To start off the celebration I want you to sit down in your favorite chair. We are going to attend a virtual party. Visualize massive amounts of balloons, party favors, and noise makers creating a symphony of ear shattering tones. Imagine handfuls of confetti descending on you like a fog, some going down the back of your neck, others landing in your mouth and still others up your nose. While we're at it, lets conjure up a table full of your favorite snacks and a punch with a real kick.

Wait a minute, who is that getting out of the Hummer Limo pulling up to the front of the school? No way! It is!
Friends may I introduce you to the the cast of the new Star Trek movie - flown in from Hollywood for this very cranial event. Yes they want to talk to you. Yes Spock will find you fascinating. Girls, that young and handsome Captain Kirk really wants to dance with you so go for it. Boys, Lt. Uhura will be manning the kissing booth with the green Orion girl. Wait, what's that sound coming from the gym? They are setting up a replica of the Romulan ship’s engineering section. Everyone gets a phaser that shoots paint balls. Its every man for himself as we attempt to save Captain Pike.

Come on...... admit it. Isn’t this the best Space Center party you’ve ever attended? It’s awesome, and not costing me a dime.

Now visual that for several minutes and then consider yourself partied out. You can tell everyone you attended the Space Center’s 20,000th mission’s virtual party and had a great time.
I know you’re tuckered out and need to go into your bedroom, throw yourself on the bed and sleep for several hours.

Go for it........ and Congratulations to everyone on reaching 20,000 mission!

Mr. Williamson

Requiem for a Park City Class....

One month ago a class of gifted fifth graders from Park City’s three elementary schools were scheduled to come to the Space Center for a field trip. It was a select group. Only a few were chosen from each school to make up their numbers. Then........it struck.

Swine flu was found in one Park City school two days before their field trip. The day before their trip the Superintendent canceled school to prevent an outbreak. I got a call that day canceling the field trip to the Space Center. One week later we rescheduled the trip for May 20th.

Today is May 20th. Twenty very excited Park City students arrived at the Space Center at 3:15 P.M. with Boarding Passes in hand. They were ready for the EdVenture of a lifetime. I was excited to see them. I knew they had to go the extra mile to be chosen to attend this special field trip. It was an honor to have them with us.

At 4:00 P.M. I was finishing my Bridge speech. I was explaining their role as actors in our unscripted play. Suddenly I heard a snap. It was the sound an electrical breaker makes when its tripped. The main viewer disappeared along with the televisions. In a second I realized we were experiencing a power outage. Just as I understood the consequences the rest of the electrical equipment went out. We were in a partial dark. The only visible light came from the emergency battery lights on the exit signs.
“OK everyone stay seated,” I said to the class. I heard my staff laughing from the control room. The door to the bridge opened and my two Supervisors came up the stairs.
“The power went out,” Spencer explained. I look at him wondering if he realized the stupidity of what he had just said. Of course I knew the power was out. There was no question the power was out. Isn’t it interesting that people always state the obvious?

I told the class we were in good shape. Our power outages were usually short lived. They arrived early so we had a buffer zone. If the power was restored within 45 minutes we could still get through the mission. My plan was to take them outside to wait on the playground. My staff pointed something out I didn’t know - It was storming outside. Cancel plan 1. Move on to plan 2. We went to the gym. We gave them basketballs while we waited. Twenty minutes later they were getting board. The power was still off so we had to switch gears. We took out the Space Center’s Honor’s Night Bingo. Emily, Stacy, Megan, Rachel and other younger staff led them in several games of Bingo. The Space Center’s Candy Counter provided the rewards.

It was 5:00 P.M. The bewitching hour had arrived. The 45 minute buffer zone was expired. The power was out. A phone call to Rocky Mountain Power suggested the power would be off until 11:00 P.M. I walked onto the stage and gave them the bad news. We were sending them back to Park City. I was upset. First the Swine Flu and now a power outage. These poor kids couldn’t cut a break.

Oh Fortuna........... you are a crafty one. From your ruined temples you send the Fates to deal harshly with us. What have we done to incur your wrath? Last week it was the Magellan’s bulb. This week your mischief appeared in many places:

• The Magellan’s air conditioner broke on Monday. The repairman says the condenser was cracked. I had to close the simulator.
• Today I heard the crackled laugh of the Fates when I started the Voyager’s morning mission for fifth graders from Rowland Hall / St. Marks School. The Voyager’s primary CD player broke just before the mission. The Command Officer’s MP3 player went on the fritz. The Engineer’s MP3 player broke in mid training. Yes Fortuna, kick me when I’m down and then kick me again.

I walked the Park City kids out to their bus and sent them on their way. No one was happy about the turn of events but it was out of our hands. I can’t shake the feeling that some universal power has turned its attention to our little school and Space Center in the middle of back water Utah. My first concern is to find the mischievous Imp and send him on his way. Surely it must be someone else’s turn to be on the receiving end of irritating events. I hate to wish misfortune on anyone because of my Christian nature but when your back is to the wall, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Tonight I’m consulting my Roman mythology. Somewhere there must be information on appeasing the wrath of an forgotten Goddess. Maybe a sacrifice of some kind? I’d be happy to sacrifice an old computer if necessary. We could take one of the spare Imacs up to the school roof and toss it off while shouting “Fortuna is Blessed!” Or better yet let us find favor with another immortal. Perhaps we could persuade Jupiter to take up our cause?

Fortuna, Roman Goddess of Fortune
or in our case - misfortune.

I’ll work on this. A note to my staff and volunteers. Watch what you say and do at the Space Center. Don’t take our success for granted. There is nothing Fortuna loves more than to squash the hopes and dreams of any mortal feeling proud and boastful of his accomplishments. We will continue to do what we do best - provide the best field trip experience in the State of Utah and do it humbly. I stress Humbly.

Mr. Williamson's Quest. A Day by Day Account of my Battle with Fortuna, Goddess of Fortune.

The Quest. Day 1

Friday.
We had a Magellan mission arriving at 4:00 P.M. Brittney V. walks up to my desk at 3:45 P.M. That was the moment the Quest began. One minute all is right with the world. Then, in an instance things change - for the better or the worse.
“The Magellan projector is doing that flashing thing again and it won’t come on,” she said. The news itself wasn’t a deal breaker. We always keep a spare bulb for every Space Center projector. I went into the Magellan and tested the projector myself. The bulb was dead. In an effort to speed things along because of the impending Magellan crew I called Kyle and asked him to come down and switch projectors. The Space Center owns two of he NEC special projectors that throw a large picture from a short distance. One is used in the Magellan and the other is kept in the faculty room.

I fetched the spare projector, opened the cupboard and took out the spare bulb. My plan was to install the spare bulb in the bulbless spare projector and have it ready for installation when Kyle arrived. I opened the spare bulb and attempted to slide it into place.
Houston, we have a problem. The bulb wouldn’t lock into place inside the projector. Kyle arrived and confirmed the problem. The spare bulb was missing something on the bulb’s casing. I purchased a defective bulb off Ebay in an failed attempted to save money. We were in a pickle.

In came our superstaff! The Voyager was open. I started shuffling Flight Directors. I moved Taylor into the Galileo. I moved Rachel from the Galileo into the Odyssey. I moved Emily out of the Odyssey into the Voyager. Our missions would be unaffected by this mishap. I had other things to do to get things ready for the overnight camp. Alpine was sending just enough kids to run the Odyssey and Galileo. I had a test group coming in for the Phoenix. My plan was to get the camp started and then purchase two new replacement lamps and have them shipped next day delivery so we’d have them by Tuesday.

The Quest. Day 2

Saturday
Without the Magellan projector the two Magellan private missions had to either be canceled or switched to the Voyager. I successfully transferred the 11:30 A.M. Magellan into the Voyager. The 2:30 mission wouldn’t work. The Voyager was booked. I phoned the Magellan crew and explained the situation. It was a special mission for the woman’s husband’s 40th birthday party and they couldn’t reschedule. I told Brittney to prepare to fly without the projector. She assured me they could pull off ‘Death Trap’ reasonably well projector less. The crew was given half off. The Space Center operated that mission at a loss. What else can you do? Take care of your customers and keep your reputation strong in the community.

Later that day I found a replacement bulb from a company somewhere in the Eastern half of the US. I ordered it online and paid extra for next day shipping. I realized they wouldn’t get the order until Monday so expected the bulb on Tuesday.

The Quest. Day 3

Tuesday
The bulb hadn’t arrived when I finished the field trip missions. Realizing that many people are inept at their jobs and couldn’t give an owl’s hoot for customer care I called the toll free number of the bulb company and spoke to customer service. A young man’s voice answered. He spoke American English. That was a good sign. He checked into the order and discovered it had come in too late for a Monday ship out even though I ordered it on Saturday. He assured me it would go out that afternoon. I could expect delivery Wednesday. That was still OK. We didn’t have another Magellan until Thursday.

The Quest. Day 4

Wednesday
The bulb hadn’t arrived when I finished the field trip missions. Sound familiar? Now surprised someone could be THAT inept at their job I called customer service again. This time I spoke to a young man named Brooks. I explained the situation and made it clear I was getting hot under the collar. He blamed the situation on the warehouse, said there was a real clerical screw up and said he would resolved the matter personally. He gave me his direct line and said to call him on Thursday if the bulb hadn’t come.
“Brook’’s,” I said in a tone serious yet understanding, “I need this bulb, that is why I ordered it next day delivery. I have a theater out of commission and I need this resolved. May I trust you to resolve my problem for me? Will you look at this as your personal mission in life to make me happy?”
“You can count on me Sir,” he replied. “We value our customers and want their loyalty.”
I felt I had a friend in some office building somewhere east of the Mississippi. I looked to Brooks to restore my faith in humans.

The Quest. Day 5

Thursday
The bulb hadn’t arrived when i finished the field trip missions. Sound excruciatingly familiar? I was back on the phone. Brooks didn’t answer so I called customer service. I explained the situation to someone new. He said he would find out what happened and have Brooks call me. He also explained that the problem was never at their warehouse. They never had the bulb in stock. They were having it drop shipped from NEC and that is where the problem was.

I called Brooks back. No answer. I left a message telling him my faith in humanity was in his hands and to call and give me good news. I reminded him to leave a message if I didn’t answer. I hung up.

Now what would you do? I sat at my desk suffering through a record breaking foul mood. I had to make quick decisions. What would I do with a 4:30 P.M. Magellan mission. What would I do about a 4:00 P.M. mission the following day? What about the overnight camp? What about the two Magellan missions on Saturday? I know how upset people get when their best made plans of several months go down the toilet with one phone call from me explaining I don’t have a simulator for them and to find some other venue for their party - oh, at last minute as well. Yes........ I’m in the crapper covered in something hitting the fan over my head. You get the unsavory picture I trust?

The Voyager was open for that day’s Magellan’s crew. I had already done three missions that day and didn’t want to do a fourth but Kyle couldn’t take the mission and Emily was already in mid flight in the Odyssey. Suddenly my foul mood took a darker turn. Ask anyone about my pleasant nature last Thursday. You’ll see their face take a serious turn, their eyes enlarge to twice their normal size and their index finger drawn across their throat.
I had a few moments before the 2:00 P.M. mission so I got on the internet and searched for another company. Minutes before my mission, with my group waiting at the revolving door I found a company called CDW. Instead of placing an online order I decided to place it over the phone. I called sales.

A pleasant, faceless voice answered. Suddenly it seemed my luck would change. He asked if the Space Center was part of the Alpine School District. If so, they had a Utah State contract. I could buy the bulb at a discount - $100 to be exact. I told him at that price I’d take two. I reached in my wallet to produce the credit card. It wasn’t there. Kyle had it.
I put him on hold, went into the office and took the school’s credit card out of the safe. I charged the amount, hung up the phone and did my 2:00 P.M. mission feeling I had completed my Quest!

At 4:00 P.M. the mission ended. I sat at my desk regaining my sanity. A thought crossed my mind. It couldn’t be as easy as that. Something was wrong. Fortuna, the goddess of luck and fortune wouldn’t be cutting me a bit of slack would she? No, she’s been on my case lately with one thing and another. I had a sudden feeling that my contentment was false. Fortuna had lured me into the belief that she had caste her hook into someone else's pond.
“Think you got me do you?” I said to her under my breath. The room was full of staff and I didn’t want them to think I had reached level 5 on the Space Center Madness Scale. I reached for the phone to call CDW to confirm my order. The phone crew cold. She was unhappy I was on to her game.

I got a woman this time. I gave her my order number.
“Im sorry sir but that order is not placed. Your credit card was declined.” I put her on hold, walked into the office and asked the secretary why the school’s credit card had been declined. A few questions later I was back on the phone telling CDW the school’s credit card had a limit of $500. I was up the creek. The Space Center’s credit card was with Kyle and I had no way to pay for the order. I felt Fortuna’s staff jab me in the ribs. She thought she had me. Oh Fortuna, do you really think I’m that easily defeated? I pulled out my own American Express card and charged it to my own account. After all, what’s $750 when you’re at war with one of Olympia’s Gods? I hung up and went about my business. Victory tasted sweet.

Thirty minutes later an uneasiness found a place in my mind. What had she been up to in that hour? I called CDW again. I gave the agent the order number. She told me the order was placed and shipping. I was about to end the call when a thought crossed my mind.
“Please tell me where the package is being shipped?”
“No problem sir, It is address to Alpine School District Accounts Payable. The address is 575 North 100 East in American Fork Utah.”
My heart skipped a beat. Just at that moment a crack of thunder from Mount Olympus was heard across Greece. Fortuna was celebrating.

The Quest. Day 6

Friday
I got to school at 8:00 A.M. and promptly called the District Office. I explained the situation to the receptionist. She said she would watch for the package and notify me when it came in. At 1:40 P.M. I called back. No package. A panic set in. I called CDW and had them track the package. They confirmed it has been delivered. WHERE WERE MY BULBS?
I called back. The receptionist said to try Accounts Payable because they were the ones it was address to. I called Accounts Payable. The woman who answered assured me they didn’t have the package.
“Try Printing. They get packages delivered there all the time,” she suggested. I called printing.
“Only FEDEX delivers here,” Shelley told me. “UPS delivers to the warehouse in Lindon.”
“What if the package says the District Office?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” she replied. “All UPS packages go there.” She gave me the number of someone named Clark.

It was 3:00 P.M. The Magellan mission was schedule to start at 4;00 P.M. The Overnight Camp was after that. The following day (Saturday) there were two Magellan private missions. I was back into panic mode. Fortuna had the knife in and was about to turn it.
I called the number.
“Is this Clark?”
“Yes,”
“This is Victor Williamson at the Space Center. I’m looking for a package that was delivered by UPS.”
“So its yours! What does it say on the package?”
“It says deliver to Account’s Payable.”
“Yes, I’ve got it. I was thinking that if someone wanted this bad enough to have it next day shipped they would call and come pick it up.”
“I’ll have someone there right away to pick it up.”

Bill was up and walking out the Briefing Room door volunteering to drive to the warehouse to pick up our package. Kyle was on hand to put the bulb into the projector. Bill came back with a package with two bulbs. Kyle took one and quickly put it into the open projector. A moment later it was mounted onto the wall and WORKING. My Quest was at an end. The week from heck seemed to be over.

A few minutes later Brittney came into the room and told me half the Magellan wasn’t reading the network. The Magellan crew was there getting briefed on their mission. It was Fortuna’s parting shot as she left Pleasant Grove looking for bigger fish to fry. Kyle spent some time in the wiring closet and resolved the problem. We were good to go.

And so my friends, that was my week. It wasn’t a pretty one. It caused stress and a few very unpleasant moods but we won in the end. The Magellan worked well as a ship and, to everyone surprise, took the Flight Director’s Trophy after the overnight camp. Perhaps it was Fortuna’s way of acknowledging the fact that I stayed in the battle and fought a good fight.

We are starting a new week. I’m wondering what challenge is waiting. Life at the Space Center means never a dull moment.

Mr. Williamson

News of the Week and My Thoughts on the New Star Trek Movie

Spencer D. at Star Trek

Hello Troops,
I’m writing from my sanctuary in Cloverdale. A beautiful hamlet in the Confederacy of Dunces.

Do You Know What Time It Is?
It was early Tuesday morning. The phone rang at 1:36 A.M.
“Mr. Williamson. This is Matt. We triggered an alarm or something and the police are here at the school. Can you come down and reset the alarm?”
I recognized the voice. I remembered Matt was overseeing the filming of a university student’s video project at the Space Center.
“What are you doing there at this time?” I asked in a semi lucid state.
“We finished early. We triggered an alarm while we were leaving the school.” he explained.
“You were suppose to be out of the building by 10:30,” I said trying to sound angry but controlled.
“Did you think I meant 10:30 P.M.? I meant 10:30 A.M. We were planning on staying here filming all night long. This was designed to be a twelve hour shoot. We finished early.”
“You didn’t say 10:30 A.M. I asked you when you’d be out and you said 10:30 at the latest!”

And there it was, another fantastic misunderstanding at the Space Center.
A film student at some university wrote a space story and needed a place to film. I gave permission and arranged to have the Center staffed by one of our people during the event. Matt knows the world of film so I asked him to ‘baby-sit’ them during the shoot. He agreed. When they arrived Monday late afternoon to set up, Matt and I had the conversation on the length of the shoot. If one of us had added an A.M. or P.M. in the conversation I would have been spared a call at 1:36 A.M. and a trip down to the school to reset a security alarm. There is a lesson to be learned here. It is obvious so I won’t spell it out. Let’s just say I learned it and I hope all of you do as well.
Oh, and thanks to my former 6th grade student, Ryan Armistead, for being understanding. He was the policeman waiting from me at the school. Small world isn’t it.

Small Overnight
On Wednesday Alpine Elementary called to report their overnight camp numbers. I expected lower numbers. This recession is taking its toll and families are watching their spending.
“Mr. Williamson, we have eight students signed up for this weekend,” the teacher reported. I tried to contain my surprise. It wasn’t just the recession, it was also the Swine Flu that concerned parents as well. I made a decision to cancel the overnighter.

The next day he called back and said the number rose to 13. I told him we could do it for 13. The camp moved ahead as scheduled. By Friday the number hit 14. I added six of our staff to crew the Phoenix and went ahead with the overnight camp planning.

I was tempted to cancel the camp but tradition got the best of me. I’ve never canceled a camp due to numbers in the entire history of the Space Center. That’s 18 years of camps! I wasn’t about to let it happen now. GM may be nearly bankrupt. Companies nationwide may be going out of business and homes foreclosed but by golly the Space Center will continue as normal come recession or depression.

Brady Young Married
Yes troops, our very own Brady Young got married on Friday. Brady is a flight director in the Voyager, a student at UVU and a member of the Geek Squad at Best Buy. He recently returned from a mission in Florida.
The reception was held at the Alpine Center on Friday evening. I couldn’t attend because of the camp and one hundred other things but I’m told it was fantastic. Congratulations Brady and may you and your new misses live long and prosper.

Bulb Woes
Brittany V. gave me bad news Friday afternoon.
“Mr. Williamson, the Magellan’s projector is flashing red and yellow again,” she said while I worked on my computer. It was 3:45 P.M. and the Magellan had a private mission coming at 4:00 P.M. I knew that combination of flashing indicated a burned out bulb. I called Kyle and went to work looking for the spare bulb.

Kyle arrived and pulled the projector off the ceiling. I found the spare bulb , unpackaged it but couldn’t get it to fit into the projector. It was the right bulb but was missing a small plastic piece. Kyle did some switching of housing and got the new bulb to fit into the projector. He hit the ‘on’ button and waited. Nothing but the red and yellow flashing indicator of death. The bulb was defective! I cussed under my breath. That was the last time I purchased a bulb from Ebay. Yes, I saved money on the purchase but lost out in the end.
“You get what you pay for,” I was told by more than one person in the room. You know, being responsible for the Space Center really sucks sometimes. Its really bad when you have a simulator without a main viewer and a 15 person party waiting in the lobby for their mission. In situations like this you rely on your fantastic staff. I starting reassigning people.
Taylor took over for Rachel in the Galileo.
Rachel took over for Emily in the Odyssey.
Emily started the Voyager and we switched the Magellan crew into the open Voyager. That solved that problem. Then I had to deal with the Magellan crews on Saturday and Monday.

In the end all groups but one were reassigned to the Voyager. The one group that I couldn’t rebook came on Saturday and flew a Main Viewerless Magellan at 2:00 P.M. It was a 40th birthday party. I gave the group a 50% discount. I believe they had a good time.

I ordered a brand new bulb. It will e delivered on Monday or Tuesday. Wow bulbs are expensive. Nearly $500!! This place costs a lot of money to run.

Star Trek Laughs and Woes
We went to see the new Star Trek movie Saturday evening at Thanksgiving Point. My sister Jilane and her husband came along. My mother wanted to come as well although she knows nothing about Star Trek. She likes getting out of the house. I laughed when she called me at the Space Center.
“Can I come to that Space Battle ...... ah....Star Wars movie you’re going to today?”
“Mother, its called Star Trek. Yes you can come as long as you behave and refrain from talking to me during the movie. Remember, this will be a religious experience for me and all the other Trekkers in the theater so I’ll trust you’ll be on your best behavior.”
Mother agreed to be good. I actually enjoy taking her to the movies. She buys the drinks and popcorn for everyone. Then on the way home we get to review the movie as we explain the plot and characters to her. She can get a bit lost with the digital sound and pictures, not to mention the jerky camera movement they use these days.

I gave mother the seat at the end of the row. Its easier for her to get out to use the restroom halfway through the show. Bradyn L., Spencer D., and my nephew Brock occupied the end of our row. Spencer D came in after we were all seated. He rushed to the theater after his Voyager mission.
He warned me he was going to do something stupid. He didn’t disappoint.
He came into the theater wearing somebody’s nerd glasses and a pointed aluminum foil cap fashioned after the ones the kids wore in the ‘Signs’ movie. We had a good laugh. He has no fear of people. That is a real sign of someone very confident of himself. I admire that.

OK, what did I think of the movie? Well, I ‘ll start by warning everyone that I will be talking about the plot so if you haven’t seen the move and don’t want me to ruin it for you then stop reading now.

I’m going to go through the movie point by point. If you disagree let me know.
1. The USS Keplar scene. OK. Good effects but I don’t like the jerky camera.
2. I’m sick to death of the time travel trick Star Trek uses to change history or bring back characters from the original series. Enough is enough.
3. Having said that, I like the feel of this new incarnation of Star Trek in a timeline change.
4. Young Jim Kirk and Spock are very well done.
5. Problem 1. Why are they building a Star Ship in Iowa?
6. Problem 2. Why are they holding a disciplinary hearing for Jim Kirk in front of the entire student body of StarFleet Academy?
7. Great job with Dr. McCoy.
8. Problem 3. Why do Academy Cadets need to staff the starships leaving for Vulcan? Going along for experience? Perhaps but wouldn’t the ships be staffed by members of the fleet?
9. Problem 4. Was it just be or was travel time to Vulcan done in minutes?
10. Problem 5. The Enterprise got behind the rest of the fleet by a minute or two because Sulu forgot to turn on something. Yet when they arrived at Vulcan the entire fleet was destroyed. Now, how did that happen when they were a couple minutes behind the fleet in take off?
11. Problem 6. WHERE ARE VULCAN’S DEFENSES? Doesn’t the mighty planet Vulcan have planetary defenses? Why are Vulcan’s just sitting there while their planet is getting gored by the drill beam? If they can’t fight then why aren’t they evacuating their planet?
12. If Jim Kirk and Sulu can disable the drill beam with machine guns why couldn’t one photon torpedo fired by anything on Vulcan do the same?
13. Good trick Chekov used to beam them while at speed.
14. Problem 7. WHAT THE HECK IS THE RED LIQUID AND HOW CAN A DROP OF THIS CREATE A BLACK HOLE. COME ON FOLKS. I KNOW ITS SCI FI BUT THIS IS SCI FI AND FANTASY. TOO MUCH.
15. Once they realized the planet was lost why didn’t the Enterprise start beaming hundreds and hundreds of Vulcans into the ship?
16. They said only 10,000 or so Vulcans were left in the universe. Where are the Vulcan starships, cargo ships, embassies, students at off planet universities, tourists, etc etc etc. There should be a lot more than that!
17. The Enterprise was at warp speed when Spock and Jim fought. At the end of the fight Spock ordered Jim into a life pod and ejected off the ship onto another world. Now remember, they got to Vulcan in a manner of minutes from Earth and yet Jim Kirk was ejected onto a moon of Vulcan! How do I know? Well, it shows Spock watching Vulcan get swallowed into the black hole from the moon.
18. Too convenient to have Jim Kirk meet Spock in a snow cave on a moon
19. Laughable to use an equation just presented to Scotty by Spock and have him use that equation to beam Jim and Scotty back to the Enterprise while it travels away from them at warp speed. What were the writer’s thinking? Come on, up until then they kept people to
“Stand Still” before beaming.
20. Problem 7. They figured out how to turn off Earth’s defenses from Capt. Pike? What a crappy planetary defense system if one starship captain knows enough to have it shut completely down! Laughable.
21. Again, the drill starts drilling in San Fransico Bay. Surely somewhere on Earth there must still be an F15 fighter with a sidewinder missile that could take out that drill? Come on!
22. They send only 2 into the Romulan ship? Why not an entire attack force? Where are the Seals?

OK, that’s enough. Multiple plot holes.
Did I like the movie. Yes, very much. I just wish the writers would give their audience some credit for intelligence. All of these things could have been taken care of with some thought and imagination.

Should you go see it if you haven’t? YES. I really hope they start a new television series or at least several new movies.

Take Care Troops,
Have a great week.

Mr. Williamson

Astro Pal Slinky's Last Black Hole

Hi All, I sent along these photos....our poor little "slinky" astronaut officially was torn apart yesterday as she gave her last hurrah during a classroom demonstration of being spaghettified and pulled into a blackhole.....a short memorial services will be held Friday before field trip groups arrive. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the CMSEC center for Space Teachers Science Honors Evolving into Ludicis Annedotes (St. Sheila fund).

Our deceased, but heroic little astro-pal is symbolic of what it is like to teach second-half school year sixth graders. Sixth graders this time of the year are morphing (really the best way to describe their condition) into: discombobulated, distractable, hormone-poisoned, semi-a "dolts", trying to find their way in life. Teachers and students both are "stretched to their limits" trying to teach and learn.

Being "Saint Sheila" and According to Kyle Herring, apparently I have powers that would help here.....I hereby deliver to all teachers of teenagers AND teenagers trying to learn with an extra "patience potion"...to somehow manage & complete the 2008-2009 school year successfully.

And now our final thoughts on our Slinky Astronaut:

CMSEC DISCOVERY CLASSROOM
ASTRO-PAL
2008-2009

Our Astro-Pal was stretched too tight.
SHE SNAPPED AND BROKE….
JUST LIKE A KITE.

We’ll miss her daily exhibition of Science.
“TO INFINITY AND BEYOND”….
YOU WENT WITH DEFINACE!!!!!!!

To the “Final Frontier” we out send your
“ pattern”……
We think you’ll end up encircling Saturn!!

Adios, dear Astro-Pal!!
Thanks for the memories!

DONE. patience potion delivered.
Sheila Keller-Powell
Space Center Educator

New Summer Stories, The Flu and Star Trek the Movie!

Hello Troops,
It’s May! How many of you are like me and wondering where the school year went? Summer starts on June 21st astronomically. The Space Center summer starts the first week of June. I want all of you in Blogland to know how excited I am for our new summer stories. Your Space Center Set and Flight Directors are working morning, noon and night with me to make this the best summer ever. The Space Center is staffed by some of the finest people in Utah. These people aren’t paid very much for what they do, and what they are paid doesn’t come close to compensating them for the extra time and effort they put into maintaining the simulators and creating the missions you enjoy when you do one of our missions. Now add in the time donated on your behalf by our scores of volunteers and you’ll see the effort this community of learners and doers is doing just for you. The Space Education Center is truly a community effort. Thank you for doing your part in helping us change the very definition of education. Your support both in positive word of mouth advertising and financially through attending camps and outright donations is appreciated. We are totally dependent on the people of this community and we hope we show that appreciation every time you come for our programs.

The Slime Flu!
Wow, what about this H1N1 flu spreading around the world? I don’t know what's worse, the actually flu or the panic it seems to be causing. I personally believe shutting down an entire school system because of three suspected cases is going too far. Is our society so afraid of a bump or bruise that we need to pad everything that stands upright? I see the panic and wonder if it isn't’ the Bubonic Plague roaming the world like death itself slashing down entire populations.

Word is that some European cities are researching how communities of eight hundred years ago dealt with plague. I’m guessing they are already digging enormous pits for the dead. Tons of lime will be on standby to pour over the dead to reduce the stench of decay. Special trucks are on standby to canvas the neighborhoods for the dead. Each is equipped with a loudspeaker so the driver can shout out the same admonition shouted by the town criers of the Middle Ages, “Bring Out your Dead!”

Soon the rabid Christians and Doomsdayists will be walking our streets with sandwich boards warning us to “Repent for the End is Near”. The old timers guarding WalMart’s exits for shoplifters will be armed with semiautomatic weapons to ensure order when society begins to break down and riotous crowds descend to ransack the store to take supplies in preparation to hunker down in their basements and await the end. I’m warning you be take great care in approaching someone’s front door. One knock may result in a shotgun blast through the wood and right through your abdomen. It won’t be pretty when law and order, the pillars of society, break down and the rule of jungle becomes normal.

So, I urge all to watch the news carefully and track the flu but remember, the current virus is no worse than all other flu viruses currently killing people every day in the world. Panic is ridiculous and only demonstrates a lack of common sense and intelligence but hey, we know those are in serious short supply in this modern world - don’t we? Listen, when you see me panic then you can panic. If you see me wearing a mask then it is time to wear one. If you see me walking the streets of Pleasant Grove armed to the teeth then you know the end has already arrived. Be prepared and with preparation comes a sense of calm.

Here are the preparations I’m taking. I wash my hands several times per day. I use hand sanitizes whenever I finish working. I avoid getting too close to students or campers. if I see a student coughing I hand them either tissue or several paper towels. I definitely don’t want to catch the flu. Who has time to be sick for a week? Raise your hands.

New Missions Tested
The Phoenix, Odyssey, Galileo and Magellan tested their new missions this last weekend. The Phoenix and Galileo used staff as their guinea pigs. The Odyssey and Magellan used read overnight camp students. I’m happy with the post mission surveys. Each mission ran reasonably well. Each mission has several places where improvements are necessary. Those have been identified and will be dealt with this week. We will run the missions again this week on the Overnight Camp for students from Alpine Elementary School.

The Odyssey, Magellan and Phoenix will have two new missions for the summer. The Voyager and Galileo will each have one. Have you signed up for summer camp yet? If not what are you waiting for? Let’s get on the ball. Don’t miss these new stories.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Answer the Phone?
I’ve been asked why the Space Center doesn’t have someone at the phones during business hours. We do on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Aleta Clegg is the Center’s office assistant You can reach her on those days between 9:00 A.M. and Noon. You’ll have to take your chance with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, I’m usually at my desk to answer the phone after 1:50 P.M. unless I have an after school field trip (which we’ve had many of lately).

Prom Season
We are in the thick of Prom Season! Every weekend brings new Prom dates to the Center for their Day Dates. Its fun watching these young couples navigate the treacherous waters of dating, especially if this is their first date. Dating veterans are very comfortable with their dates. You’ll see them joking and looking relaxed. New daters are visibly stressed. They are doing their best too look cool. You see it in their body language. The boys stand with legs slightly apart and arms either folded or hands are in the pockets. Gum in the mouth is part of that cool and false relaxed look. They chew with their mouths open and hope to heaven they didn’t make a mistake in asking the girl standing uncomfortably next to them to Prom.

The missions go reasonably well remembering we aren’t structured for people that age. The Center’s focus group are 10 to 14 year olds. Many teens still enjoy the missions. Others find them a bit beneath them - or so they think. It is all good. The Day Dates are bringing in a steady stream of cash and that’s what the Center needs right now as we work hard on the new Galileo.

Your Questions!
OK, I’d like to add questions and answers to this weekly news update. If you have questions about the Space Center or its staff please email them to me (director@spacecamputah.org) and I’ll select the best from the emails to answer publicly each week right hear on the Blog. This is your chance to ask the questions that have been bothering you for some time.
Questions regarding age (especially that of the ladies) will be ignored.
I will also be careful not to discuss in detail what happens behind the scenes as we create the experience you enjoy.

Star Trek the Movie!
May 8th is opening day for the new Star Trek movie. Needless to say, Star Trek is almost a religion for many of us who work at the Space Center so you can be sure we will see the movie.
I urge everyone to see the movie. I hear it is really good from those that have already seen it. It has cool special effects but the foundation of the movie is character driven. That gives the movie a sense of something other than an effects driven movie.

Challenge. I’d like all our Space Center fans to wear their Space Center T-shirts to the movie. I’ll be looking for you in the crowds. I won’t tell you which theaters I’ll be going to (I’ll see it twice at two different theaters) but if I see a Space Center T-shirt I’ll give you a pin from your favorite Space Center ship! The pins sell in our gift shop for $5.00 each so wear that shirt and hope your in the theater at the same time I am.

Thanks Troops,
Mr. Williamson

Today's Rocket Launch Postponed

A Notice to all those in the Space Center's Space Exploration Merit Badge Class.
The Rocket Launch schedule for today is postponed due to weather. The launch will be reschedule for next Saturday, May 9th from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. weather permitting. Further notices on the launch will be posted on this blog.

Mr. Williamson

The USS Slime Flu Attacks. The Voyager and Odyssey Run.

Hello Troops,
I knew when I first heard of the Swine Flu a week ago the day would come when the Space Center would be affected. Today was that day. This morning I heard that Park City closed its schools because of a possible outbreak. This afternoon we were scheduled to run a mission for..... Go ahead and take a guess......... THAT'S RIGHT - Park City! I got a call from the teacher informing me of their cancellation.

The USS Slime Flu approached the Voyager and Odyssey cautiously from the dark side of the April Maelstrom with its phasers fully charged and torpedoes armed in the launchers. The order was given to fire. Streaks of white lightening ripped through space on a course toward the two unsuspecting ships. Impact! Both ships took direct hits to the outer hulls. Alarms screamed throughout the ships waking the crews.

Then, as quickly as it arrived the USS Slime Flu disappeared into the Maelstrom. Did we get caught unawares? Yes. Will it happen again? No. We will be waiting for this monster from the deep to rear its ugly head again and when it does........ when it does..........

We shall RUN!

Mr. Williamson

The Space Center Stories Only We Can Tell!

Hello Troops,
Its a rainy weekend in Pleasant Grove. I’m hoping the rain will lower the pollen count. I’m one of the millions in the country suffering from allergies.
It makes me wonder if evolution is an accurate science. My thinking goes like this: Why would a planet evolve a species with an allergy to itself? Does that make sense to you? Every spring and fall my nose morphs into Niagara Falls and my eyes become overflowing wells. Don’t forget the sneezing. Sneezing accompanies the action you take to keep your nose drippings from wetting your shirt and jacket. You take your hand, sometimes your sleeve or coat jacket (I suppose the more refined use a hanky but I’ve never owned a hanky in my life. I have used rags in the past. It does the job well enough - with the added bonus of rubbing your nose raw) and wipe the offending liquid off your face. That triggers something in the nose. A tingling is the first sign an explosion is imminent. I usually have just enough time to warn everyone to batten down the hatches and hold on to their young children before the burst of spittle and wind blast out of my nostrils and mouth and create a miniature low pressure system detectable by NASA’s weather satellites. The clean up begins after each sneeze. Chair are restore to their upright positions, tables are uprighted, papers are pulled off the walls and ceilings and towelettes are distributed to anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the gale. Oh, it can be a messy thing. I’m considering wearing one of those air horns around my neck. I could sound the horn before each sneeze giving people time to seek shelter. It’s a good idea - don’t you think?

OK, back to business. Hold on.......... Ahhhhh......... I just took a swig of my 32 ounce Diet Mountain Dew with two, yes I said two, squirts of cherry flavoring. This delicious drink can be created at your local Walker’s gas station. It is my signature drink. I realize many of you kind readers are suffering from slight shock after reading what I just wrote. You’re surprised I drink something other than Diet Coke. I am a man of mystery and that has been mentioned many times (even to my face if you can believe it). I try to keep my taste buds and stomach from growing complacent. You know, shock the system from time to time by doing something out of the ordinary like walking across the street without looking. Well, maybe not that extreme. Mind you, I have been doing that lately as I walk to school. I get so involved in my music that I forget to look both ways. On one occasion my earphones spared me from hearing the very descriptive words a passing driver used to describe my care in crossing the street outside of the crosswalk. I tried to look remorseful but found it difficult when listening to ABBA. I’m thinking of going to the junkyard and purchasing an old car’s extendable radio antenna. I’ll place a hunter’s orange flag at its top and wave that around as I walk. That should alert passing motorist to steer clear of the lunatic that escaped from that ‘special’ home on 730 East. You know that place - where they keep teachers suffering from selective memory loss and mild illusions of grandeur.
OK back to business.

I seriously overworked myself this week on your behalf. I know I’ve overdone it when I start talking to people at WalMart in my Gods of Perikoi Voice. Last Monday I stopped at WalMart to pick up a few things, you know how you do. I was walking down by the Wheat Chex cereal when I spotted a mother. Her shopping cart acting like a mobile cage for two small children - possibly twins but couldn’t be sure because of the partially digested cookie spread over each of their faces. There were three other children in tow. They kept reaching for the SugarSquares cereal only to be semi violently pulled back by a mother clearly out of her depth. I was still in my ‘mission mode’ from the last field trip. I walked up to her and asked to see the children.
“Today is the day of the choosing. I’m looking for the best, brightest and strongest of the children,” I said in my Perikoi godlike voice. She gave me a look a dictionary could use as its definition of ‘Shock’. I suddenly came to my senses, realized what I had done, and started to explain when she stopped me. She reached into the shopping cart, picked up the child with the dirty diaper, and handed him to me.
“Will he do?” she asked.

Yes, I overworked myself this week. There is no doubt about it.

A Strange Perception of Time

I started a unit on Ratios and Percents for my advanced math class this week.
“This unit will involve extensive use of your friend,” I said to them at the start of the lesson on proportions. A “friend” is my mathspeak for a calculator. “How many of you have a friend here today?” Half the hands went up. “How many have a friend at home you can bring to school?” A few more hands joined the others. I was deciding how many calculators I needed to bring. Payton raised his hand.
“Payton,” I said.
“I’ve got this humungous calculator that’s about this big,” he said forming a rather large square with his hands. “Its so honken big I can't bring it to class. I think its from the 1800’s or something.”
His honest assessment of the calculator’s age made me laugh. I knew when the first electronic hand held calculators were invented because I was alive at the time. Payton had no idea because he lives in a world that has always had them, in some size or another. His comment opened a window into his understand of history - or should I say lack of understanding. I blame our schools for that.
It is fun to live at a time when so much changed so quickly. My first hand held calculator was purchased in the mid 1970’s. I was a junior in high school. I was neck deep in an accounting class and seeking an easy way to add numbers for my spreadsheets. I worked at a self serve gas station and did my homework between payments. It was a day when everyone had to pay at a window. The gas pumps didn’t take credit cards.
One Saturday I drove into downtown Rapid City, South Dakota. I knew Sears carried calculators. I found the model I could afford. This rather large, black calculator had red illuminated numbers. It added, subtracted, multiplied and divided. I was amazed it did all that and still hand held. The clerk rang up $60.00. It was expensive but worth it. I was one of the coolest kids in the class with that beast sitting on my desk. Everyone wanted to see it, touch it, and play with the numbers. Yes, times have changed.

This is so Tight!

Another thing made me laugh this week. A sixth grade class from Something Something Elementary School (I see so many kids they all blend together) was boarding the Voyager. The kidspeak started with the first boy came up the stairs.
“Dude this is so tight,” he said. I sat him at Engineering. He repeated his assessment of the Voyager’s Bridge to nearly everyone as their heads appeared from the lower quarters. As the Bridge filled others joined in, creating a chorus of 11 and 12 year olds all proclaiming how “Tight” the Voyager was. I laughed as I counted the “Tights” There were sixteen before I quieted them for the Captain’s appearance. The Captain ascended the stairway. The crew was silent. He stopped in front of me and presented his Boarding Pass. I showed him his chair. He stood before it and instead of saying “Please be seated” he said, “Dudes this is so TIGHT!” and it all started again.
So from the Kidspeak I am left with one conclusion. The Voyager is very Tight! I’ll need to check into expanding the bridge so we don’t get that complaint again.

Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite) is a Fan!

Well, to close this never ending post I’ll talk about our visiting celebrity. Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite and several other comedies came to the Center on Thursday with his brothers and friends for a Phoenix mission. Dave Daymont was the flight director. They enjoyed it and left a $20 tip. On Friday evening he called and booked the Voyager for the following day. I told Kyle to call him back and tell him I couldn’t put a staff together with such short notice. Kyle wouldn’t hear of it and said he would take the mission. After a few phone calls he had a staff.

The mission started at 11:30 A.M. yesterday. Kyle ran Greenpeace. Everyone wanted to work the mission. Everyone wanted to see Napoleon Dynamite. You’d think it was President Obama himself.
Kyle extended the mission by nearly an hour and didn’t finish. That’s pretty typical for Kyle. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t know the ending to any Voyager mission because none of his missions EVER get to the ending. It is either he doesn’t know the ending or he has a sadistic need to kill his crews over and over again. None of us are sure. None of us want to push him that far by asking. If there is an instability there one must be careful. Kyle has access to several power tools. You get the picture........

Jordan Foutin ran the Phoenix at the same time the Voyager was running. He was disappointed no one told him Jon Heder was in the Voyager . I understand he is a big Jon Heder fan from the way he was salivating and banging his head against the FRP’d walls in the Briefing Room because he missed him. Poor Jordan.

You know, I wonder why I don’t get the same kind of hero worship this Heder person gets. Aren’t I just as good an actor? Can’t I be funny at times? Perhaps everyone enjoys his nerdy ways. Now, not having any myself, I can understand that may be the reason. Well, regardless I’m happy to report the Heder’s enjoyed themselves. My congratulations and thanks to Kyle and the Voyager crew for coming in on such short notice and doing their best to provide a quality experience.

Well troops, its upward and onward. We move into May this week. In a few short weeks we will be out of school and well into our summer season. The summer stories will be told every weekend this month as we prepare to host hundreds of campers. If you haven’t booked your summer camp please do it now. You’ll have fun, learn something, and what’s more important, your money helps us build new ships and upgrade the ones we have. You are our partners. Without you there is no Space Center. Thank you.


Let’s all have a good week. Let’s all work hard, set goals and achieve.
We are soldiers against ignorance and apathy. We fight the good battle every day when we try to learn, grow and improve. Take up the sword and join me in this crusade to change American education and make it the best in the world.

Mr. Williamson