The Space Center Makes a Difference!

Hello Troops,
Below this paragraph is a testimonial and thank you letter I received from a teacher. We don't get a lot of feedback from our teachers, students and campers. They cheer and clap after a field trip, private mission or camp and they leave. It is nice when someone takes the time to send an email telling us they appreciated the experience and how it affected them. Letters like this energized us and make us want to work harder to created the best field trip and camp possible with our limited resources. After all, what are we after? World domination of course........Is that too much to ask?

Mr. W.

And Now the Teacher's Letter:

Dear Space Center,
It is has been 7-8 years since I took a classroom to Space Camp. Of course, I haven't been teaching all that time. As a matter of fact, I have just gotten back into the field. I teach seventh grade homeroom at a conservative private school in American Fork. I am looking into the possibility of taking both seventh grades next year and was excited to hear that the curriculum would be the same as it was the last time I went.

Because I had recently heard about Space Camp, I decided to see if it would fit the curriculum of the private school I worked for back in 1999. The principal was excited about it, so I sent off for information. We were thrilled that the book I had chosen for my sixth grade that year was The Diary of Anne Frank and that the Camp curriculum was going to cover that same book. I set up a date for us to go in November of that same year. Our principal decided that the small seventh and eighth grade would accompany us.

I worked with that teacher to set up the curriculum to include Science, Math, Language Arts, Music, Art, Literature, Spelling, Orthography/Penmanship, Speech/Oratory, Social Studies, Leadership and "Followership" Skills and PE. We started the day school started preparing our students for this experience. Although we used different student books and manuals, we were able to adjust the curriculum.

The students were not easy to handle, as many of them had been with each other for several years, some for seven years! We and they kept notebooks of our work. When the day came, we did our culminating activity and went to "after-school Space Camp."

It was fascinating to watch the class become a team during the two and one-half hour mission. However, what was phenomenal were the next days, the next weeks, the next months. These students had been somewhat surly in their approach to each other and me during the first several months of school. The next day, students who had had hard feelings, negative reactions to each other and to me, had been "re-born" because of this two and one-half hour experience. They were much more positive towards others in class and out. The looked for ways to help each other have positive experiences with learning.

They had a strong desire to learn, to be a part of a team, to look for ways to help me and they wanted to do their best. They were not little angels all the time, but they recognized that they could change and that it was a better change for them. I had
"new" students the rest of the year in more ways than one. Whenever a student came in who was new to seventh grade, my other students looked for ways to help them acclimate. They all gathered round those who had difficult or hard times during the rest of the year. It was a joy to behold!

Since this experience, I have had both parents and students of that seventh grade write to me expressing that this experience was a turning point in lives. Many of these
same students are now full-ride scholarship students at great universities, working on Doctorates. Others greet me on the street, telling me that that is one of the greatest experiences they have had in their lives, that they remind those with whom they come in contact with about this experience and are now "missionaries" for Space Camp, just like me!!!

What more can I say except what I have already said? I have said this in such a hurry that I hope that I have not been too incoherent!!!

ENGAGE!!!!! (as Commander Pickard used to say)

Mrs. Sharon S.

It Can Always Get Worse

Whenever you think school is just too much.
Whenever you think you'll never understand.
Whenever you think your brain can't hold one more pixel of information

Just remember, there are those that have it worse. Just buckle down and get the job done. No excuses, no blaming, JUST DO IT. Your Education is just that - Your Education. Succeed at it. That's all we ask.

The Old Galileo, Soon to be a Party Bus!

Hello Troops,
Last week I answered a long distance call from a gentleman in Seattle. He introduced himself as the proud new owner of the old Galileo. I was surprised, not knowing the Galileo was back on State auction. It appears all the bidders on the original auction backed out after discovering the simulator needed to be dismantled for shipping. Oh, the astronomical shipping costs acting as a deterrent as well.

“So, how does this Space Shuttle work,” he asked. His voice was pleasant, the kind that usually belongs to a likable, fun loving person. He was driving while on the phone. I could tell he wanted the condensed explanation. I didn’t know where to begin. How do you explain what we do in 30 seconds or less?
“First, let me explain that it is not a shuttle. It is more like a Star Trek shuttlecraft,” I started what ended up being a monologue that dragged on for several minutes. He urged me to speed it up; I ignored the hints and continued to quote from my memorized and well rehearsed one man show called Flight Directing for Dummies. He seemed to be getting it.
“Are you a Star Trek fan?” I questioned. He answered enthusiastically in the positive. Finding that common ground led to several more minutes of explanation.
“May I ask what you’re going to do with the Galileo?” I asked at the end.

If I heard this gentleman right, the Galileo will be placed inside a bus and used for parties and events. His company provides safe transport home from bars and nightclubs for those that ‘had one too many’. Their buses offer entertainment to the sauced passenger as they travel home. It could be a baseball game, or football, or whatever. The interior of the bus in a set, or lounge or whatever.
He says its a fun and profitable business.

This bus is a mobile disco, complete with dance floor.

'The Galileo will be put in a bus and offered as a fun party or transportation alternative. Parents can rent the bus for a birthday party. The kids board the Galileo (inside the bus) for a ride around town while they run their mission. Adults could rend the bus for a fun simulation while going home from a night on the town or as a fun thing to do as they travel to some event (for instance, renting the bus to take you and your friends to another town to attend a football game etc).

This is the link for the company if you'd like to know more about the Galileo's final resting place.

http://partybus.homestead.com/

There you have it Troops. The old Galileo has a new owner and will be leaving Pleasant Grove for Seattle shortly to entertain in a whole different way.

Will you miss the old girl? As a proper send off, you are welcome to write your favorite memory of your time in the Galileo. I'd like to read what you say. Use the comment link at the bottom of this post so others can read what you have to say.

What do you think?

Mr. Williamson

Openings for Tomorrow's Overnight Camp!

Hello Troops,
We have openings for this week's Overnight Camp. Our Overnight Camp is competing with a Scouting Klondike.

If you're interested in coming on an overnight camp this weekend please let me know.
Normal price is $43.00. We can let our Blog Readers and Frequent Flyers attend for $37.00.

You must be between 10 and 14 years old to attend. Caution, be sure we are running a mission you haven't done. The Voyager will be telling Greenpeace. The Magellan will be telling Invasion, the Odyssey will be telling Heir to the Empire, the Phoenix will be telling Supernova and the Galileo will be telling Scorpion Relay. If you're interested in attending please send the following information by email:

Your Name:
Age:
School:
Phone Number:

We will collect payment at the door Friday night. Payment must be a check or cash.
An Overnight Confirmation Form will be sent by email for your parents to complete. The form comes with you to camp.

Thanks!
Mr. Williamson

In Case Your Wondering What A True Hero Is, Please Read On....

Hello Troops,
The word Hero is overused in today's society. I'm convinced that most people really don't understand what a real hero is. May I take a moment of your time and introduce you to one? Please read on....

This is the story of an incredible woman and her amazing gift to mankind. Irena Sendler. An unfamiliar name to most people, but this remarkable woman defied the Nazis and saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto. As a health worker, she sneaked the children out between 1942 and 1943 to safe hiding places and found non-Jewish families to adopt them.

For many years Irena Sendler - white-haired, gentle and courageous - was living a modest existence in her Warsaw apartment. This unsung heroine passed away on Monday May 12th, 2008.

Her achievement went largely unnoticed for many years. Then the story was uncovered by four young students at Uniontown High School, in Kansas, who were the winners of the 2000 Kansas state National History Day competition by writing a play Life in a Jar about the heroic actions of Irena Sendler. The girls - Elizabeth Cambers, Megan Stewart, Sabrina Coons and Janice Underwood - have since gained international recognition, along with their teacher, Norman Conard. The presentation, seen in many venues in the United States and popularized by National Public Radio, C-SPAN and CBS, has brought Irena Sendlers story to a wider public. The students continue their prize-winning dramatic presentation Life in a Jar.

In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and the brutality of the Nazis accelerated with murder, violence and terror. At the time, Irena was a Senior Administrator in the Warsaw Social Welfare Department, which operated the canteens in every district of the city. Previously, the canteens provided meals, financial aid, and other services for orphans, the elderly, the poor and the destitute. Now, through Irena, the canteens also provided clothing, medicine and money for the Jews. They were registered under fictitious Christian names, and to prevent inspections, the Jewish families were reported as being afflicted with such highly infectious diseases as typhus and tuberculosis.
In 1942 the Nazis herded hundreds of thousands of Jews into a 16-block area that came to be known as the Warsaw Ghetto. The Ghetto was sealed and the Jewish families ended up behind its walls, only to await certain death. Irena Sendler was so appalled by the conditions that she joined Zegota, the Council for Aid to Jews, organized by the Polish underground resistance movement, as one of its first recruits and directed the efforts to rescue Jewish children. To be able to enter the Ghetto legally, Irena managed to be issued a pass from Warsaws Epidemic Control Department and she visited the Ghetto daily, reestablished contacts and brought food, medicines and clothing. But 5,000 people were dying a month from starvation and disease in the Ghetto, and she decided to help the Jewish children to get out. For Irena Sendler, a young mother herself, persuading parents to part with their children was in itself a horrendous task. Finding families willing to shelter the children, and thereby willing to risk their life if the Nazis ever found out, was also not easy.

Irena Sendler wore a Star of David armband as a sign of her unity to Jews. She began smuggling children out in an ambulance. She recruited at least one person from each of the ten centers of the Social Welfare Department. With their help, she issued hundreds of false documents with forged signatures. Irena Sendler successfully smuggled almost 2,500 Jewish children to safety and gave them temporary new identities.

Some children were taken out in gunnysacks or body bags. Some were buried inside loads of goods. A mechanic took a baby out in his toolbox. Some kids were carried out in potato sacks, others were placed in coffins, some entered a church in the Ghetto which had two entrances. One entrance opened into the Ghetto, the other opened into the Aryan side of Warsaw. They entered the church as Jews and exited as Christians. "`Can you guarantee they will live?'" Irena later recalled the distraught parents asking. But she could only guarantee they would die if they stayed. "In my dreams," she said, "I still hear the cries when they left their parents."

Irena had a remarkable record of cooperation when placing the youngsters: "No one ever refused to take a child from me," she said. The children were given false identities and placed in homes, orphanages and convents. Irena Sendler carefully noted, in coded form, the children's original names and their new identities. She kept the only record of their true identities in jars buried beneath an apple tree in a neighbor's back yard, across the street from German barracks, hoping she could someday dig up the jars, locate the children and inform them of their past. In all, the jars contained the names of 2,500 children

The Nazis became aware of Irena's activities, and on October 20, 1943 she was arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo, who broke her feet and legs. She ended up in the Pawiak Prison, but no one could break her spirit. Though she was the only one who knew the names and addresses of the families sheltering the Jewish children, she withstood the torture, that crippled her for life, refusing to betray either her associates or any of the Jewish children in hiding. Sentenced to death, Irena was saved at the last minute when Zegota members bribed one of the Gestapo agents to halt the execution. She escaped from prison but for the rest of the war she was pursued by the Nazis.

After the war she dug up the jars and used the notes to track down the 2,500 children she placed with adoptive families and to reunite them with relatives scattered across Europe. But most lost their families during the Holocaust in Nazi death camps. The children had known her only by her code name Jolanta. But years later, after she was honored for her wartime work, her picture appeared in a newspaper. "A man, a painter, telephoned me," said Sendler, "`I remember your face,' he said. `It was you who took me out of the ghetto.' I had many calls like that!"

Irena Sendler did not think of herself as a hero. She claimed no credit for her actions. "I could have done more," she said. "This regret will follow me to my death." She has been honored by international Jewish organizations. In 1991 she was made an honorary citizen of Israel. Irena Sendler was awarded Poland's highest distinction, the Order of White Eagle, in Warsaw Monday Nov. 10, 2003. She has officially been designated a national hero in Poland and schools are named in her honor. Annual Irena Sendler days are celebrated throughout Europe and the United States.

“Every child saved with my help is the justification of my existence on this Earth, and not a title to glory,” Irena Sendler said in a letter.
This lovely, courageous woman was one of the most dedicated and active workers in aiding Jews during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Her courage enabled not only the survival of 2,500 Jewish children but also of the generations of their descendants.

Troops, there are some born to this world different than the rest of us. They walk a different path - a path most fear to tread. These people are my heros.

Mr. Williamson

Notes from Monday's Summer Preparation Meeting

Hello Troops,
I met with our simulator Set Directors, Flight Directors and Education Staff yesterday to discuss the Space Center’s summer season for 2010. You’re wrong if you’re thinking January is too early to be thinking about summer. Stop for a second and think about everything it takes to prepare for the summer.

• Every simulator needs a new story to tell. That includes a story script, video and tactical programming.
• The curriculum for the class session must be outlined, planned and practiced.
• The calendar must be decided upon (days of camps and classes).
• The summer flyer must be prepared, printed and distributed, giving everyone enough time to enroll for camp.

You see, it takes planning. Think of all the problems that can be avoided if you plan and prepare ahead of time.

This is what we’ve decided so far.

• We will take 45 in a camp, not the normal 62. We had 45 last summer and we liked the smaller numbers. It was less stressful.
• Our EdVenture Camps will primarily run Monday to Wednesday, like last year.
• Our Overnight Camps will primarily run Thursday night into Friday morning.
• We will run one Extended Overnight Camp in June, July and August.
• The Voyager will tell “The Grand PooPah”
• The Odyssey will tell “The Plague”
• The Phoenix will tell “Razor’s Edge”
• The Galileo will tell “No More Secrets”
• The Magellan mission is in development and is unnamed.
• Swimming will be at PG Pool as in the past.
• We will offer one Leadership Camp for our older 15 - 17 year olds.
• The price for the three day camp will be $160.00
• We will offer two Super Space Camps! The cost will be $210.00 for the Super Camp. It will run Monday evening to Friday morning.

Shelley Outerkirk is researching the Space Center's impact on education and student attitudes on learning as part of her master's degree program at BYU. Questionnaires make up a major part of her research. Private Mission groups will be answering Shelley's questionnaires. We reviewed the questionnaires in our Monday meeting. You may be asked to fill one out the next time you come for a private mission.

I just got back from trying to book Pleasant Grove's Pool for our summer camps. The ladies at the desk were taken back that I wanted to book so many evenings.
"We have to get this cleared," the older of the two said. She took my list of dates and disappeared through a doorway to talk to her supervisor. Several minutes later she reappeared.
"I'm sorry but this will have to go to the manager's desk for approval," she explained. I wanted to ask why, thinking it was ridiculous a manager had to approve a pool booking. The city rents the pool to private groups all summer long. We are a private group. We want to rent the pool. Is it written somewhere that the pool's private bookings are to be rationed due to a shortage of WHAT? Can you think of what the shortage could be?
Perhaps water. Wait, that doesn't make sense. How about staffing? No, the staff are paid to work the private parties and I'm paying for the party so that shouldn't be a problem. Hmmmmmmm, for the life of me I can't think why the lady at the desk would think I was asking for too many pool reservations. Yes, its one of those strange unexplained oddities we encounter every day as we do our very best to survive living in the Confederacy of Dunces. Sheezzzzze. Blahhhhhhh.

Well, that’s about it. I'm done venting my frustrations. Our Monday meeting went for nearly two hours. The talking is finished. Now it time for action. Time to get the summer 2010 season ready for a successful blast off!


Mr. Williamson

More Creative Thinking for our Disciples of Wonder!

Take a clock and do something different with it. Think outside the box. Be creative in your thought and design. Think of a different way to present time outside your typical round faced clocks or digital read outs.

Here is one person's creative idea. An idea begun in imagination,thought out clearly and presented. Friends, I give you a new way to look at time.

http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf

You've got to hand it to imagination.

Simply,
Mr. Williamson

Imagination, Creativity, Thinking Outside the Box. Priceless! Its What we are All About.

Changing Times.

The Apple From the Tree. The Moment of Inspiration.

It always falls down. That's how the apple helped Isaac Newton.

An 18th-century account of how Newton developed the theory of gravity was posted to the Web Monday, making the fragile paper manuscript widely available to the public for the first time.

Newton's encounter with the apple ranks among science's most celebrated anecdotes, and it can now be read in the faded cursive script in which it was recorded by William Stukeley, Newton's contemporary.

Royal Society librarian Keith Moore said the apple story has resonated for centuries because it packs in so much _ an illustration of how modern science works, an implicit reference to the solar system and even an allusion to the Bible.

When Newton describes the process of observing a falling apple and guessing at the principle behind it "he's talking about the scientific method," Moore said.

"Also the shape of the apple recalls the planet _ it's round _ and of course the apple falling from the tree does indeed hark back to the story of Adam and Eve, and Newton as a religious man would have found that quite apt."

The incident occurred in the mid-1660s, when Newton retreated to his family home in northern England after an outbreak of the plague closed the University of Cambridge, where he had been studying.

Stukeley's manuscript recounts a spring afternoon in 1726 when the famous scientist shared the story over tea "under the shade of some apple trees."

Stukeley wrote that Newton told him the notion of gravity popped into the scientist's mind as he was sitting in the same situation.

"It was occasion'd by the fall of an apple, as he sat in contemplative mood. Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground, thought he to himself ... Why should it not go sideways, or upwards? But constantly to the earth's center?" Stukeley wrote. "Assuredly, the reason is, that the earth draws it. There must be a drawing power in matter."

Stukeley's account on the Royal Society's Web site joins notes from Newton's 17th-century scientific rival Robert Hooke _ documents that were lost for several hundred years before their recent discovery in a house in England.

Les Miserables at PG High.

Dear Space Center Friends,

In case you haven't noticed, I have been rather absent at the Space Center for the last month. This is because I am performing in Pleasant Grove High School's production of Les Miserables!

The performances on the 21 & 22 start at 7:30pm
All other performances 25 - 30 start at 7:00pm
Doors open at 6:00pm
GENERAL SEATING

Adults $7
Students $6
Children (under 12) $5

I would love to see as many of you there as possible! But you're going to want to get tickets ASAP! It is HIGHLY recommended that you buy your tickets in advance. Tickets are purchased for a specific night and can only be used for that date. You can buy tickets from me, any cast/orchestra member (like Adam H!), the PGHS finance office, or at the door. Currently, the 21st and 26nd are SOLD OUT!

Keep up the good work and I will join you all once again in February. :)

- Rachel H, FD

A Photographic Riddle. Are you up to the Challenge?

Hello Troops,
Take a minute and look at my Cloverdale Post for tonight.
http://ourcloverdale.blogspot.com

You'll find a series of photographs. Each representing a common noun or phrase. Can you deduce what they are? Send your guesses to me by email. Anyone that gets them all right will win the never ending respect of this Space Center Director (you might even talk me out of a candy bar from the gift shop). Getting one or two right will earn a pat on the back or the shake of a hand (your choice) and the partial respect of someone that didn't get any of them right, although I attempted to solve them in a semi conscious stupor after an overnight camp while being lulled into a unfeeling state by a mindless TV show.

Everyone that gets them correct will earn the privilege of being called a "Space Center Brown Topper", a citizen of the Intellectual Upper Crust. Someone mere mortals like myself dream of becoming. Someone who only physically exists in our realm while mentally transcending the barrier between the here and now and the Whisperland of What Will Be.

Good Luck,

Mr. Williamson

Coming this February, An Awesome Star Trek Online Game. Read all About It.

Hello Troops,
Wow, this could be good. A real, multi player online Star Trek game where you can go on long campaign missions, captain your own ship, explore the galaxy etc etc etc. It could be an acceptable online version of the Space Center experience. Check out their web site and tell me what you think.

http://www.startrekonline.com/

Mr. Williamson

Bracken Funk Transfers to the USS Logan.

Hello Troops,
It is my sad duty to report that Admiral Bracken Funk (Flight Director) was reassigned to the USS Logan. He flew his final regular mission at the Space Center last Saturday.

Bracken's family offered him a very good paying job in Logan, Utah. Bracken couldn't turn it down. He moved last weekend. Today I spoke with him on the phone. He was working in the office on a computer program. He was in good spirits but admitted a sneeze of homesickness for his family and friends. He promised to visit every weekend he could arrange transportation (he doesn't have a car). If anyone knows someone that lives or goes to school in Logan and visits Utah County (or even Salt Lake) on a regular weekend basis please let me know.

Bracken is a good friend to everyone at the Center. His energy and enthusiasm know no bounds. His excitement for the Center and its mission is legend. He promises to continue to improve our missions by programming new tactical screens for the Voyager's older missions. A new tactical program for Midnight Rescue is his latest improvement. He did a fantastic job.

We will miss Bracken and the example he set for the staff and volunteers. Of course, we wish him the best of luck in Logan and hope to see him every weekend at the Center is the fates allow and he finds someone with a good car needed a passenger willing to help pay for gas!

Mr. Williamson

The Fun Theory

Now, go make the ordinary extraordinary.

Heaven? Doubtful. The Other Place? At Times!

You never know what to expect when you load a class into the simulators. I've written about this many times. Last week I had a chuckle. I stood at the top of the stairs in my usual place asking to see their Boarding Passes. It is rewarding to hear the exclamations of wonder and joy. It is a pain to grab the odd child that isn't looking at me but looking at the Bridge instead. They are, at times, so overwhelmed by the Bridge that I'm not noticed at all. I wonder how that can be considering my size and the fact that I'm standing at the top of the stairs.

Wednesday a sixth grade girls came up the stairs. She walked past me. I put out my arm to stop her and asked for her Boarding Pass. She presented her papers. I looked to see where to sit her.
"This is so cool! She exclaimed. "This is Heaven!"
That was a first for the Space Center. We've been called many things, both good and
bad. Heaven is one word I've never heard used as a substitute for the Space Center.
My mind starting making connections. If this is Heaven, and I'm in charge of the
Center, then I must be....... I quickly cleared that thought out of my head hoping not to incur the wrath of the Almighty and a seven year curse on the Center - only lifted by sacrificing a few volunteers and a cat of any variety . I showed her to the Scanning
Station.
"She won't think its Heaven after an hour on that station," I thought to myself. Two children later came her friend Jordan. I pointed her to the Left Wing Tactical Station. Jordan sat. The music continued to play as children paraded past me to their stations. Above the music came a voice I'd heard before.
"Jordan," she shouted. "This is Heaven! I'm excited and scared!"
"Sounds like a perfect description of Judgment Day," I thought.

I've got to thank our visitors for filling my day with sunshine and laughter.

A Funny Observation at the Space Center

Hello Troops,
There was a very short conversation on Saturday that made me laugh. I was sitting at my desk minding my own business as I unsuccessfully try to do every Saturday when I heard the voice of Dave Daymont, one of our Phoenix Flight Directors. The voice came from the general area of his control room. His comment was directed to Christine Grosland, an Odyssey flight director.

The background to the story is simple. Christine had an appointment and told everyone she was leaving. She actually said that several times. A moment later she’d reappear, having forgotten something or got sidetracked by a good morsel of hallway gossip (if you’re a regular at the Center you’ll notice the staff like to congregate in the halls and ‘talk’ about everything from the time of day to politics to movies to the place others fall on the coolness scale. Someone like Emily is at the top of the scale, holding the title of Extreme and Mighty Empress of Cool while I’m at the bottom holding the title Lord Muck of the Uniformly UnCool. Everyone else at the Space Center falls in between).

Dave spoke first which drew my attention. (on another side note, those of you that think I not in tune to what’s happening while at my desk looking totally involved in a project are wrong. I’m capable of multitasking. Beware).

Dave to Christine. “Are you still here?”

I thought about his statement and started laughing internally. Was Dave blind? Was he not looking at Christine face to face when he said that? Think about it and you’ll see how silly his statement was. His question should have been:

Dave to Christine. “Why are you still here?”

Wouldn’t you agree? So why didn’t he say that? I believe the answer was in the emotion of the statement. “Are you still here?” is emotionally neutral. The statement “Why are you still here?” could be fraught with peril if spoken. It could be interpreted as “Gee, we thought you were gone. Shhhhezzzz get out of here already. What are you some kind of looser that has no life except work?”

OK. Back to the conversation.

Christine Replied to Dave.......... Are you ready for this one? “Yea, I haven’t left yet.”

Now I was laughing out loud. OF COURSE SHE HADN’T LEFT YET. SHE WAS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF DAVE. HE COULD SEE SHE HADN’T LEFT. Perhaps she wanted to clarify the fact that Dave was actually seeing her and not some doppelganger or apparition.

You know troops, if you really stop and think about the things you and your friends say you’ll end laughing yourself.

Mr. Williamson

Nexus Point on Sale at the Space Center on Saturday!

Hello,
I now have lots of copies of my novel. I'm going to be running the Gift Shop (in the Discovery next to the candy counter) on Saturday from 10 - 11 am and selling my book there. Anyone who would like to purchase a personalized, signed copy of my novel at a discount, please bring your cash or check. (I don't do credit or debit cards, either!)

Check out www.nexuspoint.info for more information on the book! (No, you don't have to order it there. Come see me on Saturday!)

Aleta Clegg, writing as Jaleta Clegg
www.jaletac.com
www.nexuspoint.info

Our First Camper of the Decade

Benjamin's Database Entry. One Interesting yet Small Item for the History Books

Hello Troops,
It's 4:11 P.M. Four of our five ships are running January's Super Saturday. I'm working on updated and entering information for the camper's new Rank Papers. As I was typing names into the database I came across a young boy named Benjamin G.

I typed in his first name.
I typed in his last name.
I typed in his new Flight Hours
I typed in his new Class Hours.
I typed in his grade
I started to type in his birthday and stopped cold. I saw a 00 as his birth year. For a moment I thought the volunteer at the sign in table messed things ups on Benjamin's handwritten Sign In Sheet and either didn't hear him correctly or had the worst handwriting in Utah.

I looked back at his grade. Benjamin was in 4th grade and turned 10 on January 3rd. Turning 10 made him eligible for Super Saturdays and Overnight Camps. It dawned on me right then that this boy really was born in 2000. That is why I saw 00 on his form.

Troops, it was one of those "ah ha" moments. I was typing the first Rank Advancement Paper ever for someone born in the year 2000. There will be many many more to come but little 10 year old Benjamin was the first.

Mr. Williamson

The New Galileo Opens!

Hello Troops,
With very little fanfare, the new Galileo opened last night for the January 8-9 Overnight Camp. The first official crew of the Galileo are pictured above. Stacy Carroll, the Galileo's Set Director, stands with them.

The new Galileo will be running on all Overnight Camps and Super Saturdays. It will also run for field trip if a class has more than 32 students. The new Galileo will open for private missions on January 18th. To book a mission in the new Galileo please visit the Space Center's web site. Go to the 'Private Programs' section. The new Galileo holds 5 - 6 people.

There will be an official grand opening of the Galileo once we have it painted.

A special thank you to Kyle Herring, Stacy Carroll, Alex Anderson, Alex DeBirk, Spenser Robinson, and Jon Parker AND everyone else I've forgotten.

Mr. Williamson

Almost Bedtime

Hello Troops,
It's 11:49 P.M. on Friday, January 8. We are running our first Overnight Camp for 2010. We have 44 students from the 5th and 6th grades at Sego Lily Elementary School. They are good kids and fun in the ships. I'm at my desk typing. I hear the loft beds creaking. Anytime someone moves they creak. It can be annoying because I hear every creak from my desk where I sleep.

Whispering is coming in from multiple locations. I hear the boys in the loft and the Bridge Captain's Quarters. I hear the boys sleeping on the bridge. Its not too bad. They are good. Ah, now the noise in the Captain's Quarters in on the increase. Sometimes the boys don't believe we can hear them. It usually takes a second, rarely a third 'talking to' to quiet them down to the point of sleep.

We really do it to ourselves you know. We get them all hyped up with the missions and then expect them drop dead asleep the instant their heads hit the pillows. Not going to happen, yet we still hope.

What is that ripe smell coming through the door in front of me? I answer that with another question. What is an Overnight experience at the Space Center without the mandatory accompaniment of La Odeur des Chaussettes Puantes (The Odor of Stinking Socks). Tonight's smells are ripe indeed. If I'm not mistaken I'm smelling a fresh bouquet of Nike athletic shoes, intermixed with a dozen or so Reeboks and an assortment of other brands, all uniting with the smell of the simulator itself to create an aroma so unique it can only be experienced here at the Space Center.

Good news for everyone. We are running the new Galileo on this camp! It is going well. Very well indeed. We ran a test mission on Thursday without any major problem. We ran the new Galileo this morning for a school field trip. Bracken Funk reported a victory. I spoke to Stacy Carroll (Galileo's Set Director) and Kyle Herring (Galileo's designer) and told them that the new Galileo was on for tonight's camp. It is time to see what this new ship can do. More news on the new Galileo will be coming soon.

It's 12:07 A.M. Things are quieting down. The staff are silent in the Odyssey and I'm hearing the voice of one lone boy in the wilderness of the Voyager. Me think it be time to hit the sack myself. My pad waits in front of my desk.

This is Mr. Williamson signing off from the Space Center just 1/2 a mile from beautiful downtown Pleasant Grove. Until tomorrow.

Adieu.

Your Handbook for 2010.

Hello Troops,
Debbie Wallis sent this to me. I think its great and decided to share it with you. Please read it.

Believe a soon to be senior citizen when I tell you that these gems really are the secret to happiness. I've added a few thoughts in red.

Simply,
Mr. Williamson


Health:

1. Drink plenty of water. (I've given up 80% of my Diet Coke so I'm working on this one).

2. Eat breakfast like a king/queen, lunch like a prince/princess and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and less that is manufactured in plants. (Amen)

4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

5. Make time to pray; keep a prayer in your heart.

6. Play more games and laugh with simple delight. (I need to work on the simple delight)

7. Visit more friends and loved ones than you did in 2009. (Easy, I visit one and I've improved 100%)

8. Sit in peace and tranquility at least 10 minutes each day. (Hear that Staff. Give me 10 minutes...... PLEASE)

9. Sleep for 7 hours (or nap like your pet). (Yea Right. 7 Hours?!!!!! I'll lower the bar and shot for 6)

10. Walk 10-30 minutes each day, smiling while you walk. (I'm good for this one)

Personality:

11. Comparing your life to others is futile; you have no idea about their journey. (Amen)

12. Invest your energy in the positive and present moments, not in negative or things you can’t control.

13. You are one person; have reasonable expectations and limits for yourself; others are responsible for themselves.

14. Learn to laugh at yourself, right along with the others.

15. Gossip and judgment are a waste of your precious energy.

16. Dream more while you are awake. (Aren't we always in LaLa Land at the Space Center?)

17. The secret to success is believing that you have it all; envy is a waste. (Easy to accomplish when you have it all, or think you do)

18. Forget issues, hurts and betrayals of the past; remembering and reminding others will ruin your present happiness and of those you love.

19. Hating others or yourself is a waste of time. (Self hatred is usually caused by caring too much about what others say about you)

20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present. (What's lived is lived, what's said is said and what's done is done. Time to move on with a goal for improvement)

21. You are the only one responsible for your happiness; it’s up to you to be happy.

22. Life is a school for learning; problems will fade like algebra, but lessons learned will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more; really enjoy it.

24. It is not necessary to always be right; agree to disagree and let it go. (No, always trust that what I tell you is right. Let's leave it at that :)

Society:

25. Contact your family and loved ones often.

26. Do something good for others at every opportunity. (Don't forget me!)

27. Forgiveness is your responsibility, including forgetting past hurts.

28. Spend time with and learn from people over 70 and under 6. (Let's change that to 50)

29. Make at least three people smile each day; remember to include yourself. (Crap)

30. What other people think of you is none of your business. (Do I hear an Amen from the congregation on this one!)

31. Your friends and loved ones will care for you, not your job; you really are not indispensable there. (All are indispensable, unless you are a Space Center Flight Director :)

Life:

32. Choose the right whether anyone else but you will know.

33. Eliminate anything that isn’t useful, uplifting, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything, if we give Him the opportunity.

35. However good or bad a situation, it will change; accept this as part of life.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress and show up (unless you are contagious).

37. The best is yet to come, but enjoy the present while it is here.

38. Each morning you awaken, thank GOD for it and do the best you can with the present you have received.

39. Your inner self wants to always be happy; go for it. (My inner self needs a few other things as well. Happiness, a full belly and something really good on TV)

What We Have.

Hello Troops,
Sometimes it is good to step back and see how nice we have it in this country. These photographs make an excellent example.

Here we have a very nice, modern bus in Japan. It may be a school bus. It may be for a special school or high school. What matters is what these students have compared to others.




And now, this picture from India. Really makes you appreciate what you have.



Mr. Williamson

New Galileo Test Mission. Also, A few bits of cool space news.

Hello Troops,
What a great Tuesday it is! We are hosting the Astronomy Class from Lone Peak High School at the moment. Bracken is flying the Voyager. Christine is flying the Odyssey. They are doing Intolerance. We are back into the swing of things. I'm happy to be running missions again. I like the routine.

We are getting close to opening the new Galileo. There are a few bugs that are still bothering us. They are being addressed one at a time. We have someone working on the ship every day until it is ready to fly.

I know some of you are frustrated. You've been waiting to book a mission on the new Galileo and I keep postponing the opening. Remember, we have a very limited budget and this new simulator cost a lot of money. I need to rely on volunteer labor and the work of our less experienced maintenance personnel to finish the ship. We can't afford professionals. It is just the way things work around here. I'll open the Galileo once I'm sure its crews will have a good experience. I'll let you know through this blog.

Here are a items of interest:

• Kyle would like to run a Galileo Test Mission on Thursday from 5:00 - 7:30 P.M. We need 6 people to sign up. We are still working out the bugs so their may be errors. If you're interested send an email. I'll take the first 6.
• This is a cool video showing our place in the universe. If you have 3 minutes please watch. It is cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U&feature=player_embedded

NASA NEWS: From Sheila Powell.

The Mar's Rover Spirit is Reaching its 6th Anniversary With an Uncertain Future 12.31.09.
On Jan. 3, NASA's Mars rover Spirit marks six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public. However, the upcoming Martian winter could end the roving career of the beloved, scrappy robot. Click the following to access the link:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/news/mer20091231.html

Thanks Troops,
Mr. Williamson

New Year 2010 starts off Right with WISE

Artist rendering of WISE satellite

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, Is beginning its observational studies after having popped off its lens cap on Dec. 29th. WISE will study thousands of objects in the infrared spectrum of light. It is expected to find many interesting objects beyond our solar system such as failed stars and distant small galaxies. What interest me more at this time is its ability to find "dark asteroids" which don't show up in normal telescopic surveys.

This will give us a greater opportunity to map additional orbital debris from the creation of our solar system, as well as potential Near Earth Orbit Asteroids that could pose an impact danger to Earth. The mission to map these dark objects is only expected to last about nine months. The camera is using a special coolant which will evaporate after that time, rendering the camera useless. WISE will take about 7500 images every day!

Mark Daymont
Space Center Flight Director / Educator
From his blog: Spacerubble.blogspot.com

Laser Tag vs The Space Center

By James Porter
Reposted from his Blog
http://cachevalleysimulator.blogspot.com/

I celebrated the birthday of my wife's cousin yesterday by participating in laser tag. It has been a long time since I have gone and it was definitely enjoyable. When they opened the door to the arena my lungs filled with the all too familiar scent of smoke machine juice as I entered that hot maze of glowing paint and mirrors. We played three 20 minute games for $18 a person since there was a holiday special going on. I did well to follow the list of rules for how we were to safely play by not running, kneeling, covering my sensors, and all the other protective measures. Overall it was a fun experience as the birthday boy got first place in one of the games and all of our group had a fun time.

Afterward I began comparing that birthday experience to the many I used to help host at the space center. For a space center birthday there is about one item that is the same, the smoke machine. First of all a flight runs for 2.5 hours at an average cost of $10 per person. That flight time is yours and yours alone unlike the laser tag time we shared with 20 other people. Many compare the story experience to that of a movie and so for that you are paying a bit more than the average Utah movie ticket price. Though unlike the movie you get to be a part of the experience and the decision you make could completely change how everything turns out. You also don't need to worry about screening the mission before you go for inappropriate content. In that process of ma

king decisions your group will experience and learn much more than just laser tag tactics.

It was interesting to think about this after the activity because I frequently would compare our private programs to laser tag when parents would sit and talk with us in the control room. This is probably why we have many fans who look forward to their birthday year after year as it has become a tradition to visit the space center. Don't misunderstand, I think laser tag and going to the movies are great birthday option , but they fall short in comparison to a private birthday flight into space.

The Tuesday of our Holiday Vacation. My Trip to the Dentist

Hello Troops,
Well, there is very little Space Center news to report considering the Center is closed for the holiday so I'll just write about odds and ends.

Winter is taxing my patience. I used to be a big fan of the season but the older I get the less tolerance I have for snow packed roads and stupid drivers. I’m sitting at my front window looking at the fresh powder falling on my driveway and sidewalk. What may look “pretty” from the front window is actually something that requires my labor. I need to go outside, take the shovel and move the stuff, and as soon as I move it more will fall and as soon as I move that even more will fall. I’m done with it.

I visited the dentist this morning. It’s been a year since my last check up. I find my cavity count is usually zero with so many of my original molars replaced by crowns; therefore eliminating the need for six month visits.

My dentist is aging with me. I’ve been a patient of his since 1982. I thought how proud he must be when he looks into my mouth every year and sees his handiwork. There’s got to be some real job satisfaction in that. I enjoy my check ups. He may be on the young side of ancient but his dental assistants aren’t. I had a very pretty blond working on my teeth this morning. I tried to say something ‘hip‘ to strike up a conversation but came up with nothing.
“Do you want fresh mint or cinnamon for your polish?” she asked.
“Fresh mint,” I answered.
I sometimes wonder what to do with my eyes while my teeth are worked on. Younger dentists have distractions - like TV’s mounted in the ceiling. You can catch up on the news while you’re getting your cavities drilled. My dentist is very old school. He has boring ceiling tile with 25 tiny holes in each to look at. I sometimes stare into the overhead light. I find it interesting that the light my dentist uses today is the same make and model my dentist used when I was a kid in the 1960’s in Rapid City, South Dakota. Why change a good thing, right?

I thought about looking into her eyes while she worked on my teeth but thought better of it considering she had a mechanical spinning object in my mouth. Making her uncomfortable was the last thing I wanted to do.

I was hoping she’d say something complementary about my teeth, considering I never needed braces and all my molars were beautiful, unblemished crowns.
“You’re not brushing vigorously enough up near your top molars. I see a build up of plaque that is starting to calcify,” she said.
“Thank you,” I replied. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

A Poster in my Dentist's Office Announcing their use of the Latest in Dental Practices.

Out came the floss when the polishing was complete. She wound it around her fingers and started.
Tsk, tsk, tsk,” was the sound she made while trying to break through the calcified barriers bridging my teeth in an attempt to clean between my molars. I knew that she knew my flossing needed addressing. I'm not motivated to floss. My dental hygiene attention span handles brushing and nothing else. Besides, why not be her job security and let her do my flossing for me every six months?

She finished the flossing and directed me to the sink to “Rinse and Spit”. A moment later I was back in the recliner and waiting for the dentist to make an appearance. I knew I was next in line. I could hear him in the next room working on a lady that broke one of her front teeth on a pistachio.
The drilling in the next room stopped. A moment later he walked into my room. I was taken back by his glasses. I knew he wore glasses but what he was wearing wasn't your ordinary pair of glasses. His glasses had small microscopes embedded in each lens. I’m surprised he found where I was sitting.
“How are you Victor?” he asked while looking toward the wall. His assistant politely coughed, directing him to my general direction.
“Doing fine,” I answered as he lowered the chair’s back to his level. “Pretty impressive specs you’ve got there.”
“Well, an old dentist’s got to do what an old dentist’s gotta do,” he answered while feeling around my face for my mouth.

His exam was complete. He scraped and poked and scraped and poked as he went from tooth to tooth.
“Your front teeth are wearing down. You’ve got a small chip in one and the other is showing transparency. What are you doing, chewing on bark?” he commented. I never know how to respond to a dentist’s questioning with three tools inserted in my mouth. I did the best I could and grunted. He nodded as if he understood, then continued his scraping and poking.

At one point he stopped to clean his ice pick. My mouth was clear for a brief moment.
“I like my beef jerky,” I said, trying to justify the wearing down of my front teeth. There was an awkward pause, followed by the reinsertion of the tools.
“That explains part of it. All that biting and chewing, tsk tsk tsk....,” he said. “We may have to do some polishing. Maybe not today. We’ll give it a bit more time.”
I wondered what he meant by “part of it”? Could the other part be the fact that I, along with all other humans on this planet, must use my teeth to eat? Could that be the reason my teeth are showing signs of wear? Well, I apologize for that but will not stop eating just to save the wear on my two front teeth!

He finished the exam and looked at the x-rays.
“You’re good to go. No cavities this time,” he said. I was invited to stand and leave the room. I stood. He was already gone into the next room. The pretty blond 20 something hygienist stood in the doorway with the exam results and a small baggy holding a toothbrush, small tube of toothpaste and a small container of floss.
“See you in six months,” she radiated with perfectly white, straight teeth.
“Thanks,” I replied with my perfectly yellow, diet coke stained but straight teeth.

I walked to my car. It was starting to snow. I opened my car door, tossed in the dental Care Package, shut the door and hopped the curb to the Walkers Gas Station next door. I felt the need to celebrate another clean dental bill of health. I bought a diet soda and a package of those tasty orange circus peanuts in the ‘2 packages for $1.00‘ packaging. I skipped the jerky. I decided I’d follow my dentist’s advice for one day.