Expedition 29 Lands Safely and The New Mobile Launcher

Commander Mike Fossum happy to be on the ground. Not used to gravity after 5 months in Zero-G!

After 167 days in orbit and on the ISS, US astronaut Mike Fossum, Japanese astronaut Satosji Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov returned to Earth in their Soyuz capsule. They landed in a snowy field in the steppes of Kazakhstan.

The landing site. Auto headlights illuminate the landing area. Dark splash on right is where the Soyuz touched down, and the capsule is a bit to the left of that spot.

The giant Crawler takes the ML out to Pad 39B.

In a scene reminiscent of the glory days of the Saturn V launches to the Moon, a giant launch tower is again seen moving to the pads. NASA engineers have moved the huge 355 foot tall tower to Launch Complex 39B to test how the new structure responds to the stresses of moving on the large Transport Crawler.

The ML tower was originally constructed for use with the Aries 1 rocket, which was cancelled three years ago by the Obama administration. Three years after its cancellation, the project is again alive thanks to Congressional intervention. During the last year, Congress has passed laws requiring NASA to design and build a new heavy-lift rocket to replace the lifting capacity of the cancelled Space Shuttle program. The new rocket is designated (for now) as the SLS, standing for Space Launch System. There's a creative, catchy name for you, eh? Despite my sarcastic response to the name, the new system will provide the United States with a rocket capable of lifting large satellites and spacecraft into orbit and beyond to the Moon and the asteroids.

Currently the ML tower stands at a total height or 400 feet while on the tremendous transporter. The trip from the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) to Pad 39B takes about 14 hours and travels 4.2 miles. The tower weighs in at a wopping 6.5 million pounds. It currently does not yet have the swinging arm bridges that will allow engineers to access parts of future rockets along its length.

Pad 39B is also going through changes. The old towers that serviced many shuttle flights have been torn down, and new structures are building in its stead in preparation for the new ML series of towers. In fact, the base of the ML will need enlargement for exhaust, as it was originally designed to work with the thinner Aries rocket. The new SLS will be wider at the base and include side-mounted Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs, like the shuttle had).

My hope is that the shuttle towers will be broken into small pieces for sale to space collectors like myself. I currently own a piece of the gantry from Launch Complex 26, from which the historic Explorer 1 satellite (America's first successful space satellite) launched atop a Jupiter rocket in 1958. I would love to add a remnant of the space shuttle era to my collection.

Launch of Ares 1-x in 2008. This was the test rocket for the cancelled Ares series of rockets, launched from Pad 39B to test the marriage of the SRB as a first stage with a second stage test structure. The temporary tower used at the pad will be replaced with the ML Tower structures.

Posted by Mark Daymont

Monday, the First Day of a Short Week and Our Weekend Staff Celebration

Hello Troops,
The older staff got together at my home Saturday night for ham, rolls, Lorraine's best potato casserole, cupcakes and cookies. The ham came with the compliments of the Space Center's T Shirt supplier. Adam hustled Metta and Megan at pool, walking away with a substantial amount of money and IOU's, Lorraine, Mark, Dave, Melissa and I sat in the living room talking old people's talk. The conversation included such riveting topics as aches, pains, taxes, medicare, weather, laxatives, politics and the Space Center of course. Wyatt (The Red Blemish) made the ultimate sacrifice and walked away from the kitchen table where the cool older teen staff were and joined us in the living room to save us from the mire of self pity. Wyatt is unashamedly a KnowItAll when it comes to Classic Star Trek. Moments after his arrival we were in a rousing discussion of which episode was the best. There were obnoxiously loud interruptions of laughter from the kitchen. One vocal blast from Rachel (whose tone filled the higher notes on the scale) and Ben (who's vocal tones filled the lower notes on the scale) rattled the windows. Years of ceiling dust came fluttering down into our hair, food and clothing. I'm told Aleta was the cause of our partial hearing loss. She was tossing innuendo's like hotcakes.

My ringing ears, paired with serious fatigue caused by little sleep during the Overnight Camp, brought the event celebrating the Center's 21st birthday and the awarding of ten year service pins to Megan and Stacy to a close at 9:00 P.M. Ben volunteered to take the leftovers. I agreed. Moments later I caught him rifling through the refrigerator and pantry looking for anything else he thought could use a good home in a good stomach.

I'm sure a few of my curiously disturbed neighbors - you know the kind who only leave their front windows to use the restroom - were wondering if those odd South Dakota Williamsons were sponsoring an Occupy Pleasant Grove gathering based on the laughter and shouting coming from my driveway. It's good the outside
After Party only lingered another 20 minutes or so. I was just about to go outside in full riot gear (rain coat and bicycle helmet) to disperse the gathering with my garden hose and small canister of pepper spray kept in my car for emergencies. I think everyone got too cold, jumped in their cars, and drove to Wendy's for the unlimited child's sized Frosties.

Yes, it is a short week. Thanksgiving is a few days away and that means football, turkey and copious amounts of pie served with a house full of insane family (South Dakota certified insane. They don't come any insaner). The Space Center will be running at full steam - closing at 9:00 P.M. Tuesday night.

I'm thinking about offer special half price Black Friday missions starting at midnight Friday. Any staff willing to come in? (joking).

How about a few interesting items to start the week off right?

Mr. W.


Remember me always saying, "Real American Money, None of that Phony Canadian Stuff."?
Well, our northern friends have been busy imagining and produced something worthy of our imagineering respect. Here we are folks with Canada's plastic money.....



What's Christmas without a few awesome feats of Imagination on film? A British
Christmas ad worthy of applause. Imaginarium TV at its best.



Make way for Belgium's Goose Army. Again I say, What Imagination!

A Roundup Of Interesting Tidbits.

Is The End of this World Close at Hand?





An exceptionally strong magnetic storm would have deadly effects



"We don't know how the Earth (or humanity) might meet its end or when that will happen. Pondering and predicting the event has usually been a job for the world's great religions: all of them have some idea about how humans will meet their maker.."
Read the Entire Article

Nigel Farage. You Gotta Admire His Style

Moving on. May I share with you a video of one of my favorite persons in the world? His name is Nigel Farage. He is a member of the European Parliament from Great Britain and no lover of the European Union. Listen to his remarks made in Parliament on November 16th.
I've always said, "Stand up, stand out and be counted." Well Nigel is a good example of that.




Flying Time Lapse, Flying Over the Earth From Space


Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.


Time lapse sequences of photographs taken by Ron Garan, Satoshi Furukawa and the crew of expeditions 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011, who shot these pictures at an altitude of around 350 km.

Shooting locations in order of appearance:

1. Aurora Borealis Pass over the United States at Night
2. Aurora Borealis and eastern United States at Night
3. Aurora Australis from Madagascar to southwest of Australia
4. Aurora Australis south of Australia
5. Northwest coast of United States to Central South America at Night
6. Aurora Australis from the Southern to the Northern Pacific Ocean
7. Halfway around the World
8. Night Pass over Central Africa and the Middle East
9. Evening Pass over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East
10. Pass over Canada and Central United States at Night
11. Pass over Southern California to Hudson Bay
12. Islands in the Philippine Sea at Night
13. Pass over Eastern Asia to Philippine Sea and Guam
14. Views of the Mideast at Night
15. Night Pass over Mediterranean Sea
16. Aurora Borealis and the United States at Night
17. Aurora Australis over Indian Ocean
18. Eastern Europe to Southeastern Asia at Night



Reforming Education. Why Schools Must Change



"We're Going to Be Friends" The White Strips. Kids Signing. Tremendous. A Good Way to end this post.

Two Space Station Updates

Soyuz rocket blasting off in snowstorm.

Two international dockings this week made the news. Our first story is the return of human spaceflight to Russian space Operations, as a successful Soyuz launch was made to the ISS. On board the TMA-22 Soyuz spacecraft were two cosmonauts and an astronaut of Expedition 29. Even though the launch occurred during a snowstorm, the spacecraft successfully made it to the ISS and docked to the Russian Poisk module on Wednesday.

Expedition 29 all together now.

Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and astronaut Dan Burbank join the rest of the Expedition 29 team for a six month stay aboard the station. Burbank is in the middle of the front crewmembers in the photo. Station Commander Mike Fossum (middle in back row), astronaut Satoshi Furukawa (left back row) and cosmonaut Sergei Volkov (right back row) will return to Earth next week. Another group of three astronauts will launch to the station in December.

Meanwhile, the Chinese have been continuing their tests with their Tiangong-1 space module which acts as a remote-control station for practice purposes.

Tiangon-1 (left) and Shenzou-8 (right)

Chinese ground controllers have been practicing undocking and redocking the Shenzou-8 spacecraft. No Taikonauts (Chinese astronauts) are on either craft. Notice the Shenzou-8 (right side of picture) looks remarkably like a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Why start from scratch when you can borrow (?) from something that has worked well for decades. The Chinese are actually doing very well and making good progress in their goal to establish an inhabited space station and then press on to the Moon. Certainly they have benefited from the American and Russian technology. Sure would be nice if they paid for the use of those patents, though.

Recovering the landed Shenzou-8.

Like the Russian Soyuz, the Chinese Shenzou spacecraft land in an open wilderness for recovery. In this case, Inner Mongolia. It had undocked from Tiangong-1 on Wednesday and returned to Earth on Wednesday. It is expected that Taikonauts will be on either the next flight to the station or for certain the third flight up.

Mark Daymont,
Space Center Educator

HopeKids and the Space Center

Hello Troops,
The following is an email received recently from a parent of one of the Hopekids who attended the special missions we ran for them two weeks ago.

I want to thank the staff and volunteers who made the evening a success. Honestly, do you know of any place on Earth where so much human awesomeness exists in such a concentrated space? The astronauts in the International Space Station must see this place glowing on pure 100% creative fuel when all the ships are running as they orbit the Earth.

I'm proud to be associated with such fine people past and present.

Mr. W.

Dear Space Center,
Hi! I just wanted to send you a little note to thank you for letting my son and Hopekids come enjoy space camp. My 10 year old son, Austin, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which is 100% fatal with no treatment or cure. He wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. He absolutely loved coming to this activity and has talked about it for days. Hopekids is a really special organization to us, especially since Austin stopped walking 1 year ago. He can no longer go to friends homes to play and finds himself trying to keep up with friends. Hopekids gives us the gift of being together and participating in activities that Austin can participate in and gets him out of the house. We love Hopekids and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us. Our live are definitely enriched through everyday angels like you!

Thanks again,

Karalee
(Austin's Mom)

Rough Seas Ahead

Hello Troops,
This is day two of two busy days at the Space Center. Double field trips yesterday and today mean four classes will keep us engaged until 6:00 P.M. Private missions start after the last school bus leaves. Some of us will emerge from the this grueling herculean task unscathed. Others, chained to their stations until the last bus disappears into the dark of night, will leave the Center bruised, unwashed, dishevelled and smelling heavily of human child and musty Voyager uniforms.

Our school's principal spent time and effort scrubbing the school's faculty room for today's principal's meeting with the Alpine School District's Superintendent. She left this note on the Space Center's white board: "NO ONE GOES INTO THE FACULTY ROOM FOR ANY REASON. I CLEANED IT FOR A MEETING". Knowing I suffer from selective memory syndrome, she told the night custodian to find me after my last mission and tell me not to let anyone use the faculty room.

Thirty minutes later....... The bus driver for the 2:00 P.M. field trip walked into the office.
"Do you have a microwave. I'm starving."

It was 5:30 P.M. She had another thirty minutes to wait before our field trip ended, then a 45 minute drive taking the students back to their school in Salt Lake City. The microwave was in the faculty room. I hesitated, remembering the principal's note on the white board behind me.

"Sure," I replied. I wasn't going to say no. How could using the microwave mess up the faculty room?

She didn't cook a Lean Cuisine or a Hot Pocket. She burned a bag of popcorn! The faculty room stunk to high heaven of burned popcorn. The school's hallways smelled of burned popcorn. We went into disaster clean up mode. I set up fans and left instructions for our night custodian to wash the tables and walls with the strongest disinfectant legally sold.

Now I get to return to school and smell the results. My fingers are crossed. If that smell isn't gone I'll be in deep trouble. Yes, even Mr. Williamson has a boss and I think I'm in for it today. I'll be cleaning toilets and raking leaves for the next two weeks.

Perhaps its time for a few things from the Imaginarium:

The Berlin Subway? If not, it should be.

Who says you can't improve on an existing design. The Rocking Chair reinvented.




Live Live Differently.


I know the feeling. We deal with small humans daily.

Again, Imagination and perfection in design.

The Space Center Twenty One Years Ago.

Hello Troops,
Last week marked the 21st birthday of our Space Education Center. To commemorate the event I'm posting pictures taken a week before the Space Center opened on November 8, 1990.

We start with the Space Center's Office, also known to us old timers as its original name "The Briefing Room".


This is looking toward the front of the room. Principal Stan Harward is standing in the room's doorway. On the right are the original classroom coat hangers and cubbies for student's belongings (the Phoenix sits there today). The cubbies were removed a few years later and staff bunks were built in their place. The big screen TV is roughly where the Phoenix's main viewer sits today. You can see the white board, still on the wall in its exact same place after 21 years. The tables and chairs are used today in Discovery. The Briefing Room was first used for the classroom session of the field trip.


The Staff Board was at the front of the Briefing Room. We had nine volunteers when the Center opened in 1990. I was the only person on the payroll. The first picture is of Jeff Schoonover. Today Jeff is the principal of Provo High School. His children attend Central School. Kyle Sanderson's pictures comes next. He is a math teacher and Asst. Football Coach at Pleasant Grove High. Jake Mattson is next. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife and four children. Burke Craghead is next followed by Tony Grover. Tony is a lawyer in Salt Lake City with two children. I can't make out or remember who the person is at the end.



Recognize the sink? Its not there anymore. How about the drawers? Yep, this is the where the Odyssey's Control Room sits today. The Gift Shop used to sit right here.

The Briefing Room looking toward the Voyager's entrance.


The back of the Briefing Room before the Odyssey. My desk is next to the filing cabinets. The mural was done on butcher paper by our Young Astronaut Club. To the far left you'll see the doorway to the library, today's home of you know who! Notice my less than comfy desk chair.



This was the bulletin board behind my desk at the back of the room. That bulletin board covered the hole in the wall that today leads to the Odyssey's Engineering Section.

And now, we move on into the Voyager Mission Simulator (as it was called then).


The short doorway was still a hazard as it is today. Notice there is no Captain's Loft. That was added a few years later.


Now a turn into the unfinished Voyager Control Room.


Then down to the Crew Quarters. Same red counter top


And up the spiral staircase to the Voyager's Bridge. This is the original furniture. We opened without raised platforms for the Captain's, Security and Record's stations. They were added only after I discovered the students sitting at those positions couldn't see the Tactical Screen. The box in the picture sits where today's Engineering Station is located. The box was the home of the original Robotic Arm (an idea I tried to import from the Challenger Centers).

In this photograph you see the Captain's desk in the distance. In the foreground right is Security. Foreground left is Records. You'll also easily find the left and right wings.

This is the front of the Bridge before the main viewer and TV were installed. The original two emblems of the Space Center are still there today, hidden by the two large black and gold Federation Emblems.


We descend down from the Bridge looking back at the Security Station.


And finally a right turn will take us back to the Briefing Room.

A Few Items of Space Center News and Commentary.

Before we get started with today's post, I'd like to draw your attention to a gift left on my desk Friday morning from my union. My life at a glance!

Hello Troops,

Yesterday's warmth is making a speedy easterly exit up and over the mountains, leaving us venerable to the whims of an approaching cold front. I'm glad I wore my jacket as I made the outside rounds checking for unlocked doors.

Earlier Friday evening our conscientious neighbors fouled the air with backyard leaf burning Druid ritual fires. Their chanting doesn't bother us, nor their peculiar robes. What is bothersome is the smoke from their fires, drawn into the school through our air conditioner's air handlers. I'm seriously tempted to call in the Christian Brothers to squash the heretics.

The school's air conditioners stop compressing air to conserve electricity when the outside temperature drops below 54 degrees. Dampeners automatically open, drawing cold outside air into the school for cooling. We breath our neighborhood's sooty mixture all day. There is no escape. I'm consistently asked if I just returned from a camping trip when people smell my clothes. I understand the logic behind this cooling system, but cooling by bringing in outside air is a poor system for places like Pleasant Grove where half our homes are heated by buffalo chips and high sulfur coal.

We had a few reasons to shake hands and celebrate over the past few weeks.

I'm shaking Nathan's hand and congratulating him for receiving his One Year Pin. Nathan was unaware of significance of the Honor, hence the look of confusion.
"You've been with us one year!" I explained.
"Have I?" Nathan queried.
"You have," I answered.
"Have I?"
"Yes, you have."
"Have I really?"
"Nathan, you've been here one year so stand still so I can pin this on."
"What is it?"
"Its your Year Pin."
"Is it?"
"Yes it is."
"Oh is it?"
"Yes Nathan. IT is!"

Good Grief.


I'm shaking Christine Grosland's hand after successfully pinning a 5 Year Pin on her collar.

"Any words of wisdom you'd like to share with everyone?" I asked. Christine looked confused. Then a calmness overcame her as she pulled something from the very essence of her consciousness.

"Do not touch the sides of the door because you might be electrocuted. And, ah.... we're out of left thumbs in our box of spare parts. I think we have plenty of right thumbs........"

"You're good Christine. Sit down."


This is me pinning Rachel's 5 Year Service Pin onto her collar. We were both so overcome with emotion that a bit of something unpleasant escaped. Such things are a common occurrence for me whenever I climb stairs or stand up quickly. I attribute it to my advanced age.

It is difficult to identify the culprit. Of course I was blamed, but now that I examine the picture I'm starting to wonder. Let's just say it was the shortest pinning in Space Center history.
(Sorry Rachel, the pictures was just too good. Rachel is an awesome sport. I hope..)


This is Stacy receiving her 10 Year Service Pin. People tell me I have an electric personality. I've never believed them, until now. I think it was the combination of a thunder storm, my hand in contact with a metal pin in close proximity to Stacy's collar bone and a sudden lightening strike that generated the voltage.

Stacy has nearly recovered. She still slurs a few words, but other than that, she's 80% of her former self.


I'm offering my hand to Megan after awarding her 10 Year Service Pin. My gesture was immediately refused.

"How long have you owned that hand?" she asked.

"53 years," I answered.

"Have you sanitized recently?"

"It's been an hour or so."

"OH THE HUMANITY!" Jorden shouted from the back of the room where he stood with his back firmly planted against the wall. Everyone at the Space Center gives Jorden a wide berth, knowing his fear of germs and viruses. Jorden unzipped his black fanny pack and pulled out his face mask and hand sanitizer. In seconds he successfully removed his can of Lysol spray from a custom made holster and sterilized the air around him.

Megan smiled, waved me off, took a bow and returned to her seat.



Megan and Stacy wanted a picture together celebrating 10 Years at the Space Center.


Megan and Stacy started at the Space Center when they were very young. They loved playing aliens and perfected the 'alien face' our volunteers still use to this day.



This is Dave Daymont shaking Nathan's hand. Nathan recently completed his Phoenix passes.
"Did I?" Nathan asked.
"Yes you did." Dave responded.
"Did I really?"
"Yes, Nathan. You really got your Phoenix pin?"
"Oh did I?"
"You did."
"When did I do that?"
"Today, during the camp."
"Did I?"
"Yes you did."
"Did I really."


This is Dave Daymont shaking Nicole's hand. Nicole was awarded a Phoenix Pin. Nicole has the strongest grip of anyone working at the Space Center, and only releases after the first bone breaks.

Dave knew her award day was coming. In anticipation of the event, Dave spent the last few evenings studying the proper technique for administering the Vulcan Death Grip. He planed on administering the shoulder pinch right before the pain from her grip became unbearable. This picture was taken just before Nicole bore down. Dave applied the grip. Nicole loosened the tourniquet. The stand off lasted more than five minutes before I called it a draw.


This is Devin congratulating Logan for earning his Odyssey Pin. That is not a look of joy in Logan's eyes.
Devin is standing right next to him.
Devin looks a bit off center, if you know what I mean.
Devin has his hand on Logan's lanyard. The lanyard hangs around Logan's neck.
Devin chases loose chickens around Alpine.
Enough said.


Finally, I'm giving Jack his year pin. Jack is afraid of pins and needles. I believe it stems from a horrible accident involving a pet cat and a pair of knitting needles.

I successfully attached his pin to his lanyard only after taking him through a series of breathing exercises. Just before I reached for his lanyard I ordered him to shut his eyes. This picture was snapped shortly before he passed out.

Alex Anderson, Called to Go Forth

Hello Troops,

Today, the all knowing, all wise, venerated, yet embarrassingly humble Alex Anderson announces his mission call.
Thanks Alex for submitting this announcement in true Troubadour style.



Master Alex Goes Forth

"And so, the knights of the Federation of Shires defeated the evil Empire of Romulus, and peace was restored to the land." With quick bow, Master Alex sat himself down, his story told. Before him in the great hall of the castle were his audience, troubadours and peasants alike. The younger members of the troupe applauded, a few whistled. Some of the older, more experienced storytellers nodded their heads in approval, although some of the elements of the story were unorthodox.

For several weeks now, the air has chilled in the shire, but withheld snow. The fields surrounding the castle has long since turned gray and dull by the cold. Trees were bare; leaves had long since lost their satisfying crunch. The morning frost lasted long into the day, chilling everything it touched. The huge pile of coats and scarves by the doors of the castle was evidence of that; few dared to remain outside for long periods of time.

Yet the castle itself held a wealth of warmth and merriment. The general mood of the hall was warm and bright, despite the cold outside. A fire cracked pleasantly in the corner as the occupants of the hall talked loudly to one another. Mistress’ Emily and Brittney resumed their animated talking once the story had been told.

"Master Alex," said Master Ricks, sitting to his right, "Thy story was well-told. Yet, your props could do with some repair. They are fraying with age." A smirk passed over his face.

"Thank you, Master Ricks," Master Alex replied, "But, troth, my concern was not with the props, but with my memory, which in my absence could have left me." Master Alex had been studying at the University in the more populous city for several months, and only now returned to retell his favorite story. "And don’t forget, young prop-maker, that the props that I use were created by my own hands."

"Yes," said Master Ricks, "and only for your hands were they tooled! Others have tried to use them, and fail!" The pair laughed together. This was true. It was also true that, despite only being a part of the troupe for a few short seasons, Master Ricks had become very proficient in the sacred and guarded art of prop-making. His own handiwork could already be seen on the stages of the troupe.

"Master Alex! Master Alex!" came a voice from the crowd.

"Yes, Master Joseph."

"Master Alex, I did truly enjoy your story!"

"Thank you Master Joseph, but as I recall you have helped me tell it before."

"I know, but it did still entrap my attention. When will it be told again?"

There was a pause before he answered.

"I cannot tell this story again, Master Joseph. For I must take my leave of this shire again."

"What?" yelled Master Joseph. Those sitting near craned their heads to see the commotion. "Where are you going?"

At that, Master Alex pulled from beneath the table a small, brown bundle. It was a simple, modest piece of clothing. The robes of a traveling monk.

"My course lies East, toward the rising sun, to a distant land called Pittsburgshire. I leave in less than threescore and ten days."

Silence fell over the crowd. Through the giant windows on the walls of the hall, tiny flakes of snow had begun to fall.

A BIG Near Miss!

Radar image of 2005 YU55.

It's time for watching the skies again, as a large asteroid passed pretty close to the Earth. Asteroid 2005 YU55 zoomed past our planet at about 4:28 p.m. Mountain Time yesterday. By Pretty Close I mean Pretty Close. Many close calls are actually several times the distance between the Earth and Moon, this one came closer to the Earth than the Moon!

Scientists have been closely tracking this asteroid with radar-imaging telescopes to precisely verify its trajectory and speed. We were quite safe, as its orbit around the Sun has already been established. This gave researchers a chance to observe a close up asteroid and learn more about the dangers that could be posed to the Earth by these close misses.

You see, this wasn't some little po-dunk bus-sized little rock, this one was as big as an aircraft carrier! Yes, it would have survived going through the atmosphere and smacked us good, but it missed (phew!)

The last time a rock this size passed this close to the Earth (about 200,000 miles away) was in 1976. That pass by was undetected until scientists caught it going away (lucky us). The next approach of an object this big won't be until about 2028.

2005 YU55 will continue circling the Sun, passing by the Earth, Venus and Mars.

Down here in the Bunker we were glad that our scientists got such a close opportunity to study and analyze the enemy's weapons. Should this have hit the Earth, the damage would have been quite appreciable, creating a crater larger than that found at Meteor Crater in Arizona. Celebrate the Near-Miss with a toast to the Near-Earth-Observations Program at JPL and NASA. The more we learn about these objects, the safer we can be in the War against the Comet Empire and their Allies, the Asteroids.

Posted by Mark Daymont

Thoughts on the Space Center's 21st Anniversary.

The Best Way I Know to Visualize My Life Directing the Space Center Over the Last 21 Years.

Hello Troops,
Twenty one years have come and gone since the Space Center opened its doors for the first time. The Space Center will quietly mark this milestone on November 8th. I remember November 8, 1990 very well. I was nervous. I had doubts. I questioned whether I knew what I was doing. Others had thoughts concerning my sanity. We held an open house that evening. Hundreds toured the infant Voyager. Many asked what it was all about. I said something about math and science but deep down had no idea where exactly the dart would land.

The idea of having a permanent simulator built at the school started with my Young Astronaut Club and a trip to Japan we won to attend the first International Young Astronauts Convention. While there I met a Catholic nun who worked at a school with a small shuttle simulator. I was intrigued and wanted one for my Young Astronaut Club at Central. Suddenly the dream took on its own life. I wanted a simulator of my own, a futuristic ship called Pegasus, named after the classroom ship I used to teach my space science lessons since 1983. The Pegasus was to be built where the Odyssey is now. After many grants and countless rejections with few approvals, I raised enough money to build a much bigger ship, the Voyager. It would be built into a new addition I would build at Central Elementary. So many people were drawn into the project. Great amounts of money and manpower were spent. It had to succeed, but I didn't know what `it' was. Failure wasn't an option. I didn't sleep well those first years. My health suffered. My poor heart never completely recovered. The anxiety attacks, I'm happy to say, lasted three years and ended.

I had a building, a futuristic simulator, but hadn't settled on how I would used it to teach. At first I envisioned a science lab on board a futuristic spaceship. That idea never took hold. I experiment with a scientific mission to Mars. Our field trip classes flew to Mars at warp speed using laughably simple HyperCard controls I programmed. Once there, we used a NASA Mars laser disc for special effects. We flew around the planet learning about its climate and features. Back then I stood on the bridge next to the Tactical screen. My 6th grade staff (2 kids) sat in the
control room listening and waiting for clues on when to play and pause. It was primitive at best when compared to what we do now.

I felt something was missing after a few Mars mission field trips . The students showed little excitement. They were motionless bodies sitting at the computers listening to me. I was the person in command giving the captain orders on where to go and what to do. It wasn't working.

I thought back to my days in the classroom, running exciting episodic missions on a Star Trek like ship over several months every school hear. I ran these simulations in conjunction with my space science units. I sat behind my desk with an overhead projector, boom box, and plastic transparencies. My students sat at their desks running the starship with poster board controls. Then the idea came - recreate the magic. Take what I had already proven successful and put it into the new Voyager. I took a few of my "Star Trek" videos and, using two of the school's VCR's, I edited a new ending to my Mars mission. A Romulan Warbird arrived while the students orbited Mars demanding the students surrender the planet to the Romulan Empire. It was a crazy idea but crazy ideas built the Center. I guess being willing to act on insane impulses is a character trait I should wear with pride.

The idea of adding the Romulan scene at the end of the mission worked well. The kids got excited to see the Romulan ship. The little battle thrown into the end of the Mars mission was successful. It convinced me that my idea of taking a class on an EdVenture into space would work with the general public like it did with my captive class.

I sat down and wrote another mission called "Epsilon". It was a story of a planet in the
Klingon Neutral Zone. Half the planet was under Federation control and the other was under Klingon control. The treaty, allowing joint control of the planet, was soon to be reviewed. The planet would be awarded to the government that demonstrated it could best care for the
planet's population.

The story had the Voyager entering the Neutral Zone bringing a new kind of wheat to the planet. This new wheat was genetically engineered to grow well in the planet's harsh climate. The Voyager had a few close calls on the way to the planet and a few others while in orbit. At the end of the mission our field trips left the Voyager excited and wanting to return. I knew I had found the formula for success. The rest, as they say, is history.

Nearly 300,000 students have attended the Space Center since November 8, 1990.
Imagine the length of a 300,000 student line! We've done well.

Here we are 21 years later. Our one ship is now five. Our stories are much more complicated. Our simulators are ten times more sophisticated. Our work force has exploded. I happy I've been blessed to work with so many fine people. I enjoy keeping my hand on the helm of the Voyager. I've never lost my love for directing missions.

The years have taken their toll. I'm getting older and gray, but the magic is still there. Someone once asked me If I would ever leave the Center and move on to greener pastures. I've thought about it over the years. I knew I could get a higher paying job somewhere else that required half the hours I was working weekly at the Space Center, but the rewards, both mentally and emotionally, would pale in comparison to working at something I created.

Sometimes, when everyone is gone, I walk up the steps to the Voyager's Bridge and sit in the Captain's chair under the dim lights. I look at the walls. I imagine the voices of 280,000 children swirling around the room - locked forever in the very sheet rock of the ship. I look at the left wing and see the original staff training crews before the days of training tapes and mp3 players. I see Jacob Bartlett over in the corner asleep when he should be doing his job as a bridge staff. I hear Russell Smith downstairs playing the blind doctor. I watch a much younger Mr. Schuler coming up the stairs in full Star Trek uniform. I hear a child's voice shout, "Admiral on the Bridge!" I still see that silly mask popping up over the loft and scaring Security. I hear Lorraine downstairs in the crew quarters working with the spill over field trip kid. I hear the screams, the laughing, and the quiet that came from sadness when the Paklid Blossom died in a fiery crash into a planet so many years ago. The memories are good. They are an elixir for the soul. I think I'll stay awhile longer if you'll forgive my selfishness.

I think about the future. Will what we do today be as obsolete as the VCR player in the future? Some day video game technology may become so evolved that children will do missions at home - connected to some kind of virtual reality machine. The computer will play the Flight Director, telling the story and reacting to the kid's decisions. The students will sit wearing goggles showing them the bridge of some futuristic ship. Gloves will give them the feel of working the controls. Our simulators will become relics of the past.

That day may come. But until it does, we will keep our hands on the helm. We will tell our stories until the last mission is told and the Voyager's lights dim for the last time. Perhaps the Voyager will still be around decades from now as a museum today's campers will visit with their grandchildren. The sounds of our voices heard against the background music will accentuate their grandparent's stories of their field trips to this magical place.

Thank you everyone for Twenty-one years. Volunteers, thank you for volunteering hours of your time each month. Staff, thank you for working at a place with low pay and unpredictable hours. Together, we are creating lasting memories in the hearts and minds of our students.

Sincerely,
Mr. Williamson

Dockings in space

Steady... steady... careful now...

On Wednesday morning November 2, Progress 45, a robotic cargo delivery spacecraft, approached the International Space Station and successfully docked to the Russian PIRS module. Supplies included food, fuel, oxygen, water, and electronic supplies. I'm sure what the astronauts of Expedition 29 were REALLY waiting for were the 2 Apple iPads that were stored on board!

THis docking brings a sigh of relief from Russian space program managers, who were no doubt worried to death after the failure of the last Progress mission. That crash resulted in a delay of the Progress missions. Looks like the bugs have been worked out... for now.

Steady... steady... careful now...

Celebrations in China this week as a major milestone has been achieved for the Chinese SPace Program. Earlier this year, China launched the Tiangong-1 science module, basically a mini-space station. Tee T-1 will be used for practice in rendezvous and docking practice, and later next year Chinese Astronauts will actually dock with the spacecraft. In this event, a Shenzhou-8 Space ship robotically docked with the T-1 module. China is continuing to make strides forward in their development. No doubt this is due to all the scientific help we have either given them or they have stolen. I do not make that claim lightly.

Posted by Mark Daymont
Space Center Educator

This Busy Wednesday

Hello Troops,
He had the best Halloween costume. It was the day he got to dress for the job he wanted not the job he had.

I'm about to leave home for a busy day at the Space Center. It's a double field trip day! Four classes will attend, two for the normal time 9:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. and two for the after hours time 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. I admire teachers that go the extra mile for their students and bring them to the after hours field trip. It's is a compliment to the work we do.

Our Revolution Programming Class will be held this evening at 6:30 along with a few private missions stretching our day to closing at 9:00 P.M.

So, without further delay, I'll wrap up and venture out for my walk to school on a cold November morning. See you in the trenches...

Mr. W.

P.S. And a few items from the Imaginarium.

A Reference to "The Mickey Mouse Club" one of my favorite TV shows as a kid.

The first man to bring us "Angry Birds" (I'll be pleasantly surprised if any of our younger readers gets this).

"Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"