Our Fellow Troubadours Detained and Lady Brittney's Shocking News.

The Cathedral's bells rang over the moonlit castle and village. A procession of monks followed the Abbot's torch as they walked slowly down the lane to evening Mass. I drew the shutters closed. The night's air was cold and crisp, laden with the comforting smell of wood and fire. The sound of wheel on cobblestone drew my attention to the opposite lane below. A woodsman returned from the forest. His cart strained under the weight of newly cut firewood. His day was ended, his duty's done.

Our band of Troubadours gathered for their evening's lessons. Some took up quill and parchment, and by candlelight, continued their compositions for the nobleman's theater. Lady Emily and Master Wyatt sat to warm themselves by the fire. Our youngest fellows sat before them with instruments in hand.


"Lady Emily, what sayeth thee about my pleasing new melody?" Master Wyatt plucked at his mandolin's strings as he waited for a favorable response. "Tis the song I played for all this morn. The melody came to me during the night. A fortunate gift form the angels in God's heaven."

"I thought the melody showed promise," Master David said whilst painting a scene for a new work destine for summer's telling.

"And the Lady speaks...." Master Wyatt turned to Lady Emily.

Lady Emily looked up from her harp, "And should my verdict disappoint? How shall you be then?" Our band of Troubadours fell silent. Master Wyatt was not known to embrace criticism amicably.

"Then say nay, and witness thy tongue tear my crestfallen heart from its moorings and onto the cold stone below!"

Lady Emily thought for a moment to consider the gruesomeness of his description. "And should my verdict be agreeable?" she said in a softer tone.

"Then say it so, and see the departed sun appear anew to bid the dark of night adieu." Master Wyatt's fingers parodied the rays from the sun around his smiling lips.

Lady Emily momentarily returned to her thoughts before speaking. "I speak the truth when I say your melody has found good company with my thoughts." Her fingers moved back and forth across the harp's strings, recreating Master Wyatt's newest ballad. The pleasing sound of a well crafted harp filled the hushed room.

"Dear Lady, you do favor the melody so. I believe it prefers your company to mine." Wyatt turned to the younger members of the troope sitting with instruments in hand, patiently waiting for their lessons to begin. "Do you not agree?" he thought to wait for a response, then continued before anyone could speak. "Granted your ears are not trained to fathom the sound of wing on air or hand upon cheek. But still, do you not feel your spirits sore at its playing?"

"The Lady's harp speaks for itself. The tune, never finer played," spoke young Connor. Master Wyatt jumped to his feet. Young Connor had transgressed the boundary between student and master. The boy retreated. "Did you not say it so yourself just a moment ago?" Connor spoke quickly to not offend. His back straight and muscles tensed - ready for flight.

Master Wyatt's countenance softened. He stretched forth his arms, and with billowing voice shouted. "Let the sun return, for the Lady's tune is pleasing." The young Troubadours applauded. Master Wyatt accepted their praise.

Lady Emily motioned for Master Wyatt to return to his mandolin. "Sit now and ease your mind, for I truly confess that Beauty is the definition of your tune. And now to the business at hand. Our pupils wait."

There was a sound in the hall. The great oak door burst open. In stepped the Count's trusted Herald. The look upon his face spoke of the bad news to follow.

"I have news of your fellow Troubadours Casey, Bronson, and Jack. A herald from King Wesley of the Northlands reports they are detained. Their return is no longer guaranteed."

The Herald's news was interrupted by shouts from the assembled troope.

"What treachery is this?" questioned Master Adam as he reached for his dagger.

Master Devin's response was quick to follow. "Our response is sure. We take up arms against King Wesley of the Northlands!"

Several stood with arms raised to join the holy cause. The herald cleared his throat and waved his hand beckoning all to silence. "The news is worse. Lady Morgan is detained as well.

"To the defense of Lady Morgan!" Master Zac jumped from his desk. His parchments scattered to the floor. "Where is my sword?"

"Taken from you by the Count for spearing his favored cat three months past," Lady Stacy's reminder drew laughter from the somber crowd.

"Said cat suffered from demonic possession and thrust itself upon the tip of my sword. That I am sure." Master Zac reached out to his fellows for support. "How can I bear responsibility?"

The Herald raised his hand to speak. "The Count believes King Wesley detains them in the North Lands for the sole purpose of creating a theater to rival ours. The Count and Countess will speak more on the matter during the evening meal. I bid you adieu."

The door shut. Threats against the Northlanders engaged every tongue. Not one was silent, each attempted to overspeak the others in his or her company.

"The news is worse." Lady Brittney rose to speak. "Pray indulge me this moment."
She waited for quiet to drive the last of the angry sounds into the stone walls.

"I will take my leave of this place after the Christmas performances. I shall find work in the Southlands where I reside. Good fellows, I pray you support me in this decision." The Lady bowed to all then sat with head down in prayer.

The shock of such news, all at the same time, caused many an eye to tear. A feather could have swept us from our feet. The door opened again.

"The evening meal is prepared. Please join the Count and Countess." A brightly dressed footman bowed, turned and walked away leaving the door open for all to follow.

"There is much to discuss," I spoke as the troope stood to exit. "We shall talk of these things again after our meal. Make haste, do not keep the Count waiting."

Note:
The story above carries two items of Space Center news. Casey Voeks has accepted a position as Valiant Set Director for iWorlds in Park City. He has moved to Park City. Bronson, Morgan and Jack (among other Space Center Park City volunteers) will be working with Casey to bring the Space Center experience to the people of the "Northlands". We wish our friends the best as they work long hours to make this a success!

Brittney Vandeboss, the Magellan's former Set Director, will be leaving full time employment at the Space Center. The Magellan's Directorship was given to Zac H.
Brittney lives in Provo and is attending BYU.
Brittney is looking for employment on campus. She has been with us 6 years and is entitled to a rest. Brittney will remain an employee, working as a substitute when needed. We wish Brittney all the best as she moves on with her education.

Mr. W.

Luna and the Celestial Time

Hello Troops,
The Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon tomorrow morning making for a beautiful Lunar eclipse. The timing couldn't be more perfect, and for that I must thank the Celestial clockkeeper.

The eclipse will reach its peak at 7:34 A.M. tomorrow. We wake our campers at 7:10 A.M. They eat mass quantities of donuts, Gogurts, fruit etc and are ready to leave the cafeteria at 7:35 A.M. The timing is perfection. We finish eating, walk the younglings outside, let them gaze at the darkening moon then usher them straight back into the school and into the simulators to finish their missions. We couldn't have planed it better.

It is a good Overnight Camp. The campers are well behaved and for that we are always grateful. The only sound I hear comes from the staff bed down in the Odyssey. They are telling tales of simulated heroism and fantasy courage in the face of Universal Armageddon. It has been the same for 21 years, staff telling newer staff the stories of their trials and tribulations in the simulators. This person to person story telling becomes the oral history of the Center, passed from one generation of staff to another.

I've got a few Christmas Ideas from the Wonderland Emporium two blocks from the Imaginarium. I clipped these ads from the newspaper and thought to pass them along to you. We all have someone on our holiday shopping list impossible to shop for. Perhaps something advertised here will relieve your burden.

Mickey Fired! And The Space Center's New Autosmile Braces.

Hello Troops,
The DuMouse clan sat anxiously waiting for the weekly Friday evening MouseNetwork replay of Steamboat Willy, Mickey's first on screen performance. The DuMouses live between the walls of a wonderfully restored Victorian home on the corner of Fifth and Elm in Wonderland. A human family named Dumont purchased the home ten years ago.

"Quiet," shouted Mrs. DuMouse, "the show is about to start." She searched the sea of little mouse eyes for her youngest. "Wally, get the cheese out of the ice box. Let's have a treat."

"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a special bulletin." The announcer's voice was somber, reflective of the news he was about to read. The Mouse family froze. They knew whatever it was had to be serious for the MouseNetwork to interrupt a playing of Steamboat Willy.
"This just in, Mickey Mouse was fired as Disneyland's Goodwill Ambassador. Apparently several campers attending a mission at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove were overheard telling the director that the Space Education Center was 'better than Disneyland'." The announcer paused to choke back his emotions. "A Disney informant not wanting to be identified said that Mickey was warned his job was on the line if anything like that was said again."

The picture on the screen switched from the news reader to a picture of Mickey, outside of the Magic Kingdom.



"Oh how the mighty have fallen!" gasped Mrs. DuMouse.
"Say it isn't so Mama!" Dora DuMouse sobbed.
"I'm afraid its true. Poor Mickey, reduced to begging on the street." Mrs. DuMouse's countenance grew dark - her eyes sinister. "Curse that Space Education Center," she mumbled under her breath. "They'll get theirs someday."

Troops,
I realize not everyone who comes to the Space Center's agrees, but two people told me yesterday that the Space Center was better than Disneyland. As many of you know, I'm one of the world's greatest Disney fans, so hearing that causes my chest to swell with such pride it nearly busts my buttons. I don't necessarily agree with the comment, but I'm happy that there are many who sincerely believe it.

The Space Education Center is my 2nd Happiest Place on Earth! The Disney Parks will always be my number 1, but thank you to all of you that believe differently. You're all awesome.

The Autosmile Brace


I found these awesome Autosmile Braces while Christmas shopping online and decided to purchase a set to be used by the Space Center's staff. Finally someone was creative enough to realize that not everyone can look happy all the time when coming to work - hence the problem we have at the Space Center.

There are days forcing the corners of my mouth upwards to reveal a convincing smile requires hydraulic power my cheek muscles cannot muster. On days like that, usually caused directly or indirectly by the Dementress, I must rely on others to stand as welcoming and warm in my stead. Lorraine is one such person. She had her smile tattooed onto her face several years ago just for the Space Center. I admire her dedication, but couldn't bring myself to do the same until last week.

After working a very difficult mission with a captain who rarely left her chair and spoke with such a mousy voice no one could hear anything she said, my natural frown sagged into something entirely unnatural in appearance. I caught a glimpse of myself in the Phototon on the bridge. It was shocking.

"Your countenance has ventured into a menagerie of the macabre and the grotesque." Lorraine said as she pulled me aside to deliver the terrible news moments before we loaded the next field trip crew.

I looked at her tattooed smile. Mind you, up close you can see the artist's flaws, but from a few steps back, it looks entirely natural. "Alright, I'm going to do it. Make an appointment. I'll have the procedure."

Lorraine smiled. That's when I was reminded of another major flaw in a smile tattoo. "Lorraine, remember not to smile for real. The two tattooed corners of your mouth nearly close at the top right there under your nose. It almost makes a perfect circle."

"I forgot," she replied.

Thank goodness I discovered the Autosmile Braces before leaving for the tattoo parlor. A Space Center landmark has been saved. My natural frown can continue to instill fear anytime I wish (necessary when you're the boss. The staff need to see me when I'm not a happy camper).

Staff and volunteers, the Autosmile Braces will be kept just inside the Voyager's Stage loading door. Pick one up as needed for those tough days. And please remember to disinfect when finished BEFORE you hang them back on the hook.

Remember, we always have a smile for our guests, whether natural, unnatural, or mechanically produced :)

Mr. W.

Openings for This Weekend's Overnight Camp

Opening for This Weekend's Overnight Camp!

Date: December 9-10.
Time: 7:00 P.M. Friday evening to 10:00 A.M. Saturday Morning.
Price: $43.00 per person. (Discount for Blog Readers. Call for the Discount)
Ages: 10 to 14

Call for a reservation: 801.785.8713

The Dementress. A Space Center Tale

In her natural habitat. A Form Never Before Seen by Mortal Eyes.
Exposed Today in "The Troubadour".

The Dementress
A Space Center Tale

And by her touch all joys disperse
and sorrow, by its nature leaps
to flood the vacant hollow left bare
in her passing.
The wretched's heart beats again
with a darkness akin to the depth of night.

Beware. She prowls hall and ship
for victims new and unaware.
The Dementress slithers nearer, nearer
her hand doth reach; One touch, not two.

Alias, The deed is done.
Her joy increaseth,
leaving in its wake
a melancholy enchantment,
to inhale another's final vapors of content.

Troops,
We have The Red Blemish. We have "M, The Destroyer of Worlds". Now who is this, who prowls the halls of our Space Center? Who is this Dementress? She was there for the last Overnight Camp. She walked beside you.

She knows I know. She knows I watch. She knows to be careful. She will be exposed :)

Mr. W.

P.S. Yes I've discovered another one of our staff or volunteers with supernatural powers. Can you guess who?

And finally, an example of the pure magic of imagination from 1951. Enjoy the brilliance of early live TV.

A Small Lesson Taught during an Overnight Camp.

The two young boys left the Odyssey sobbing. The Flight Director tried to calm them. It wasn't working. I was at my desk preparing the camp's Rank Advancement Certificates.

"Come here and sit down." The boys followed my directions and sat in two of the four gray desks kept in front of my ridiculously long wooden desk.

"Remember what I said at the start of the camp?" I questioned. "I said that if you started getting scared you should tell us so we can let you out of the ship."

"I told him," one boy said pointing to the volunteer playing the ship's doctor.

"And I told you." The volunteer looked at the Flight Director.

"You didn't say he wanted out of the ship, you just said he was getting scared."

"Go back to the flight," I ordered. The two walked back to the Odyssey leaving me at my desk with two crying 5th grade boys.

I explained the alien intruder was gone and that part of the mission was over. It calmed one boy. "I'm ready to go back," he said as he wiped the last tears from his red eyes with a shirt sleeve. He found his way back into the Odyssey through the revolving door. The other wasn't so easily consoled.

"I want to go home." He repeated the demand to counter every reason I gave him to stay and 'tough it out'. At the end, I surrendered the battle and handed him the phone.

I couldn't hear the boy's five minute conversation with his mother. He stopped crying half way through the call.
"My moms going to come see me before I go to bed," he said when he handed me back the phone. It was very cold outside and nearly 11:00 P.M. I felt sorry for this devoted mom, willing to drive twenty minutes each way just so her boy could see her for reassurance before going to bed.

I felt I needed to say something.

"I feel sorry for your mom." I used my pitiful voice. He looked confused at my statement. "Think about what you asked her to do just for you. You want her to leave your warm house and drive all the way here and back just so you can see her for a few minutes before you go to bed."

He stared at the desktop, not wanting to look me face to face. "You're ten years old and a big boy now. I think you should think about your mom for a moment and what you could do to make her night better. Think about how proud your mom would be of you if you called her and told not to come all the way over here in the cold. Don't you think that would be a nice thing to do for your mom?" I paused for dramatic effect, then continued. "I know I wouldn't want my mom to drive out to see me in the middle of the night if it wasn't an emergency. Is this an emergency? What do you think?"

The boy sat still. "I just want to see her before I go to bed," he mumbled.

"I understand, but the phone is right here. Isn't talking to her on the phone almost as good? I sure feel sorry for your mom." I put the phone in its cradle. "The phone is here if you want to use it. You decide. I've got to go back to my work."
I started typing. He sat motionless. I waited for his next move hoping inside he would 'man up' and not have his mom drive out here just to console him. I did my best to help him grow up a little and learn to be more self reliant. I wondered if the lesson had taken root.

"Can I used the phone," he whispered. I felt hope stir inside me. He dialed his mom's cell phone. She answered.
"Mom, you don't have to come out. I'm OK. I just wanted to talk to you."

I stopped typing and looked with a sense of pride at this ten year old boy. He was thinking of someone else instead of himself. There were a few more tears before the call ended. He handed me the phone.

"You're a brave boy. Your mom's got to be very proud of you," I said as I ruffled his hair. He smiled.

He made one more call before going to bed. There were more tears but he held firm. He was going to stay and she didn't need to come see him. He made it through the night without another problem and survived the camp to the end.

Three other boys woke me up at different times throughout the night. Each had homesick stomachs. Each wanted to go home. I talked each boy through his fear. At the end, not one of our 45 ten and eleven year old's went home. It was a good night and another small victory for this old camp director.

Have a Great Weekend,

Mr. W.

Space Center to Open During Christmas Vacation

Hello Troops,
The Space Center will be open during the Christmas Vacation. Please visit the Space Center's web site to book your holiday party.
Spacecamputah.org

50 Years Ago Today: Enos the Chimp Goes to Space.

MA-5 lifts off from Cape Canaveral.

Fifty years ago, NASA launched its last test of a Mercury-Atlas rocket before placing a human in orbit. MA-5 blasted off from Launch Complex 14 at 8 am MST on November 29, 1961. Engineers had been preparing this flight for 40 weeks. It seems that as new technology continued to improve, the mission of MA-5 kept changing. Finally it was decided to test the capsule with a live occupant. But instead of an astronaut, a chimpanzee was placed aboard.

Enos in his space couch.

Until the flight of MA-5, the most famous space chimp was Sam, who had flown in a test of the Mercury-Redstone rocket before Alan Shepard flew his mission. This time the task fell to Enos, which means "man" in the Hebrew language. Five hours before liftoff, Enos was secured into his spacesuit-couch and placed in the capsule. The launch went well and Enos was placed into orbit.

However, once in orbit, things "went south". The attitude control system malfunctioned. The auto correction thrusters were engaged 9 times to keep the craft in proper attitude before retrofire. The environmental control system also malfunctioned, and the capsule began heating up inside. Enos' body temperature reached 100.5 degrees F and mission controllers worried about the health of the chimp. Then the environmental system corrected itself and normal temperature was restored. Because the thruster problem was using up fuel, it was determined to bring back the capsule after the 2nd orbit. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific off the coast of California. After search planes spotted the craft bobbing on the waters, the destroyer USS Stormes retrieved the capsule and extracted Enos the Space Chimp.

With the success of MA-5, the qualifications had been met for the launch of humans aboard the Atlas rocket, and preparations began for the launch of the first American to orbit the Earth. As for Enos, the brave animal passed away about a year later after contracting a form of dysentery.

Posted by Mark Daymont

Open Phoenix Mission for Wednesday

Hello All,
The Phoenix will run a 2.5 hour Private Mission on Wednesday, November 30th. You can sign up to attend individually or with a friend or two. Call the Space Center for a reservation. 801.785.8713. The cost is $13.00 per person. Money is collected at the door Wednesday night. This is open to anyone between the ages of 10 and 16.

Foreign Affairs: Russian Curse vs. Chinese Success

Phobos-Grunt being prepared for launch.

Russia continues to suffer under a curse. The Phobos-Grunt satellite, launched on November 9, remains in Earth orbit suffering a profound silence. The Zenit rocket carrying Phobos-Grunt had placed the exploration robot in a temporary orbit before heading out towards Mars and the Martian moon Phobos. However, the necessary signals to send the craft outward from Earth did not ignite the engines and the craft went silent. Russian and international scientists have struggled intensely to repair communications in the last couple of weeks. Suddenly, a signal got through a few days before Thanksgiving, and there was some hope communications could be restored as telemetry got through on our holiday. Thanks should be given to technicians at the European Space Agency station near Perth in Australia. Sadly, this success was not repeated and the robotic explorer remains silent now.

Phobos-Grunt launches on a Zenit rocket.

Recently Russia has had some mishaps with the Soyuz rocket series, prompting a temporary grounding of spaceflights to the ISS while engineers worked to solve the problem. With the success of recent launches to ISS, the problem seemed solved, but now the Phobos- Grunt satellite remains stranded in orbit, with the fear that it could crash back to Earth with a significant supply of toxic fuel on board.

This was Russia's 4th attempt to reach Mars. It had not launched an interplanetary probe in 15 years. The other three launches to Mars also met with failure. In 1988, Russia sent Phobos 1 and Phobos 2 to reach the planet. Phobos 1 failed soon after launch. Phobos 2 reached MArtian orbit, only to go suddenly silent and was never heard from again. In 1996, the launch of a Mars probe went wrong and the satellite crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Are the Russians cursed when it comes to reaching Mars? Actually it goes to prove how difficult an interplanetary probe mission really is, and how amazing the American results have been.

Meanwhile, China keeps launching satellites with uneventful regularity.

Long March 2D blasts off from China.

So far this year, China has made 15 satellite launches, and only one was a failure. China usually uses the Long March 2D rocket. Years ago China would have suffered more failures, but since their "acquisition" of American rocket and satellite technology from Loreal and other American space firms, they have had a much higher success rate. While some of the technology was improperly transfered to China as a result of Clinton administration "deals", some has been determined to be lost to China as a result of Chinese computer hacking and corporate spying.

This week China launched 2 satellites from the Jinquan Satellite Launch Center, testing new technologies and observing environmental situations in China.

Posted by Mark Daymont

Saturday

MSL On its Way to Mars!

Atlas V liftoff from Launch Complex 41.

At 8:02 a.m. MST, NASA ignited the engines of the Atlas V rocket carrying the MSL (Mars Science Laboratory) on its way to Mars. The launch has proceeded very well so far, with the separation of the nose cone fairings. The second stage Centaur rocket is expected to fire at about 8:45 a.m. (Update: Stage firing and spacecraft separation confirmed - MSL is on its way to MARS!).

MSL rover in the lab with scientists.

The MSL rover (named Curiosity) is the largest that has been sent to Mars. Its wide variety of sensors and controls will enable it to explore terrain unaccessible to prior rovers such as Spirit, Opportunity and Pathfinder. Scheduled to land on Mars in August 2012, Curiosity is expected to run a mission length of 23-24 months. Those of you who have been watching Mars rovers so far understand that the craft may last MUCH longer than that.

You can download a PDF fact sheet from NASA at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_sheets/mars-science-laboratory.pdf

Posted by Mark Daymont

The Child Who Survived

Hello Troops,
Strange not to be at the Space Center on a Saturday. I feel like I should be doing something or talking to someone. The room is too quiet. There are no explosions or sirens or children laughing, screaming or applauding. I'm not surrounded by scores of young people moving to and from the simulators, some taking a moment or two to talk while others ask for the M and M drawer as they fill their prescription bottles. It's 4:23 P.M. according to the clock I should be wandering through the school dispensing Meadow Gold Ice Cream Sandwiches. The halls should echo with Rogers automatic floor cleaner, the one that resembles an ice rink's Zamboni. Twenty one years of conditioning brings an uneasiness when routine is disrupted.

Don't worry about me. I'll weather this disturbance in the Force. My chores are never done. It's all part of being an adult, even in a land of Imagination where kids reign supreme.

Canyon Lake Elementary School. Rapid City South Dakota

Childhood goes by so quickly. Wasn't it just a couple long years ago I was a fifth grader at Canyon Lake Elementary School? We moved mid year from South Canyon to Canyon Lake. It was tough changing schools, but I had a talent for making friends quickly. It was that year I went on my favorite elementary school field trip to KOTA, Rapid City's local television station. Instead of Alice's looking glass, I had stepped through the television screen and met the people whose black and white pixels lit my small living room every evening. I saw the large cameras and the wooden sets used for the news and the children's Saturday morning shows. That simple rural TV studio was magic for a ten year old.

There I am, Top Row. 1968.
I like to think I Survived.

A kindly woman with heavily lacquered hair called us over to a large table next to a room filled with panels of dials, switches and knobs. A couple dozen 8 by 10 black and white photographs of KOTA's Saturday morning cartoon characters covered the table top. She told us we could take one photograph of our favorite cartoon character.

"How nice, let's all say thank you to the nice lady." My teacher spoke perfect Teacher Talk .

Teacher Talk notwithstanding, we didn't hear a word she said. It was our Walmart Black Friday moment, circa 1968. We rushed forward, ignoring the teacher's shouting for order. Everyone pushed and shoved to get to the table first, none more so than me. There at the center of the table lay a picture of my cartoon hero, Johnny Quest. I pushed Derek Leonard down. Tom Patnoe shoved and I shoved back with all the shove a ten year old could muster. Five empty hands strained toward the prize. Only one came back fulfilled. Johnny Quest was mine.


I have many fond school memories from my childhood. For most children today, the Space Education Center is their best remembered field trip. We bring magic into their lives. It is a responsibility we take seriously. It is a duty that motivates me, and I hope everyone on our staff, to go above and beyond. We will continue to honor a commitment to quality and do our part to ensure more children will survive into adulthood.

Mr. Williamson

P.S.
Many have asked about the title pictures seen on this blog. Many of them come from my collection of old black and white pictures of kids, adults and seniors living in times gone by. I organized a few of my favorites showing kids from times passed. Today they are either in the winter of life or gone. It is a reminder of how quickly life passes. Enjoy your childhood. Cherish the memories and let your childhood survive into adulthood.

Here's Hoping All Had a Great Thanksgiving

Hello Troops,
The day after Thanksgiving and all was quiet in the house, except for the sound of rumbling stomachs and the gurgling sound of Mr. Williamson guzzling a bottle of Pepto Bismol. It was quite the feast at my niece's home, attended by family far and near. A full detailed description of my Thanksgiving Day can read on my Genealogy blog by clicking these words.
(Before reading, know that exaggeration is my one true weakness :)

I stopped by the Space Center to put out the working list for next week. I was amazed at what Jon Parker and Megan Warner accomplished on Wednesday. They repainted the Voyager's Captain's Quarters. Before they could paint, they had to do extensive sheet rock repairs. The loft looks brand new. This is going above and beyond the call of duty and so typical of what our Space Center staff do for the students and teachers that attend every day.

Not wanting the Phoenix to feel left out, Megan turned her attention to repainting the Phoenix's doors and desks. She put the finishing touches to the door just as Miranda's test mission arrived this morning at 10:00 A.M.

Just when I thought I couldn't be more amazed, I found Stacy, Rachel, Ben and Matt in Discovery enjoying a delicious breakfast while working on the Galileo's new summer mission!

These people surely make me look good. They are all awesome.

Now, how about an update from Mark Daymont's Space Rubble Blog?

50 Year Anniversary: Ranger 2 flubs, USAF tests Titan

Atlas-Agena launch.

Fifty years ago, launches continued from the Cape Canaveral pads. NASA launched Ranger 2 on an Atlas-Agena rocket combination on November 18, 1961. Ranger's 2 mission was to test the electronics of experiments that would later be sent to study other planets, and to also send back information on space radiation and magnetic fields. Scientists hoped to discover clues about a possible trail of hydrogen gas following behind the Earth as it orbited the Sun.

Ranger 2 at NASA Glen Research Center.

The Atlas rocket successfully placed Ranger 2 in orbit around the Earth, but disaster followed. The Agena second stage failed to ignite, due to a malfunctioning gyro. Ranger 2 was unable to be placed in the orbit necessary for the tests, and after separation it was stranded in an orbit that brought it closer and closer to Earth's atmosphere. It burned up two days later.

Titan 1 ICBM launch.

On November 21, 1961, a Titan 1a ICBM missile test was conducted by the USAF from its Canaveral site. This missile launched a special nose cone that would later be used in anti-missile missile tests with the Nike-Zeus system.

The next day, the military launched a mysterious satellite from Point Arguello in California. The rocket used was the Atlas-Agena combo. I still have not found out anything about this mysterious launch. It is recorded as the first "unannounced" rocket launch of a satellite.

Posted by Mark Daymont

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.