The Space Center Marathon. Do You Have What it Takes?

Hello Troops,
This is what our staff and volunteers look like when given a bit of food at the end of our weekly Space Center Marathon. The 25 hour Marathon begins every Friday afternoon at 4:00 P.M. and ends at 5:00 P.M. Saturday afternoon. During the Space Center Marathon, our brave volunteers and staff work the Friday 4:00 P.M. private mission. Then they stay and work the Overnight Camp. After the Overnight Camp they stay and work the 11:00 A.M. Saturday missions and finish the Marathon by staying for the 2:30 P.M. missions. They volunteer for this torture themselves. It is their way of testing their grit and determination. It is their way of finding out who has it and who doesn't. It is their way of separating the men and women from the boys and girls.

The Iditarod in Alaska is peanuts compared to the Space Center Marathon. Imagine 25 hours of missions, only briefly interrupted by six hours of sleep? Imagine living on drinking fountain water and a bit of soda and a cookie at 11:00 P.M. before bedtime. Imagine eating a couple Walmart donuts, Gogurts, a banana and a bit of milk or Sunny Delight for breakfast. Imagine only having a few day old Walmart dinner rolls to keep you going through the long Saturday afternoon. Imagine dealing with dozens and dozens of campers ranging in age from ten to 90. And worse of all, Imagine having to deal with me all that time! The horror of it all can hardly be expressed in writing. It must be witnessed. Only when witnessed do you truly appreciate the effort these braves souls put into their work.

The Space Center has an awesomely dedicated tribe of volunteers and staff. They work hard to make everyone's visit to the Center meaningful and enjoyable. Please be sure to thank the volunteers and staff who work your next mission. Tell them you appreciate their effort. Tell them you feel sorry for the small pitiful wage (if any) they receive. Tell them they will be in your prayers.

The benefits of taking the time to thank them will result in their extra effort to ensure your mission goes without a fault.

Springtime is when we ask the most from our volunteers. Springtime is that time of the year when we run most of our two a day field trips. Two a day field trips start with two classes arriving by bus at 9:30 A.M. They leave at 1:30 P.M. The second school bus arrives at 2:00 P.M. Those kids stay until 6:00 P.M. Birthdays and other parties arrive at 6:15 P.M. for their evening missions. This could mean as many as 21 missions per day using all five simulators. Volunteers are needed for nearly every mission. A flight director's worst nightmare is to find out there aren't enough volunteers to fill all their staffing needs when they arrive to direct a mission. Once again, we thank our volunteers. They are the Center's life blood.

Please contact the Center by email if you have an interest in volunteering. It is a great way to develop good working habits while interacting with outstanding, wholesome, teens and adults. It is a good place to make new friendships with others your age with similar interests.

And now, from the Imaginarium:




And a bit of something for our hybrid fans (those loving Dr. Who and the Space Center).

I always wondered what became of that little green alien.
Come to find out he's lived here all the time

This should read: "Always be yourself, Unless you can be Batman or a volunteer or staff member at the Space Center!"

One way to solve the ever rising fuel price problem.
This goes hand in hand with the belief that the only way out of our nation's
financial crisis is to print more money!

The only thought that kept me going during the dark times while the Space Center was being built and the program developed.

Mother's day is next month.
How does one thank the woman who brought you into this world and loves you
more than life itself?

Well, its back in the trenches tomorrow. I have no worries. I know I've got my staff and volunteers beside me riding shotgun.

Mr. W.