Today's Space Center Update. The Countdown to February 11 is Underway. News from our Sister Center in Pennsylvania. The Imaginarium

Hello Troops,
I just came back from the Space Center a happier person than I was before.  Dave Daymont, Megan Warner, Matt Ricks, Jon Parker, Zac Hirshci, and Connor Larson were there getting the Magellan, Phoenix and Galileo ready for our opening day on February 11.  Think of what your bedroom looked like at it very worst, multiply that by 10 and now you understand what these six brave souls are up against.  All will soon be put in order thanks to our outstanding staff and volunteers, several of whom are there working right now for NO pay.  That is the spirit of the Space Center.  You can't kill it even after being closed for six months!

The staff and volunteer's To Do List.

Magellan:

• Label all the wiring in the control room, then remove all the control room equipment so electricians and workman can install walls.  
• Redo the prerecorded training on the stations taking longer than 20 minutes to train.   Normally crews need 40 minutes to learn to fly the Magellan.  We don't have 40 minutes.  Our field trip crews must be trained and ready to fly in 30.  We need to find a way to cut 10 minutes from our training time.  Zac will work on that.  Nobody knows the controls and the training better than Zac, who returns as the Magellan Set Director.  
• Electricians will install dimming ballasts for the white lights next week.
• Electricians will install several new red alert lights in the Magellan next week.
• We need to adapt the Voyager's Intolerance mission for the Magellan.  It's the only mission we can tell in that ship in one hour flight time.   
• We need to get the Discovery cleaned up.
• We need to get the Intolerance tacticals and video ready for the Magellan.   The Magellan looks like a StarGate ship and the Intolerance material we have shows a Galaxy class Starship.  Yep, a problem.  

Phoenix:

• Dave and Megan are putting the Phoenix's equipment in the ship so it can be started up to see if everything works.  The electricians will be in tomorrow to finish the Phoenix's to do list.  
• The Phoenix's red lights do not turn on.  Another item on the large To Do List.  
• The Phoenix needs a serious deep clean.  

Galileo:

• The Galileo needs plastic rivets to hang its interior walls.  
• The Galileo's main entrance needs to be re engineered.  The main hatch could fall open if the ship's is unplugged for several days and looses air pressure in the pneumatic system.   

We have a lot to do in a short amount of time.  I'm confident it is possible with the support we are getting from the Alpine District Maintenance Department and our outstanding staff and volunteers.

Mr. Williamson

News from our Sister Space Center (Dream Flight Adventures) in Pennsylvania.  

This information comes to us from Dream Flight Adventure's Founder and Genius, Gary Gardiner.

Mission Highlight: Succession

Riddle me this:  How can one teach about comparative politics andradioactive decay at the same time?  How can one illustrate the checks and balances in government while simultaneously teaching about space exploration?  What about marine biology and nuclear isotopes?

The answer, my friend, is Succession.

Succession was the first Dream Flight Adventure™ mission, and it does a beautiful job at illustrating the unique way we blend STEM concepts, history, and crucial social issues.  It’s a mix that you can’t find anywhere else, and the concepts we address in our missions stick with students for years.

Succession throws students into the middle of a crisis where several opposing views are vying for control of a world government.  Students must learn about each side’s point of view, evaluate their positions, and decide what to do in order to save the world from civil war.  And, as always, the clock is ticking, so the students must use their whole brains and every ounce of creativity they can muster to accomplish their mission.

Learn more about Succession and our other missions.

Construction Update

There’s been a lot going on lately, and it’s been a while since we gave you a solid update about the construction of the IKS Titan.  We’re in the final stretch now, with only one section of flooring and a few minor odds and ends remaining to be installed.  Bob Gasowski, our resident miracle worker, has done an amazing job.  I’m excited to show off his handiwork:

This is the Security Guard station on the mid-level tier.  The flooring on this level will be installed this week.  Notice the amazing desktops, with the seamless black formica flowing directly to the edge of the iPads.  Also notice the metal rivet details in the far wall.  This is all Bob’s handiwork.

This is a view from the lower tier looking up toward the captain’s area.  The Security Chief and two Security Guards sit behind the counter on left, with the Captain and First and Second Officers sitting on the raised platform behind.  Notice the air conditioning unit on the side wall, which was installed especially for the simulator.  The vast majority of Shaler Elementary does not have air conditioning.  We are very fortunate.

Here’s the mid tier as seen from the revolving door of the airlock.  The main viewscreen is beyond the left edge of the photo.  We’ve ordered some nice durable chairs for the simulator, and they will be arriving soon.  It will be nice to have some sturdy furniture to let the crew work together as a team in their mission.

This is a view of the revolving airlock from the raised captain’s tier.  In the middle sits the Doctor’s station, where the Doctor can oversee the health and safety of the crew.

This is the Second Officer’s station, which sits on the raised Command Level next to the Captain.  The Second Officer is in charge of making logs and shipwide announcements, setting the ship’s alert level, and controlling the ship’s coolant systems.  Notice the realistic-looking diamond plate “metal” flooring.

The simulator seriously has top quality construction.  Bob has gone well above and beyond the call of duty to make the simulator a sturdy and safe place for students to learn for years to come.

We can’t wait to start running missions in it!

The Imaginarium reminds you to think out of the box and make the ordinary, extraordinary!

A very interesting piece of art in the local art gallery.

Always leave them guessing.

You're walking through the forest on your way to the campsite.

Then, off in the distance, a noise.

You turn.

"Hello," a young girl says.  "We've been watching you."

Of course we all want Hans Solo frozen in carbonite for our living room coffee table.

A once in a lifetime event coming up on Tuesday.

Our other sun makes an appearance.

One of the hardest decisions you'll ever have to make.

I need one of these for my Battlestar.

I'm moving toward the "Pull 'em up" stage of life.

Don't put your parents through this.  

Study hard, get good grades and get those scholarships.

This is yet another item on my wish list.

Creativity: A

An adjusted sign welcoming people to a university.

Brilliant advertising for tires that truly hug the road.

Clever: Yes.

Safe:  Not on your life.

It was weird hair day at her school.

Brilliant logo.

Awesomely creative main gate.

Home and Bart in the flesh.