The Troubadour: My Last Missions as Space Center Director. Retirement. A New Sci-Fi Space Show. The Imaginarium

Hello Troops,
Ahhhhh, a three day weekend and Ahhhhhhh, no more retirement open houses. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the kindness and work that went into them. I appreciated seeing friends, old friends, really old friend, nearly dead friends, staff, old staff, very old stall, nearly dead staff and of course volunteers. I enjoyed catching up with life stories. I enjoyed it all - but glad its over. It's torture standing there talking nonstop while everyone around you is sitting and enjoying brownies, mint chocolate brownies, mini-cinnamon rolls, donut holes, Costco cookies, Costco cake, chocolate mints, etc.

Here is the rest of my check list before I turn in my Space Center keys and exit my Alpine School District life:

1. Shelley Elementary Field Day
2. Central Elementary Dance Festival. I "get" to MC the event.
3. Central Elementary 6th Grade Graduation. I heard a rumor that I'm up for graduating myself.
Imagine having gone to 29 sixth grade graduations and on my 30th I GET TO GRADUATE
MYSELF.
4. Enjoy the last day staff luncheon. Say my final good bye to the teachers at Central.
4. Finish my check out check list, pack up my things, load them into the Battlestar, walk to the
office, turn in my check list, have it signed, turn in my keys and talk one last walk down the
long hallway to the south doors and step into the sunshine.

I have it all thought out and calculated to the second. I don't know what my final parting words will be to the old Central building. We've got history that old school and I. The teachers and students have all come and gone, but that old building has been a hugh part of my life for 30 years.

I'll think of something.

MY LAST MISSION AS FOUNDER / DIRECTOR OF THE CHRISTA MCAULIFFE SPACE EDUCATION CENTER

I did my last mission as the Director of the Space Center on Friday. Mrs. Riley's class from Central School did The Children of Perikoi. I worked 2nd chair for the first mission and Bridge Supervisor for the second. It was the best way to sign out because my very first mission in at the Space Center in November 1990 was with Central Students, and Central students took me out at the end.

My last day's A.M mission. Central 5th Grade.

My P.M. Mission. It is 1:40 P.M. We just finished The Children of Perokoi

I stopped to snap this picture as Zac Hirschi was getting the kids ready to leave the Magellan.
He gave me a final salute as Space Center Director. Andrew McCord is sitting at 2nd Chair

And Finally........

And Finally, Finally

And I'm Off to Farpoint, where I'll take the mic in hand once more and venture back into the unknown because....... Well, let me let Isaac Asimov say it for me:

The Influence of Science Fiction on Science Fact......
The Chicken or the Egg. An Essay

Science fiction, we can’t escape it. It’s quite literally everywhere we look. Whether it is the warp drive from “Star Trek” or the artificial intelligence from “I, Robot,” science fiction provides inspiration and information. It helps us to see the possibilities, and helps us to better understand current technology. More importantly, scienc...e fiction offers us a glimpse of where science is (or could be) heading.

One question that has plagued many individuals is, which preceded which? Did science fact beget science fiction? Or is it the other way around? In truth, I suppose it is a silly question because the answer is forever changing. Sometimes people will imagine fantastical things and, hoping to bring their imaginings to life, conduct scientific research that corresponds to this idea—whether they are interested in invisibility cloaks, force fields, transporters, photon torpedoes, flying cars, 3D printers, or any other number of things. In such cases, science fact springs from science fiction. Conversely, individuals may study science for years and conduct advanced research that gives them a solid basis upon which to build their ideas. Then, once they have acquired enough knowledge, these individuals may step away from research to focus on their fanciful imaginings. In these instances, science fact breeds science fiction.

But regardless of the path that is taken, the main point remains: The best scientists, and the best writers of science fiction, have a firm understanding of scientific principles and a large knowledge base; they also have the ability to envision a myriad of possibilities--they see that the universe is littered with opportunities that just need to be articulated.

So it’s not too surprising that many of the most famous science fiction writers started their careers in science...neither is it surprising that many scientists started their careers reading science fiction. The two are irrevocably intertwined.

Perhaps one of the most successful individuals to unite science fiction and science fact was Isaac Asimov. Throughout his career, Asimov wrote nearly 500 texts. He wrote books about the Bible, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, Shakespeare, Gilbert and Sullivan, ancient and modern history, and many other subjects. He wrote mystery novels, children’s texts, and (of course) science fiction. Over the course of his career he won five Hugos and three Nebula Awards (and several other literary honors).

Star Wolf. A New Fan Generated Television Show??

Leonard Nimoy and other big names in the sci-fi arena have endorsed a new project from original Stark Trek writers David Gerrold and DC (Dorothy) Fontana and producer David C. Fein that's aiming to raise funds via Kickstarter.

The trio are using the crowd-funding platform to raise money to shoot and create a new science fiction adventure series titled The Star Wolf. So far, they have raised $52,000 of their $650,000 goal.

Micrometeorites In Your Rainwater!

Every day the Earth is bombarded by literally millions of meteors per day (some estimate as many as 25 million). Only a very few of these are large enough to survive the intense heat of entry into our atmosphere (maybe a few hundred per year). The remainder (usually between the size of a grain of sand and a pea) are evaporated.
But if you stop and think about it, much like water will condense back into a liquid form after evaporation, so too will the evaporated iron (and other metals) which make up the meterorites condense after cooling. In solid form, these "micrometeorites" then fall to Earth.

People with higher scores on intelligence tests are better able to filter out unnecessary background distractions, according to researchers who report the brains of people with high IQs filter out non-essential information better than average. In the study conducted by a team at University of Rochester, 53 people were given a simple visual test (see below) that asked them to identify the directional movement of black and white lines. The exercise measured unconscious ability to filter out visual movement. Some images were small and filled only the center of the screen, while other clips were much larger. The test subjects were asked to simply state whether the lines were moving to the right or left. Each study participant was also given a standard intelligence test. The researchers found that the people with the highest IQ did the worst at detecting any movement on the larger clips and noticed movement on the smaller images faster than participants with lower IQ scores. Read More

What you’re looking at is the first direct observation of an atom’s electron orbital — an atom's actual wave function! To capture the image, researchers utilized a new quantum microscope — an incredible new device that literally allows scientists to gaze into the quantum realm.

And Just For Your Information

Thou shalt not pass flatulence in an effort to dissuade discourse.

And 11, 12 or 13 Thou shalt not get louder simply to overwhelm the voice of the other side. ("Megaphone Fallacy")

Thou shalt not enter into debate with morons .

There's only way "If you cannot convince them at least confuse them"

Monarch Butterflies Show Where Ancient Mountain Once Stood

Monarch butterflies are some of the toughest insects in the world. Their migration takes them from southern Canada to central Mexico. The journey is so long and difficult that it outlasts the butterfly's lifetime. Monarchs lay eggs at different stages through the journey. No one generation makes the whole trip.

Along this journey are several sites that have become local treasures and tourist attractions. The monarchs, flying in swarms, group together to rest in small areas, covering the trees like bright orange leaves. But although these sites are the most showy part of the journey, they're not the most amazing.

The amazing part of the journey is the sudden eastward turn that monarchs take over Lake Superior. Monarchs fly over the lake, necessarily, in one unceasing flight. That alone would be difficult, but the monarchs make it tougher by not going directly south. They fly south, and at one point of the lake turn east, fly for a while, and then turn back toward the south. Why? Read More

What is a Higgs Boson You Ask? You Should Know, Because Without the Higgs Boson, You wouldn't Exist.