The Troubadour: A Blast from the Past Post, April 1, 2001. This Week in Technology and Science. The Imaginarium.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

A Blast from the Past Post, April 1, 2001. This Week in Technology and Science. The Imaginarium.

Hello Troops,
Both the Space Center and the DSC were closed yesterday for reasons beyond my understanding, but they are both up and running during Spring Break.
Except for that bombshell news yesterday that the Space Center would be getting a new director, this is pretty much a no Space Center news weekend. That means I've no one to pick on this weekend. That's depressing. I look forward to my Saturday snoop around both centers to find your average Farpoint volunteer or staff member blissfully going about their business completely unaware that I'm there with my trusty iPad taking photos for entirely fabricated stories held together with a few strings of truth.
You know what that means, don't you? It's time to go back to the pre Troubadour days and find an interesting post from the Space Center's old YahooGroup "Spaceedventures" to repost here for everyone to enjoy. Old timers can read and reminise. Space Center Younglings can read and see what life was like at the Space Center when their grandparents attended as children.
Today's resurrected post from the past comes from Sunday, April 1, 2001.

Mr. W.

From: "Victor Williamson" (my old email address)

Thoughts on this last week.

Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 03:39:21 -0000

Hello Troops,
Just a few thoughts on this last week.

1.

Smith Grocery food poisoned me. What a way to suffer through an overnight mission. I bought some lunch meat and ate it before the overnight mission and paid dearly for it. It's Saturday evening and I'm still suffering. This isn't anything a couple of photon torpedoes launched from orbit into the PG store couldn't handle.

2.

A special thank you once again to our great daytime staff for working a five day week. Usually we do field trips four days per week, with one day off for office work. I gave in to a teacher's crying a month ago and gave away this last week's office day. The lucky school that took our day off didn't come prepared! The kids were not briefed for the mission, nor did they have boarding passes. Again, nothing a few photon torpedoes couldn't handle from a passing starship. Of course, the targeting would have to pinpoint a few classrooms at 2:00 A.M. to avoid loss of life at the offending school in Huntsville, Utah. What a fireball that would make. Wake up the whole town. I'll bet they never forget their boarding passes again.

3.

Summer registration are pouring in. Last week we deposited over $10,000.

4.

The contractor hired by the District to put new ceilings and electrical features into Central School stopped by this last week. He has some great ideas for the school and the Space Center. He proposes a new dropped ceiling with recessed florescent lights and
track lights running along the Voyager's walls. He tells me the Magellan will get a new ceiling and lighting. In addition to the new lights and ceiling, the contractor said the Magellan's stairs will get blue floor lights, like the lights in the carpet at a movie theater. This will be the coolest! (None of this happened by the way, but this record shows the district electricians were all over the Space Center's simulators as far back as 2001 and didn't seem to have a problem with anything.)

5.

A special congratulations to Aaron Yeager from our daytime staff. Aaron has been accepted into UVSC's flight school. Aaron begins training to become an airline pilot next month. Aaron is an Odyssey flight director. You Go Aaron!

6.

District electricians came by and fixed the blue bulb burn out problem in the Voyager. We are still waiting for the Voyager's smoke machine to be cleaned and repaired. (hint hint Kyle).

(What, another instance of district electricians all over the Voyager and not seeing a problem?)

7.

We found a mouse in the Briefing Room. Again, nothing a photon torpedo can't take care of, with precision targeting so as not to disturb my desk. You know how I like to keep everything in its place and symmetric.

8.

The Odyssey's staff think they have a dead mouse hidden in the their control room. If you work an Odyssey mission this week and smell an interesting aroma, please rest assured it is not my new cologne (which doubles as mosquito repellant).

9

Mr. Daymont had a couple of crews he wanted to launch a few photon torpedoes into, but I stopped him before the button was pushed.

10.

A special Happy Birthday to Mrs. Houston's daughter, Chantell. Many of you remember Chantell. She chaperones from time to time. We had bunny birthday cake on Friday. Sorry if you didn't get a piece (actually, I'm not sorry at all if you want me to be completely honest. Not saving a piece for you meant more for me).

11.

Last Wednesday, Mrs. Houston brought one of her award winning fresh apple pies and a half gallon of vanilla ice cream to share with the field trip staff. Now, don't get the wrong idea about the field trip staff. We really do work during the day. I've heard some say that Mr. Schuler has been spreading an evil rumor that all we do is sit around and eat good food instead of work during the school day. That rumor is nearly entirely and almost completely false. Mr. Schuler and I will be sitting down this week and discussing his future at the Space Center.

12.

The Falcon staff told me yesterday's Falcon overnight mission was the worst flight they've ever worked. The Falcon was beset with problems throughout the mission. Then, during the wrap up, vote counting, post overnight camp staff meeting, we discovered the Falcon's crew really liked the mission. They had no ideas there were problems with the simulator. Now, if the Falcon staff can pull off those kind of reviews with a ship that works half the time, why do the rest of us knock ourselves out for perfection and get the same reviews as the Falcon? Life isn't fair! But.... as I've always said - nothing a photon torpedo couldn't take care of.

13.

We have the world's best staff and volunteers (except the Peace Corps). On second thought, maybe I shouldn't compare us to the Peace Corps. World peace and the Space Center? Our Space Center, where everyone wants three phasers, one for himself and two for his ego.

Naw, they don't go hand in hand.

14
I'm feeling rumblings in my stomach, so I'd better prepare to make a quick trip to the water closet.

Well there it is. An overview of last week at the Space Center.

THE SPACE CENTER: TAKING THE WORLD ONE MISSION AT A TIME.

THAT IS ALL.........................................

Mr. W.

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