I'm still running into people who think the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center is closed! Folks, the Space Center was closed for six months for electrical maintenance along with the demolition of the old Odyssey and the construction of the new Odyssey. It reopened in February 2013 and has been open ever since. There were some in Alpine District administration who wanted the Center closed and converted into some dreary, emotionless, musicless, dramaless ordeal of a field trip experience. They lost their imagination during the Great Depression and think today's schools should be nothing more than test prep academies. They'll never admit it, but it is true. These administrator's opinions were quickly drowned out by the community's overwhelming negative reaction to their decision. The Space Center's fans saved the Space Center. It is just that simple.
The Space Center today is doing just what I built it to do, first under the fine leadership of Megan Warner and now James Porter. You can book field trips (hurry on the field trips, they're going fast), private missions and day camps. Let's show our support for the Space Center and spread the word that it is OPEN and ready to serve the community.
Mr. Williamson
This is a short blurb from the Space Center's new director..
Hello Save the Space Center followers,
We wanted to let you know that your hard work has paid off with not only the reopening of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center, but the expansion of the concept with the ever growing Discovery Space Center and the developing Fairpoint station at Renaissance Academy. Here are just a few quick updates on how far we have come.
Over the last year the CMSEC has built back up to running full time with field trips, private missions, and summer camps. In May I left my teaching spot of over 5 years in Logan to take the reigns as the director of the CMSEC. I'm excited about developing new content while maintaining the magic that is at the heart of the space center's origins developed by Victor Williamson.
James Porter
www.spacecenter.alpineschools.org www.facebook.com/ asdspacecenter
Saturday at the Space Centers
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| The staff and Voyager Volunteers waiting for the Magellan's second crew of the day. Andrew and Mike were the supervisors. Isn't the Magellan an awesome ship? |
Jon Parker was a busy bee at the CMSEC Saturday. Mr. Porter was on vacation. And when Mr. Porter is not in house, Jon Parker becomes the defacto boss, the subdirector so to speak. Jon had two 2.5 hour and one five hour Magellan missions! That's ten hours at the helm of the Center's largest simulator. "No big deal," Jon said when I asked him how he was gong to survive. Well Jon, it is a big deal to fly for ten hours so my hat is off to you and your fine staff (pictured above).
I stopped in the Magellan's control room for a moment and saw supervisor Andrew bathed in a ghostly pale blue light. I didn't ask, but I think they're running an experiment to see if blue lightning has a calming effect on the staff. Andrew did seem calmer (and he's a really calm guy to start with). I warned Jon that if Andrew got any calmer he'd either fall asleep or die. Jon said he'd keep an eye on him during the mission.
The Discovery Space Center's Challenger simulator has a new Odyssey style replicator hatch.
The hatch sits in the new brig / sick bay addition recently finished. The Discovery Space Center is constantly working to improve their simulators and their customer's overall experience.
The replicator even has the same hatch doors as the old Odyssey.
The Challenger's new addition as seen from the ship's bridge. It's small, but adds a lot to the storytelling ability of the ship. The sickbay / brig sits on the captain's right.
The brig's force field lights
Strange...... is that a hatch in the brig's wall? Why would there be an escape hatch in a ship's brig (jail)? Wait a minute..... this is a space center after all (wink, wink).
Looking out from the brig into the small addition. An engineering panel is on the left and the new replicator compartment on the right.
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| I couldn't leave the Challenger without taking a picture of the cool graphics on the simulator's main viewer. |
"Are you sure it was gravity?" I suspected another force was responsible for the carnage. "I think it's the work of the Atlantis ghost." It is a well known fact that the Discovery Space Center's Atlantis control room is the hangout of a nocturnal vaporous visitor. He's been seen by several of the staff late at night when they make their final security rounds before going home. "You'll see more of his ghostly mischief if you don't start showing him a bit of respect. Greet him when you enter the room and ask about his night's haunting. Believe me, it works." I told them about the ghost roosting in a home I own in Deadwood, South Dakota. He's OK if you show respect. Things happen when you don't.
Mr. W.
The Imaginarium
