A few days ago I stopped by the Space Center (CMSEC) and found Mr. Porter and Mr. Parker taking the equipment and furniture out of the Voyager simulator. "It's time to clean everything out so we can take an inventory of what we have," Mr. Porter explained. I was happy to see my first and favorite simulator once again and took pictures to share with you, knowing many of you flew in the USS Voyager when you came to Space Center between 1990 and 2012.
To enter the USS Voyager, a crew member started on the school's stage. He passed through one turning door into the Voyager's hallway. From there he descended a steep flight of stairs into the projection room (where the projector displaying the tactical onto the bridge's rearview screen was kept). A staff member invited the camper to step into a second turning door into Decontamination. Stepping out from the turning door, the camper saw this hallway we called Decontamination.
The camper walked through Decontamination (the box opening you see on the left held an engineering dial and switch activity - since removed) then turned right.
A beautiful backlit, futuristic screen left no doubt in the camper's mind that he was on the USS Voyager, a Federation Starship. The camper had another set of steps to navigate before entering the ship's Crew Quarters, Galley, and Sick Bay.
The steps leading up from the Crew Quarters to Decontamination.
The view of the Crew Quarters from the bottom of the Decontamination steps looking toward the spiral staircase which led to the Voyager's Bridge. Two sets of three level bunks once occupied the area to the right. Another excellent backlit sign is seen on the left.
Jon Parker, Bracken Funk and James Porter stand in the Crew Quarters / Galley and reminisce about old times on the Voyager. There are so many memories people have of spending time in the Crew Quarters during missions and sleepover camps. Another three level bunk bed sat against the wall with the blue strip. Another two level bunk (very short) sat under the spiral staircase.
We're back in the Galley. Bracken found an old piece of exercise equipment we used on the long overnight camps of the 1990's. James is standing in the ship's hot water closet. The Voyager's bathroom is seen to the left of the closet door. The bathroom had a shower used by the staff on the long summer camps.
I took these pictures while Bracken, Jon and James continued to share their memories of the Voyager. Good times....... Good Times! The Voyager really was the ship of dreams.
The space camper stopped in the Crew Quarters to don his uniform. Once dressed appropriately, the staff requested he make the climb up the spiral stairway to the ship's bridge. Let's climb the stairway and see the bridge as the camper saw it come into view.
At first you only see the red wall carpeting.
More of the bridge comes into view as you continue your journey upwards.
Now you start the spiral, ending facing the Security Station.
The First Officer's desk is on the right. The Left Wing comes into view on the left. The main viewer is in front.
You're almost at the top of the stairs. The entire bridge is in view. This is the camper's "Ahhhhh....... Coolllll........ THIS IS SICK!" moment. From here, another member of staff would ask the camper what his job was and show him to his station.
Bracken, James, and Jon standing on the Captain's Platform.
The Bridge seen from the Right Wing Station.
The Right Wing (sensors, scanners, navigation, power distribution) as seen from the Captain's Station. The Voyager's Engineering Station is on the right.
This was the Voyager's Room of Requirement between security and the records station. I call it the Room of Requirement because it was once the ship's science lab, then engineering room, then sleeping quarters, and finally sleeping quarters / bridge sick bay.
You can see the two sets of three level bunks. The old phototron is seen on the floor.
I walked down the steps from the Security Station and climbed the ladder up into the Captain's Loft. You can see the loft above the Exit sign as seen from the Security Station.
The Voyager's Bridge Security Station as seen from the loft. Voyager's security officers never stood a chance against our invading aliens and Orion Pirates. Look at how awesome this phaser shot is! Security is right in the line of fire from the loft. A perfect design for all starship simulators :)
A nice small white sleeper couch sat against this wall under a poster of the ship.
Three or four crewmembers slept in the loft. Two slept on this platform. They had a nice window looking down on the ship's hall which led to my desk in the Briefing Room.
This crawl space under the sleeping platform led the camper to another platform and ladder leading to the hallway and the Voyager's Control Room.
The Voyager's Control Room as it looks today.
The Voyager was and will always be the finest ship in the fleet. It opened on November 8, 1990 and closed forever on July 31, 2012. Lucky are those who had the opportunity to fly in her. It was the only ship I personally flight directed. It was where the best trained. It was
our ship of dreams.
Mr. Williamson
The Imaginarium
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| family bonding time |
Some of the best memories of my life happened in that ship... as a camper and a volunteer. So sad to see her empty.
ReplyDeleteLots of good memories in that ship.
ReplyDeleteI miss the Voyager. I remember the when I was a camper I slept downstairs in the sickbay, were you had legit 1.5 feet(or so I remeber) between the bunk and the ceiling, makeing it incredibly hot and hard to sleep. I remeber as my very last mission as a camper I was the Doctor on the Voyager! (The Voyager had opened up a new medical station that was the dream job of all the campers that went on the Voyager)
ReplyDeleteI didn't get to work many missions as staff in the Voyager before she retired, but I could deffenitly tell she was the finest in the fleet.