Summer Space Camp in Yesteryear's Original Odyssey. The Imaginarium.

Emily and her minions inside the original Odyssey

Summer Space Camp at Yesteryear's Space Center

Yesterday's Troubadour post introduced us to yesteryear's summer space camps in two simulators which only exist in memory, the Falcon and the original Odyssey.  Today's post continues that same theme with pictures showing summer camp fun in the original Odyssey.

  

Dave Wall was the Odyssey's first Set Director. He passed the microphone to Brian Hawkins. Brian passed the directorship to Chris Call.  David Merrill inherited the Odyssey from Chris.  The photo above was the official crowning of David as Odyssey Set Director.  We sadly said our goodbyes to Chris.  Chris lives in Utah County with his wife. We still get to see him from time to time. David moved to Salt Lake, and currently works at Clark Planetarium as an animator, modeler, compositor, and render farm manager.  

David Merrill at work in the Odyssey's Control Room. The Compressor Room door separated the Odyssey Control Room from the school's library.  One thing that door wasn't was a sound barrier. We lived in constant fear of making too much noise and bringing the wrath of the school's librarian upon us.  

David briefing one of the summer camp's crews.  Those two rotating red lights were awesome.

The original Odyssey with revolving door.  The Odyssey's fleet number was NCC-1995-A. That means the new Odyssey at the CMSEC should be NCC-1995-B.  The Odyssey's 20th anniversary is coming up this September. It think that calls for a celebration!

Another picture from inside of the original Odyssey.  I took the picture from the captain's position at the front of the ship looking to the back of the ship.

Notice how things changed in the first Odyssey remodel when you compare the photo above with the one above it.  We moved the three bunks from the right side to the left side of the ship and put another computer station where those bunks once were.  We also removed the cabinets from above the hatchway and found another location for the speaker.  

Here we see summer campers neck deep in a summer mission. 

This is a better view of the new Odyssey station which took the place of the three right bunks.  It was a pretty cool station because you got to sit higher than everybody else.

This is a better view of the middle two stations.  The Odyssey was used for sleeping during every overnight and summer camp. This was a favorite sleeping area for the staff and volunteers. Campers got to sleep in the Odyssey's bunks if there were too many to sleep in the Voyager. 

Happy summer campers

This camper is sitting in the hatchway leading to the original Odyssey's Engineering Section. Let's risk a scar and crawl through the hatch to see the section.

 

I can count on one hand the number of times I crawled through that hatch (very difficult to do for someone my size and age). It was a place of mystery, back there. 

 

The downside to being the Odyssey Engineer was never really knowing what was happening with your mission. It was darn near impossible to hear your mission because of all the noise coming through the wall behind you. That thin wall separated the Odyssey Engineer from the Voyager Engineer.  

Here's a picture of the Voyager crew in action on the bridge of the USS Voyager.  The Voyager's engineer is sitting at the top of the ladder. The Odyssey's Engineer is right behind her on the other side of the wall.  If the wall wasn't there, the two engineers could easily shake hands. 

Let's turn our attention to the front of the original Odyssey.  There were five working stations at the front of the ship if you count the Captain.  

The Odyssey Captain issuing orders

The Odyssey crew in full green lights.  They're in alien uniforms, some feature in the Odyssey's summer mission for that year.  

The Odyssey's Captain prepping for his mission by reading his mission orders. 

The Odyssey control room.  There is something strange about this photo.  Adam Hall was running the mission alone.  Notice who showed up in the photo. Even though she wasn't there, Emily was still there in spirit form helping a new rookie Odyssey flight director as only a dedicated Odyssey Set Director would. How she was able to maintain consciousness in two places at once is a mystery she still won't discuss when asked today.  

The last shot of the Odyssey's Control Room.  Adam was one of the original Odyssey's last trained flight directors.  

The NCC-1995-A Odyssey was a simulator that had a mind of its own. It was the favorite ship to thousands of our campers. Many of today's veteran flight directors first learned to fly in the Odyssey. 
It has a special place in many people's hearts. 

Three cheers for the Odyssey!!!

Mr. W. 

The Imaginarium