The Troubadour: Discovery Space Center's Two New Flight Directors. New DSC Logos. 50 Years Ago Today in Space. The Imaginarium.

Claire and Logan manage a smile for the camera.
They're exhausted from an overnight camp - poor things...

Hello Space Fans!
The Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy in Pleasant Grove, home to the Everest and Pathfinder simulators, has two new flight directors, Claire D., and Logan W. They are both currently in highschool and have been long time DSC interns and employees. Welcome to the small, but talented community of imagineers we call Flight Directors.

Mr. W.

I stopped by the DSC on Saturday looking for Troubadour updates. It's been awhile since we visited our friends at Canyon Grove Academy. Nathan, ever the gracious host and tour guide, was excited to show me the newest logo creations from DSC team of imagineers. We're on the Everest bridge admiring the new TV monitors installed for those manning the back bridge stations.

The new Everest logo was spinning on one of the monitors. Pretty cool, yes?
And for you geographically challenged, that is Mt. Everest's profile engulfed by the company's wings.

The ship's main viewer had this cool new rendition of the fleet logo spinning, twirling, and dazzling.
I'm a big logo fan, and the DSC has got some good ones.

Finally, a quick two step walk from the Everest landed us on the Pathfinder's bridge. The new Pathfinder logo was entertaining the simulator's front screen. Nathan told me he did this one. That young man has talent.

Great Job to the artists and computer animators.

50 Years Ago Today in Space
by Mark Daymont
Spacerubble.blogspot.com

Gemini 5 Sets Record Time in Space

Official Gemini 5 mission patch.

Fifty years ago, astronauts Gordon Cooper and Pete Conrad orbited Earth in their Gemini 5 capsule. Part of the mission had been completed (precision orbit maneuvering test) and other tests were then taken care of. There were several tests of human observation of the ground and weather. They determined that you could measure cloud tops from orbit, and were successful at watching missile test launches from space. Of course, with a mission lasting longer than a week, there were medical tests to explore and review once they returned. Before the mission, NASA had decided not to name the spacecraft on missions, but the astronauts felt that a mission patch was needed and NASA granted them to design the first official mission patch. To reflect the pioneering spirit of their flight, the astronauts chose a covered wagon and placed the slogan "8 Days or Bust" on it. NASA didn't like the slogan (what if the length was not achieved?) so a piece of white cloth was sewn over the slogan for the flight. The patch became popular, and then patches were designed for the Mercury and Gemini missions which had already flown.

Navy divers assist the astronauts after splashdown.

Gemini 5 re-entered the atmosphere on August 29, 1965 and landed 80 miles off course in the Atlantic Ocean. The error was later determined to be a wrong calculation entered into the craft's tiny computer (primitive by today's standards) by an engineer before the mission. The mission length goal had been achieved, and the crew broke the Russian record of orbital duration. For the first time the American press celebrated being ahead of the Russian program for a change.