The Voyager Club's 2016 Long Duration Mission Starts with Scorpio Squadron. Scorpio's Squadron Newspaper. Space and Science News. The Imaginarium.

The 2016 Long Duration Mission. Scorpio Squadron Launches First

The Voyager Club's 2016 Long Duration Mission started two weeks ago. The Scorpio Squadron was the first to launch.  
Many of last year's Scorpio team returned this year to tackle the new, five month mission. 

 The USS Magellan changed its training procedure. Instead of listening to your training through small, counter-top speakers, training is heard through the computer's internal speakers.  Scorpio discovered a small flaw. Sometimes you can't hear the speakers through the black plastic.  Jessa and Trey had to sit on the floor to hear their training.  Don't worry, I kept a close eye on things :)

 

The first three missions of this year's LDM are not scored; however, we take careful notes and give the crew feedback on their performance during the post-mission debriefing. 

Scorpio did outstandingly well.  It was apparent they were returning veterans from last year's LDM. 
Does the crew stay in character is the primary focus for this year's program. Again, Scorpio knocked it out of the park. They were fun to watch.  

It will be an awesome LDM season with teams like Scorpio.  

On hand for the first mission was our gifted, creative, and dedicated LDM staff.
Connor, Lindsey, Jacqueline, and Emily. Missing was Brittney and Lissa.  Lindsey and Lissa are new to the LDM staff.  They are the co-managers of the Space Center's Acting Guild and will coordinate the actors and volunteers for this year's program 

Mr. Williamson

Nathan Benich Creates the Scorpio Monthly

Troops, Nathan is one creative teen with a flare for writing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his 
squadron newspaper.  I'm posting it here for everyone to read.  
Thanks Nathan and keep them coming!

Space and Science News
By Mark Daymont

ISS EVA-42 Completed

Cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko (L) and Sergey Volkov (R) suited up and ready to begin the spacewalk. Picture taken by Commander Scott Kelly on the ISS.

 

Early on Wednesday morning, two Russian cosmonauts of Expedition 46 exited the airlock and moved outside the International Space Station. Yuri Malenchenko was making his sixth EVA, and Sergey Volkov making his fourth. There have now been 193 EVA missions since the beginning of the ISS program, mostly dealing with the construction of the station module by module. In this EVA, the two spacewalkers placed some more grab holds on the modules for future spacewalks, and retrieved experiments and materials to be brought back inside the station. 

One of the tasks of the EVA was to release a canister containing a flash drive into space orbit. It contained messages and videos from Russians commemorating the 70th anniversary of Russia's Victory Day (the end of WW2).

 

 

The canister is released.

 

I'll admit, this act might not have been thought out very well. I understand the benefit of involving the public in leaving their messages and words (albeit in electronic format - who will ever be able to read them?) in space, as it focuses the people on space exploration. After all, no bucks, no Buck Rogers. It's been a popular thing for NASA and other space projects to do. But normally the items are attached to a spacecraft or lander. This one was thrown into orbit behind the station. Now it was jettisoned in a way that it poses no risk to hitting the station in subsequent orbits. However, considering the vast problem that exists in Earth orbit with tens of thousands of pieces of space debris, was it wise to add yet another? Certainly no mission of the future will be trying to retrieve this canister - only people on Earth will have access to a backup of the project. And very few people will probably do that. And, if it eventually is pushed by solar radiation down to the Earth's upper atmosphere, it will burn up - so why put it up there to begin with? 

The Imaginarium