Post from the Past. Galileo Rules from June 2000. New Covers for Aleta Clegg's Books. A Super, Super Moon Coming. Don't Miss It!. The Imaginarium

Post from the Past. June 2000

Hello Troops,

On slow Space Centers news days I like to repost articles originally published on the Space Center's first blog: The SpaceEdVentures YahooGroup.  

Today's repost comes from June 2000.  It concerns the original Galileo.  The Galileo Flight Director's wrote the rules. I wrote the introduction in caps.
Enjoy.
Mr. W.

The Galileo's Second Chair Rules

THE FOLLOWING ARE IMPORTANT RULES FOR WORKING THE GALILEO 2ND CHAIR STATION. PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY. REMEMBER EACH FLIGHT DIRECTOR HAS HIS OWN PET PEEVES - HEAVENS KNOWS I HAVE MINE!!! TO WORK SUCCESSFULLY IN ANY SIMULATOR REQUIRES YOU KNOW WHAT TICKS THAT FLIGHT DIRECTOR OFF AND THEN DON'T DO IT. THE FLIGHT DIRECTORS ARE UNDER A LOT OF PRESSURE. THEY, ALONG WITH YOU, HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF OUR GUESTS AND OFFER THEM THE HIGHEST QUALITY PRODUCT.

THE MISSIONS ARE OUR PRODUCT. THAT'S WHAT KIDS PAY TO DO. ANYTHING THAT DISTRACTS FROM THE QUALITY OF OUR MISSIONS BECOMES MY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE YOURS. REMEMBER, OUR SUCCESS COMES FROM OUR ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND OUR ABILITY TO GET ALONG WITH AND WORK WELL WITH EACH OTHER.

Mr. Williamson

Things to do to be a successful 2nd Chair on USS Galileo 

#1. Never talk during a briefing. It does not matter if you think that your comments are important or could add something to the discussion please do not talk during a mission briefing.

#2. Wash your hands. Due to the fact that the Galileo uses touchpads in the control room, it is a requirement that anyone who works Galileo wash their hands. Greases and other substances have been known to cause problems in the use of touchpads. This is very important to maintain the equipment in the Galileo.

#3. While the Flight Director is talking in the microphone, Do not talk! This needs to no explanation.

#4. Do not follow the Flight Director around. No Flight Director likes a shadow.

#5. Please do not comment on the mission or what you think would make it better. If you are asked for your opinions please give it, otherwise do not say anything. 10 to 1 we have already thought about it.

#6. DO NOT SIT ON THE WARP ENGINES! No explanation needed.

#7. Do not make comments about the ship being small, moveable, "box-like", or not as good as the Odyssey or Voyager or Magellan. This only causes frustration.

#8. Do not wander off. Just because another ship might, sound funner does not mean that you can leave your assigned position. Whether you like it or not.

#9. Never complain that the Galileo is boring. All of you were told when you came to the Space Center that not all the jobs are fun. Like Disneyland, someone has to clean the toilets. There is no way that Galileo 2nd chair can be made funner. DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT IT BEING BORING!

#10. When told to do something do it and do not complain. No explanation needed.

#11. While a mission is running do not pound on the desk area, whistle, or lean on the Flight Director's chair because it has armrests. All of these are self-explanatory

#12. Do not tell the crew any "hints" about the mission that might help them. This is another form of cheating and is wrong.

#13. Do not try to lock back the control room doors. They have been broken for sometime. Remember that just because you did it the last time you worked does not mean that you can do it this time without asking.

#14. While handling the G3 PowerBook, do not press the mouse button down too hard. This is the most expensive computer at the Space Center right now. Please be gentle with it. We cannot repair a touchpad in-between missions.

These are all things have happened on Galileo so far. In order for Galileo to work and function properly these rules must be followed. Thank you for reading them. If any of these rules are not followed you may not have a pass on Galileo 2nd chair and you might not have the opportunity to try again for one.

Galileo Flight Directors

Aleta Clegg Reveals New Covers for her Books

Aleta Clegg is working on re-releasing books 2 and 3 in her series. She says it will take just a quick polish, and new covers. Priestess of the Eggstone is now available at Smashwords (all ebook formats) and Amazon (Kindle only, print is coming later)
Poisoned Pawn is now available at Smashwords (all ebook formats) and Amazon (Kindle only, print is still being formatted)
Poisoned Pawn will be coming soon.

Without further ado, here are the new covers for Priestess of the Eggstone and Poisoned Pawn!

Check out the whole series at www.altairanempire.com!
Get the first book, Nexus Point, FREE - use coupon code AA47G.

We’re about to see a record-breaking supermoon - the biggest in nearly 70 years

The closest full moon in the 21st century.

If you only see one astronomical event this year, make it the November supermoon, when the Moon will be the closest to Earth it’s been since January 1948.

During the event, which will happen on the eve of November 14, the Moon will appear up to 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than an average full moon. This is the closest the Moon will get to Earth until 25 November 2034, so you really don’t want to miss this one.

So how do you get a supermoon? 

As NASA explains, because the Moon has an elliptical orbit, one side - called the perigee - is about 48,280 km (30,000 miles) closer to Earth than the other side (the apogee). 

When the Sun, the Moon, and Earth line up as the Moon orbits Earth, that’s known as syzygy (definitely something you want to keep in your back pocket for your next Scrabble match).

When this Earth-Moon-Sun system occurs with the perigee side of the Moon facing us, and the Moon happens to be on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, we get what’s called a perigee-syzygy.

That causes the Moon to appear much bigger and brighter in our sky than usual, and it’s referred to as a supermoon - or more technically, a perigee moon.

Supermoons aren’t all that uncommon - we just had one on October 16, and after the November 14 super-supermoon, we’ll have another one on December 14.

But because the November 14 Moon becomes full within about 2 hours of perigee, it’s going to look the biggest it has in nearly seven decades.

"The full moon of November 14 is not only the closest full moon of 2016, but also the closest full moon to date in the 21st century," says NASA. "The full moon won’t come this close to Earth again until 25 November 2034."

Depending on where you're viewing it from, the difference between a supermoon and a regular full moon can be stark, or difficult to tell. If the Moon is hanging high overhead, and you have no buildings or landmarks to compare it to, it can be tricky to tell that it's larger than usual.

But if you're viewing from a spot where the Moon is sitting closer to the horizon, it can create what's known as 'moon illusion'.

"When the moon is near the horizon, it can look unnaturally large when viewed through trees, buildings, or other foreground objects," says NASA. "The effect is an optical illusion, but that fact doesn’t take away from the experience."

The Imaginarium