Life, the Universe, & Everything: The Marion K. “Doc” Smith Symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy originated at Brigham Young University and has grown and changed a lot over the last thirty years. LTUE is a three-day academic symposium on all aspects of science fiction and fantasy. Comprised of panels, presentations and papers on writing, art, literature, film, gaming and other facets of speculative fiction, LTUE is a place to learn all about life, the universe, and everything else you love.
The symposium is, most importantly, a gathering place for fans of our creative and innovative world to hang out and share their love of all things amazing, obscure, and even not-quite-real.
This year's symposium was held February 15-17 at the Marriott Hotel in Provo. Telos Discovery Space Center had a booth in the vendor room. During the convention, an invitation was extended to the LTUE staff to see and experience the new Apollo simulator at Lakeview Academy in Saratoga Springs.
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| The LTUE train to fly the Apollo |
Yesterday I stopped by to see the LTUE crew in action on the Apollo. Needless to say, they were very impressed by the school's two simulators: Apollo and Artemis. Let's just say, an experiential simulator is a science fiction fan's temple of possibilities.
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Brandon Wright, director of the Lakeview Space Education Center goes over the captain's
responsibilities on the Apollo |
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| The Apollo's science lab |
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| Maeson training. |
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| The first officer learning how to carry out any captain's last order |
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| LTUE's Dave Dearing peering down onto the bridge from the Engineering and Security deck |
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| Almost time to fly. |
The mission was directed by LASEC's (Lakeview Academy Space Education Center)
director Brandon Wright. Nathan ran the second chair position.
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LASEC Director Brandon Wright entering his "I'm About to Fly" mindset. Focus is the name of the game.
Nathan, on the other hand, is ready to PARTY! |
Lakeview Academy Space Education Center's New Uniforms
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A few of the many new uniforms at Lakeview Academy Space Education Center.
I like the individualized logos and colors. |
This Week at the Farpoint Space Education Center
We've had a busy week on the USS Voyager, the flagship of the Farpoint Space Education Center at Renaissance Academy in Lehi. The 5th Grade Cobra and Middle School Scorpion Squadrons did their first round missions on Monday and Tuesday.
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| The 5th Grade Cobra Squadron |
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| The Middle School Scorpion Squadron |
Wednesday through Friday took us into the third rotation of the Long Duration Mission with a return to Space Guard Academy training for the 3rd and 4th grade squadrons. There are two components to Space Guard Academy sessions; mini-missions and coursework.
For round 3 the cadets are asked to take the Voyager on a simple cargo and supply run from Farpoint Station to a newly established planetary colony in the Trappist red dwarf system. As usual, nothing is simple if the Voyager is involved. Yes, they get into trouble. Yes, it's all hands on deck. And yes, they end in a life a death struggle in a classic man against nature story.
The cadets do four rounds during their two hour Space Guard Academy training. Two 30 minute rounds in the Voyager, broken up with two 30 minute rounds in the classroom with me. I cover the science of stars with an emphasis on black holes (hummm, I wonder why) for one of my 30 minute classes. The other half hour block is devoted to the history of slavery in the United States and a discussion on how to handle a debate on the subject with someone of the opposite opinion.
Farpoint's LDM program on the new USS Voyager is a hit with both parents and students. Our 260 cadets are divided into 27 squadrons. Each squadron receives five rounds during the school year program. Contact me for more information:
director@spacecamputah.org.
Mr. Williamson
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| The middle school Scorpion Squadron. What a bunch! |
Theater Imaginarium
The best gifs of the week edited for classroom use.
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