Where Are They Now? More Pictures from the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Original Staff Board of the 1990's. The Farpoint Universe Adopts NASA Space Navigation System. Theater Imaginarium.

Last Sunday I posted the first article highlighting the old Staff Picture Board at the front of the Briefing Room (home of today's Odyssey and Phoenix Simulators).  This LINK will take you to that post to read more about the Briefing Room and see the first set of pictures.

My Pre-Algebra Class. School Year 1999-2000 in Front of my desk in the Briefing Room

You can see the CAST board in the photo above. Digital Cameras, at least the ones a teacher could afford, were digitally inept back then. You'll notice I changed STAFF to CAST after a visit to Disneyland. I steal from the best. 

To keep in touch with the students of Central Elementary and to keep my teaching skills honed and up to date, I taught a sixth grade pre-algebra class every morning from 9:00 - 10:00 A.M. during my 23 years at the helm of the Space Center. My staff greeted the field trip bus at 9:40 A.M., bathroomed and hydrated the kids, took care of their lunches, and lined them up for simulator boarding. I'd dismiss the class and head straight to the Voyager's Bridge to greet them as they ascended the spiral stairs. 

I remember these kids in the photo above but have forgotten names. I know Michael and Trevor Heder are in this photo. Can you name any others?

Josh Webb

Presenting Josh Webb's CAST photo complete with staple marks and all.  Josh was a long time volunteer and supervisor.  Josh graduated from Pleasant Grove High School.  

Josh at the IIFX Station in the Voyager Control Room, with Scott Slaugh. Josh was a master at the SpaceEdventuring arts.

Josh was a good worker who set by example.  Here he is cleaning the Voyager's Bridge desks.

I guess there were times when I worked him a bit too hard, like on the overnight camps

Josh at Honor's Night Getting the Staff of the Year Award

He currently lives in Mountain House California and works for Complete Solar.  Josh married Lorina Johnson - they have three children and a dog. 

Josh was always an avid baseball player. He played varsity baseball for PG.
It appears he's keeping the tradition alive with his own family.

Randy Jepperson

This is Randy Jepperson.  He was the transitional volunteer from the old staff of the 1990's to the early staff of the early 2000's.  He was my top Central Elementary volunteer in the fifth and sixth grade (1996-1997) and continued to work at the Center for many years after that.  I had him speak as my token student at the Alpine School District Teacher of the Year Award in 1997.  Everyone knew Randy. Because he lived next door to the school, I relied on him to fill in for volunteers and staff who missed missions.  He saved my bacon many times.

Randy with the other Blue Shirts of his time in front of the old Odyssey.
Left to Right: Landon Helmsley, Soren Siebach, Charlie Heaton, Bryson Lystrup, Brady Young, Matt Long, and Bryce Redd.
Randy is kneeling and demonstrating his Photon Arm.

Randy on the Magellan

Randy at Honor's Night Advancing up the Ranks. Mrs Houston presents Randy with a New Set of Pips for his collar

Randy with Mr. Daymont in the Falcon Control Area.

Randy waking up on a Saturday Morning in the Discovery Room after a short Overnight Camp's sleep

Randy in the Magellan Control Room ready to go out in a cameo performance.
Seated left to right: Rio Downs, Ben Hoglund, Stacy Carrell

Randy married Joelle Hendricks. Today he works at US Synthetic, lives in Provo, Utah and has two children.

The Farpoint Universe at Telos Discovery Space Center, Farpoint Space Education Center, and the Lions Gate Center Incorporates XNAV, NASA's New Global Positioning System for Space Travel 

It turns out that figuring out where you are in space is really, really hard. With that in mind, have you ever heard of XNAV? It's a system of using the unique signals from pulsars to determine an object's location in space, independent of any other readings. It's long been a theoretical construct that scientists thought could be developed into a useful navigation tool for spacecraft, and NASA has now proven that it actually works. This is rather fun for us at the Telos Discovery Space Center, because as we have been writing the Farpoint universe and new missions to go along with it, we decided that our ships would use XNAV for navigation. It's fun to see one piece of our science fiction universe enter the realm of science fact.

Dr. Ryan Anderson
Telos Discovery Space Center

The Farpoint Universe Space Navigation System Using XNAV 

From the Farpoint Writer's Guide

I updated the Farpoint Writer's Guide two weeks ago to adapt for the XNAV system. That's how quickly we adapt Farpoint to the latest breakthroughs in science and technology. The Following is taken directly from the Farpoint Universe Writer's Guide.  Section 3 is dedicated to Navigation; for reference, page 10.  Are you interested in writing missions or stories set in Farpoint?  Contact me for the link to the Writer's Guide.

Mr. Williamson   

3    Navigation

3.1

Starship headings are given based on relative bearing. Relative bearings are given as two figures which correspond to two perpendicular planes around the starship. The first plane is horizontal and the second vertical. The planes are divided into 360 degrees. with 0 degrees representing straight ahead.

If the captain gave an order of “Heading 000 mark 0,” the helm would steer straight ahead, no course adjustment needed.  Remember, on the horizontal plane, degrees increase to the starboard side.  On the vertical plane, degrees increase from the top of the ship around the back to the bottom.  If the captain ordered a heading of 150 mark 0, the ship would turn 150 degrees to the starboard but not tilt up or down. If the captain ordered a heading of 150 mark 20, the ship would turn 150 degrees starboard then tilt nose up by 20 degrees.

 

Course calculations are calculated using the XNAV Pulsar Navigation System developed by NASA in the early 2000’s.  Pulsars are highly magnetised, rapidly rotating neutron stars - the result of a massive star's core collapsing and subsequently exploding. As they spin, they emit electromagnetic radiation. If an observer is in the right position, they can appear as sweeping beams, like a cosmic lighthouse. They're also extraordinarily regular - in the case of some millisecond pulsars, which can spin hundreds of times a second, their regularity can rival that of atomic clocks. This is what led to the idea behind XNAV. Because these pulsars are so regular, and because they're fixed in position in the cosmos, they can be used in the same way that a global positioning system uses atomic clocks.  XNAV uses four pulsars J0218+4232, B1821-24, J0030+0451, and J0437-4715 (pulsars so precise that their pulses can be accurately predicted for years into the future). When a course is required, the helmsman activates XNAV. It scans for the x-ray signals from the four pulsars. The nearest pulsars’s position is assigned the 000 mark 0 position. The desired destination is then located by XNAV in relation to the four pulsar’s identified on the star charts in relation to the beacon and ship’s position and the course entered. Diaspora star charts are updated regularly by the Astronomical Authority at Capital Point. The updated maps are sent out over the Marconi Entangled Particle Communicator (MEPCOMM) Network.

The navigator’s screen shows the position of the desired destination. A thruster setting would be displayed showing the maneuver needed to establish course. For instance, the course would be given as 62 mark 12. Two protractors are shown on the screen. One to show the ship at the 000 position and one to show the mark position. The helmsman turns the ship so that 000 mark 0 is facing the destination. The helmsman pushes the “Lock Course” button and the ship turns facing the destination. The destination is now the ship’s 000 mark 0 setting.  

Theater Imaginarium

The Best Gifs of the Week Edited for a Gentler Audience