The List of InfiniD Lab Simulators Grows Every Month
The Troubadour welcomes Diamond Valley Elementary School in St. George into the growing network of schools that house experiential learning simulators inspired by the original USS Voyager. This new computer lab / simulator takes the official number of simulators both past and present to 63.
Are you curious about InfiniD? Did you think there were only a small handful of starship simulators at a few local Utah schools: The Christa McAuliffe Space Center, The Telos Discovery Space Centers, Renaissance Space Academy, The Lion's Gate? If so, you are mistaken.
InfiniD is the world's fastest growing network of school based, computer lab simulators committed to continuing the vision of simulator based experiential education pioneered in my 6th grade classroom back in 1983 and fine tuned and expanded with the building of Simulator 1 the USS Voyager in 1990. This upcoming school year between 60,000 - 70,000 students across Utah will have monthly experiences in an InfiniD Lab.
To summarize; InfinD's mission is to provide every school world wide with an experiential simulator of their own. That's a big goal and they're determined to make it so.
Take a moment and learn more about the future of education with InfiniD.
The Troubadour welcomes Diamond Valley Elementary School in St. George into the growing network of schools that house experiential learning simulators inspired by the original USS Voyager. This new computer lab / simulator takes the official number of simulators both past and present to 63.
Are you curious about InfiniD? Did you think there were only a small handful of starship simulators at a few local Utah schools: The Christa McAuliffe Space Center, The Telos Discovery Space Centers, Renaissance Space Academy, The Lion's Gate? If so, you are mistaken.
InfiniD is the world's fastest growing network of school based, computer lab simulators committed to continuing the vision of simulator based experiential education pioneered in my 6th grade classroom back in 1983 and fine tuned and expanded with the building of Simulator 1 the USS Voyager in 1990. This upcoming school year between 60,000 - 70,000 students across Utah will have monthly experiences in an InfiniD Lab.
To summarize; InfinD's mission is to provide every school world wide with an experiential simulator of their own. That's a big goal and they're determined to make it so.
Take a moment and learn more about the future of education with InfiniD.
 |
| Add Jensen Caldwell in the Hyperion Control Room Flight Directing his Qualifying Mission to Earn His Flight Director Certification |
Jensen Caldwell Earns His Flight Director's Certification. Another Example of a MultiCenter Employee. Congratulations.
Jensen Caldwell is an example of a volunteer who worked mission after mission to fight and claw his way to a Supervisor position on the Starship Voyager and then onward to become a Flight Director on the Hyperion at Telos Discovery Space Center.
From the Archives. The Best Posts from Space Center History, December 2002.
The CMSEC - "Just Who Are You People?" Of Course We Are Better than Disneyland.
December 6, 2002
"What did he say about us?" I asked.
"Well.... he wouldn't shut up. All night all we heard was this and that about the Space Center. He said repeatedly that it was better than Disneyland any day! Now we spent a lot of money on Disneyland so I'm bewildered what could be right here in Utah County that a kid would think is better than Disneyland!"
We had a good conversation.
Thank you to all for the hard work and dedication. That compliment was directed to all of us. We make a great team. Thanks!
Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center
"The Happiest Place on Earth!"
(at 1/100,000 the price)
Yesterday I went to see Star Trek Nemesis. I think many of our Center staff and volunteers will enjoy the film. Watching movies like this gives us a chance to recharge our creative batteries. I left the theater with ideas for future missions. I encourage you to see the film.
There have been a few bits of news since I wrote last.
1. As I mentioned above, Nemesis is in the Theaters.
2. We celebrated our staff's accomplishments during Honor's Night on December 4th. Several of our staff earned patches, pillowcases, and blankets. We honored Landon Hemsley, Julie Collette, and Alex Debirk for making 5 bars. All three are Flight Directors and doing very well. Landon is in the Odyssey. Alex and Julie are both running the Galileo. During the meeting we awarded the Silver Pin for one year of service to a few of
our volunteers. If my memory is correct we advanced around ten Explorers to Pioneers.
Of course, there are always the retirements that make up the sad segment of the program. Bryce Redd was honored and retired. Bryce was a great worker who did his job and knew how to care for our customers. I'll miss his personality and the debates. Good Luck to you Bryce!
We were delighted to learn that Charlie Heaton is going to wait to retire for a few months. He told me his schedule wasn't as busy as he thought it would be for this next semester.
We will retire Jason Hills next month. His entrance into the MTC was postponed for one month to clear up a health problem.
The turn out at Honor's Night was incredible. We held the event in Magellan's Situation Room. I thought it would be plenty big enough for normal crowd. I don't know how we did it but we got over fifty people in there. Mr. Daymont rushed out to buy more refreshments. Thank you to all that came - especially our old timers, Jason Hills, Allan Stewart, and Dave Wall.
3. I got a letter from Josh Webb in the MTC. He is doing fine and says hello to all of you. He leaves for Argentina at the end of December. Please remember both Josh and Steven in your thoughts and prayers. They are both outstanding young men and members of our Space Center family.
4. Allan Stewart and James Porter dropped by and helped us during Friday night's camp. Both are doing well. It was good to see them. The invitation is always there for any of you "old timers" to come and participate in any of our overnight camps. If you only have a few minutes please do not hesitate to stop by and say hello. The time you spent at the Center has purchased you lifetime membership! Also, don't forget that reactivation clause in your contract ;)
5. There are some changes in our staffing. Bill Schuler has become the Set Director for the Falcon. Stacy Carroll. will be promoted to a five bar Ranger at the next Honor's Night. She will run the Falcon on the overnight missions with Bill has her second chair. Bill will supervise the Galileo as well during the camps.
Mark Daymont has been reassigned to work with Kyle Herring in the Magellan. Mark will learn to operate the Magellan with the ultimate goal of becoming another Magellan Flight Director. Kyle will remain in his position as Magellan Set Director. This move for Mark is necessary because of Kyle's schedule. Kyle has no problem with the overnight camps but will not be able to run the Magellan during the summer because of his businesses. Kyle is a busy person. I'm happy he is able to give us the time he does. I assure you it is not for the money. Kyle has been and is dedicated to the program and gives the
Center the time he can spare.
6. I will be looking for new flight director trainees for the Galileo. We must be prepared in the event that Julie and Alex both go to college outside Utah County. Training will take months. Luckily we are covered until the end of the summer season.
7. The Space Center will host a delegation of professors and deans from Salt Lake Community College the first week of January. SLCC is looking into building a Challenger Center on their main campus. A Challenger Center is similar to our Space Center. It usually has a classroom, a mission control room, and a simulator. Their mission are
science based with no action or music. I say that not to criticize their program. What they do is fantastic! It is just different. Both approaches work successfully with children.
The SLCC people called and said they heard about our Center from many people. A member of the Granite School Board told them that they would be fools to continue exploring the Challenger option until they visited us to see what we are doing.
I see them building a Challenger Center. Having one in the valley will be beneficial to the children of Utah. I see them coming to pay us a visit to learn about this program but to scout out possibilities for partnerships. We would use their facility for our summer camps and they would use us to help them establish an energetic Utah friendly program.
8. I'm starting to work on the summer schedule. I should have it ready to post within a few weeks. I'm warning all Set Directors to have their summer stories moved from the back of their brains to the front. I would like to have all summer stories written and ready for
review by the end of January. I want the summer stories ready to be tested during April and May's overnighters. The Voyager will go first and run its new mission the first weekend of April. The other Directors will announce their first runs as we draw closer to the month.
I know I say this all the time but you folks are fantastic! I'm amazed that you take your personal time and come here and help us with the missions. I'm honored that you respect this program enough to make it a part of your life. I know that if this program had been around when I was a teenage in South Dakota I would have been a volunteer. I would
be the one that never went home; so I understand why you enjoy it. It is rewarding and humbling for me to associate with such outstanding young men and women. Thank you and please thank your parents for their time and gas to get you here and home.
Be Good, eat your vegetables, get plenty of rest, and enjoy this holiday season. I'll see many of you soon.
Mr. Williamson
Code hidden in Stone Age art may be the root of human writing | New Scientist
A fascinating article delving into the very core of human written expression.
Scientists Finally Have Direct Proof That the Earth's Core Is Solid - Newsweek
Jensen Caldwell is an example of a volunteer who worked mission after mission to fight and claw his way to a Supervisor position on the Starship Voyager and then onward to become a Flight Director on the Hyperion at Telos Discovery Space Center.
 |
| Isaac Ostler congratulating Jensen on become a Voyager Supervisor. August 2017 |
Jensen was recently awarded his Flight Director Certification by Dr. Ryan Anderson from the Telos Discovery Space Center after a well run mission on the Hyperion.
 |
| Dr. Anderson welcoming Jensen in the Telos Family and into the Farpoint Fellowship on the bridge of the Hyperion. |
Jensen joins Maeson Busk, Sydney Brown, Nathan King, Parriss King, and Spencer Baird as a multi-center employee. In addition to flight directing at Telos DSC, Jensen will continue to work as a Supervisor (soon to be Flight Director) at the Space Academy at Renaissance in addition to his work at Telos DSC.
Congratulations Jensen, and now honor the Flight Director's Pledge.
 |
| The First Ship Voyager |
The Flight Director's Pledge
I pledge to honor the example and craftsmanship of those who've come before. I pledge to do my best to care for my staff, volunteers, and crew. I promise to lead and guide my crews through their adventures by adhering to the mission's goals and objectives as given to me by my director. I promise to continually learn and improve upon my craft. I pledge to return my crews to the here and now with lasting memories of their adventure, my characters and skilled flightsmanship. I will honor the pioneering spirit of first ship Voyager, and will continue to do so with every mission I direct until I surrender my microphone to those who will follow.
Mr. Williamson
 |
| The Voyager Crew lined up to be Transported to the ship via the stage transporter. July 2007 Summer Overnight Camps |
The CMSEC - "Just Who Are You People?" Of Course We Are Better than Disneyland.
December 6, 2002
Hello Troops,
I like to pass along comments that come to me from our Patrons. Yesterday I received a phone call from a curious mother. "Space Center," I answered.
"Hello, my son recently attended one of your field trips from Meadow Elementary and came home telling us some pretty interesting things. Just who are you people!?"
I didn't know if this was going to be a positive or negative phone call
so I thought I'd dig deeper into what the boy said.
I like to pass along comments that come to me from our Patrons. Yesterday I received a phone call from a curious mother. "Space Center," I answered.
"Hello, my son recently attended one of your field trips from Meadow Elementary and came home telling us some pretty interesting things. Just who are you people!?"
I didn't know if this was going to be a positive or negative phone call
so I thought I'd dig deeper into what the boy said.
 |
| The Magellan Crew. Bathroom break is finished. They're getting final instructions before entering the Discovery Room for their mission briefing. |
"What did he say about us?" I asked.
"Well.... he wouldn't shut up. All night all we heard was this and that about the Space Center. He said repeatedly that it was better than Disneyland any day! Now we spent a lot of money on Disneyland so I'm bewildered what could be right here in Utah County that a kid would think is better than Disneyland!"
We had a good conversation.
Thank you to all for the hard work and dedication. That compliment was directed to all of us. We make a great team. Thanks!
Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center
"The Happiest Place on Earth!"
(at 1/100,000 the price)
Mr. Williamson
 |
| The Magellan Crew in rapture after hearing of their daring mission into the unknown. Summer Overnight Camps. July 2007 |
James Porter Updates Us on the USS Pathfinder in Logan
December 9, 2002
The Pathfinder is off to a good start. We ran a great mission this last Saturday and
it is looking better and better. Dave Wall is working towards getting a school program going, hopefully some time in January. It is good to see that the space center is still active, I hadn't seen a Journal or any grammar wars for a while. I wish I could come
down and visit during a mission sometime to see you all again.
it is looking better and better. Dave Wall is working towards getting a school program going, hopefully some time in January. It is good to see that the space center is still active, I hadn't seen a Journal or any grammar wars for a while. I wish I could come
down and visit during a mission sometime to see you all again.
You are all very lucky to be working with a great man, Victor Williamson. Watch and learn from him, he will always be there to help you. . . unless you aren't keeping up with your grades, then you'll be OUT. `8~)
-James Porter
-James Porter
 |
| The Odyssey's Front Bridge. The Captain is reading up on her responsibilities. Summer Overnight Camps. July 2007 |
Space Center Journal: My Review of Star Trek Nemesis. Those Honored in the December Honor's Night. We Say Goodbye to Retired Volunteers and Staff. Several are Promoted to Five Bars. New Set Directors Announced. Salt Lake Community College Professors Visit with Interest in a Challenger Center. Think About the Summer Missions
December 15, 2002
Yesterday I went to see Star Trek Nemesis. I think many of our Center staff and volunteers will enjoy the film. Watching movies like this gives us a chance to recharge our creative batteries. I left the theater with ideas for future missions. I encourage you to see the film.
There have been a few bits of news since I wrote last.
1. As I mentioned above, Nemesis is in the Theaters.
 |
| The Odyssey's Back Quarters. You can see the entrance to the Engineering Pod. That hatchway caused more bleeding than any other set piece at the Center. |
2. We celebrated our staff's accomplishments during Honor's Night on December 4th. Several of our staff earned patches, pillowcases, and blankets. We honored Landon Hemsley, Julie Collette, and Alex Debirk for making 5 bars. All three are Flight Directors and doing very well. Landon is in the Odyssey. Alex and Julie are both running the Galileo. During the meeting we awarded the Silver Pin for one year of service to a few of
our volunteers. If my memory is correct we advanced around ten Explorers to Pioneers.
Of course, there are always the retirements that make up the sad segment of the program. Bryce Redd was honored and retired. Bryce was a great worker who did his job and knew how to care for our customers. I'll miss his personality and the debates. Good Luck to you Bryce!
 |
| The Odyssey Crew's final photo before blast off. Summer Overnight Camps. July 2007 |
We were delighted to learn that Charlie Heaton is going to wait to retire for a few months. He told me his schedule wasn't as busy as he thought it would be for this next semester.
We will retire Jason Hills next month. His entrance into the MTC was postponed for one month to clear up a health problem.
The turn out at Honor's Night was incredible. We held the event in Magellan's Situation Room. I thought it would be plenty big enough for normal crowd. I don't know how we did it but we got over fifty people in there. Mr. Daymont rushed out to buy more refreshments. Thank you to all that came - especially our old timers, Jason Hills, Allan Stewart, and Dave Wall.
 |
| What's This? The Galileo Crew crammed into the Phoenix with the Phoenix Crew? Must be some super top secret mission. Summer Overnight Camps. July 2007 |
3. I got a letter from Josh Webb in the MTC. He is doing fine and says hello to all of you. He leaves for Argentina at the end of December. Please remember both Josh and Steven in your thoughts and prayers. They are both outstanding young men and members of our Space Center family.
4. Allan Stewart and James Porter dropped by and helped us during Friday night's camp. Both are doing well. It was good to see them. The invitation is always there for any of you "old timers" to come and participate in any of our overnight camps. If you only have a few minutes please do not hesitate to stop by and say hello. The time you spent at the Center has purchased you lifetime membership! Also, don't forget that reactivation clause in your contract ;)
 |
| The goofy but brave Magellan Crew. 15 of them on this Overnight Camp. It took great staffing to keep 15 busy and happy. Great Staff. Great Volunteers. |
5. There are some changes in our staffing. Bill Schuler has become the Set Director for the Falcon. Stacy Carroll. will be promoted to a five bar Ranger at the next Honor's Night. She will run the Falcon on the overnight missions with Bill has her second chair. Bill will supervise the Galileo as well during the camps.
Mark Daymont has been reassigned to work with Kyle Herring in the Magellan. Mark will learn to operate the Magellan with the ultimate goal of becoming another Magellan Flight Director. Kyle will remain in his position as Magellan Set Director. This move for Mark is necessary because of Kyle's schedule. Kyle has no problem with the overnight camps but will not be able to run the Magellan during the summer because of his businesses. Kyle is a busy person. I'm happy he is able to give us the time he does. I assure you it is not for the money. Kyle has been and is dedicated to the program and gives the
Center the time he can spare.
 |
| The Voyager Crew Couldn't Let the Magellanites Have all the Fun |
6. I will be looking for new flight director trainees for the Galileo. We must be prepared in the event that Julie and Alex both go to college outside Utah County. Training will take months. Luckily we are covered until the end of the summer season.
7. The Space Center will host a delegation of professors and deans from Salt Lake Community College the first week of January. SLCC is looking into building a Challenger Center on their main campus. A Challenger Center is similar to our Space Center. It usually has a classroom, a mission control room, and a simulator. Their mission are
science based with no action or music. I say that not to criticize their program. What they do is fantastic! It is just different. Both approaches work successfully with children.
 |
| The off to bed popsicle. Its a bit after 11:00 P.M. The kids are winding down before bed and lights out. Is that Mr. Williamson in the background cleaning up before assigning sleeping quarters. |
The SLCC people called and said they heard about our Center from many people. A member of the Granite School Board told them that they would be fools to continue exploring the Challenger option until they visited us to see what we are doing.
I see them building a Challenger Center. Having one in the valley will be beneficial to the children of Utah. I see them coming to pay us a visit to learn about this program but to scout out possibilities for partnerships. We would use their facility for our summer camps and they would use us to help them establish an energetic Utah friendly program.
8. I'm starting to work on the summer schedule. I should have it ready to post within a few weeks. I'm warning all Set Directors to have their summer stories moved from the back of their brains to the front. I would like to have all summer stories written and ready for
review by the end of January. I want the summer stories ready to be tested during April and May's overnighters. The Voyager will go first and run its new mission the first weekend of April. The other Directors will announce their first runs as we draw closer to the month.
 |
| It's morning. The campers are getting their traditional Space Center breakfast. You can tell it is a 3 day Overnight Camp because of how nicely everything is set out (the fruit is in bowls and not being served out of the plastic WalMart bags). You can tell Aleta is on duty. |
I know I say this all the time but you folks are fantastic! I'm amazed that you take your personal time and come here and help us with the missions. I'm honored that you respect this program enough to make it a part of your life. I know that if this program had been around when I was a teenage in South Dakota I would have been a volunteer. I would
be the one that never went home; so I understand why you enjoy it. It is rewarding and humbling for me to associate with such outstanding young men and women. Thank you and please thank your parents for their time and gas to get you here and home.
Be Good, eat your vegetables, get plenty of rest, and enjoy this holiday season. I'll see many of you soon.
Mr. Williamson
Space and Science News at a Glance
Curiosity Rover Is Back to Limited Science Operations on Mars - Gizmodo
Welcome back little rover. It was a pretty nasty planet wide dust storm.
Welcome back little rover. It was a pretty nasty planet wide dust storm.
Cosmologist Martin Rees gives humanity a 50-50 chance of surviving the 21st century - Vox
Why we can't learn to live together in peace and care for the planet?
Why we can't learn to live together in peace and care for the planet?
I believe caring for our little blue marble in space transcends politics and religion.
A fascinating article delving into the very core of human written expression.
A new dwarf planet nicknamed 'The Goblin' has been discovered within our solar system
And there are a lot more out there, no doubt about it.
And there are a lot more out there, no doubt about it.
Time Travel Illusions Created by Scientists - Newsweek
If it was possible, where would you go and why?
If it was possible, where would you go and why?
Mercury here we come. Expect to learn great things from this spacecraft.
That's not what I was taught in school, but then we believed the world was flat
back then as well.
Why America Must Build the Space Launch System - The National Interest
America's next generation rocket is awesome. The most powerful rocket ever built.
America's next generation rocket is awesome. The most powerful rocket ever built.
We're heading back into space with a rocket of our own. No more hitching rides on the
Russian Soyuz.
Imaginarium Theater
The Best Gifs From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience
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