"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die." A Science Fiction Live Streamed Web Series Filmed on the USS Voyager. The USS Nighthawk Earns its Space Worthiness Certificate. Congratulations John Robe. Imaginarium Theater.

Nathan Young Getting the Feel of the USS Voyager at the Space Academy for his New Web Series
Home Away from Home. The Spirit of the Voyager I Lives On.

Live From the Space Academy, the Live Streamed Web Series "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die" on the USS Voyager 
Development Update Number 1

By Nathan Young

     So, we’ve got this project.
     It’s a pretty crazy project.

     It’s a film/theater/space center/web series/reality TV/live streaming amalgamation. That description doesn’t really explain anything about it, I know, but believe me, it has been hard
enough trying to find a concise way to describe what this project. We told everybody “experimental livestreamed science-fiction web series,” but it became very clear very quickly that nobody knew what that meant. It took me an hour and a half to get my production crew on the same page as me, and that included being able to show pictures and videos and answer a flurry of questions. Suffice it to say that I believe my chances of being able to describe in a short post what this thing is supposed to be are low, even after spending a hundred and fifty hours working on it.

Nathan in the Voyager's Control Room.  Jordan Smith, Phoenix Flight Director, is Assisting

     Maybe those of you with a space center background will get a glimpse of it by following this train of thought: we live in a world with VR headsets and massive multibillion dollar corporations who operate in the same type of space that our beloved space centers do. Star Trek: Bridge Crew is essentially what we do, but with some really cool 3D renderings. The new Millennium Falcon attraction at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland will operate as a simulator essentially. Check out this report from entertainment news site Polygon:

     “On opening day, each Galaxy’s Edge land will only have one of its two new attractions in operation. It’s called Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and it promises to be a highlight for Star Wars fans of any age. “The first proper trailer for the ride shows a simulated cockpit with room for six, including four captain’s chairs and two of the larger, high-backed chairs with aggressively curved headrests seen in the movies. The action appears outside the cockpit canopy. Expect some kind of elaborate projection onto a conical area just in front of the cockpit, similar to what they use to shoot the modern films.     “It’s an interactive experience. Participants each get a role, including pilot, gunner, and flight engineer. As the ride progresses, the individual controls all around the cockpit dashboards light up. Early reports compare it to the hit mobile game Spaceteam, a kind of electronic party game that thrives on good communication.”

     My first thoughts about this were, in order: “WOW. That’s going to be so cool!” and then “Oh snap. That’s basically what we’ve been doing since 1990. And now Disney is going to do it with a budget a hundred thousand times larger than ours.”

Getting the Sound Right is a Must for a Live Streamed Production.  The Sound Crew at Work
Under the Voyager's Damage Control Station Platform

      I’m a student in the Media Arts program at BYU, learning about all kinds of new media forms. We live in a world of podcasts, 360 degree videos, augmented reality, social media, and live streamed video games.  We are on a frontier of new ways to create and find entertainment: which is something that hasn’t happened since the television first entered homes across the world in the early in the 1950’s. And this time, it’s going to be even more mind-boggling. We’re approaching our second generation of Virtual Reality devices. 300 hours of video are uploaded to Youtube each minute. We’re just a few steps in processing power away from having full holographic technology. Who knows what will be coming
around the bend 10 years from now?

Lighting on the Voyager is Tricky. Like its Sister Ships, the Voyager's Bridge Tends to Shine Dark

     As I’ve reflected on my decade-or-so with the Space EdVentures community, I thought about where we fit into all of this. In many ways, we’re still doing things that we were doing back when we were on the cutting edge of science and technology in the 90’s. The problem is: we’re definitely not there right now. A talking computer used to be a novelty, but now there are over 22 talking computer systems on the market. Open-world video games provide more freedom and options than most of our regular missions.
     D-Box seats at the movie theaters provide actual physical responses to the special effects of movies, whereas all we have are smoke machines and lights on dimmers.  I feel like the right way to respond to this new world of interactive entertainment is to distinguish
ourselves as something more than a physical Star Trek Bridge Crew experience. I think that we need to start thinking of the Space Center as a platform, not a product. The folks at Telos are already thinking in this same direction- as they’ve adapted the Space Center formula to use it in therapeutic settings. So is Devin Sudweeks, who recently pitched a project where he would use Thorium controls to create an archeological dig site. Brylee-Ann Perry created an escape room in one of the ships, drawing upon the unique opportunities a simulator/FD/crew dynamic presents. These examples use the concept of a ‘’flight” as a basis for something more, not just as the end product itself. They lean into the fact that our
greatest strength- the thing that Disney can’t do- is put an actual storyteller on the other end of all of panels and computers to breathe life into the experience.

Jordan Smith Learning the Ins and Outs of the Voyager

     That’s what this project is hoping to do. We’re going to use the platform of the Space Center to create something alive- a Frankenstein’s monster of sorts that highlight all of the best parts of what we do. So here’s that project description again: “An experimental livestreamed improvisational science-fiction web series.”
     Let’s break that down.

 Experimental: Nobody has ever done anything quite like this before, so we’re  figuring it out as we go. We’re not totally sure if it’s going to work. Live Streamed: This will be broadcast live via Twitch and possibly YouTube. This brings a dimension of authenticity to the piece- as viewers will know that all of the insanity is happening in real-time. (As a bonus, it means that we don’t have to do any post-production.) Cameras will be placed both in the ship and in the control room, so that audiences will be able to see everything that is going on both in the simulator and behind-the-scenes. The show is, ultimately, about its own creation as much as its about the story that is taking place. Improvisational: This project will not be scripted. It won’t even have a pre-written mission. It will work more like a game of Dungeons and Dragons, where the crew and the Flight Director are responding to each other in real time as they create an interesting and compelling narrative. Actors will be playing characters, (much like how our staff all don the accents and personalities of their chief engineer characters when they go on test flights,) but they’ll be going in to each scenario completely blind. Science-Fiction: We’re going to be using a small corner of the Farpoint Universe as the setting for the show. We’re developing a very specific and exciting visual/audio design for it all. We’ve got 5 composers making us original music for the show. We’ve got lighting technicians and 3D animators onboard. We’ve even got a foley team to build us custom sound-effects for the ship that match the aesthetic we’ve developed. Tonally, it’ll be a lot like Firefly or Guardians of the Galaxy- where your ragtag group of misfits and scoundrels with hearts of gold are trying to scrape their way by. (It’ll be a lot less edgy than those examples, though.) Webseries: This is going to be a long-form narrative, where each episode continues the story from the one before. The first one will air on July 18 th , and then the rest of our run will happen on each Thursday night in August. We’re planning on 5-6 episodes total.

Matt Ricks is Part of the Production Team.
Matt Ricks is an Amazing Person, A True Friend to the Space Academy and the CMSC

     Hopefully that gives you some idea of what this is supposed to be. Judging by how my conversations have gone with actors and technicians, it is probably a fuzzy picture at best. I’ll be sending Mr. Williamson more updates as we go, so check back in with the blog. Also keep your eyes peeled for when we launch our social media accounts within the next few
weeks. If you have any questions or are interested in getting involved, shoot us an email at
production_glhfdd@gmail.com. It’s going to be an adventure!
-
Nathan Young
Producer
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.

The USS Nighthawk's First Shakedown Cruise Before its Official Launch on June 24

Spencer Baird, Nighthawk Set Director at the Space Academy in the Nighthawk's
Sardine Can of a Control Room.  Neither Mr. Funk nor I can fit Into that room so Spencer got the job.
I suppose there was the other qualification, Spencer Knows What He's Doing!

     The Nighthawk (formally the USS Titan) is a joint simulator based experiential education project between the Space Academy and InfiniD Learning (thank you Casey and Skyler). The simulator was built with a large grant from US Synthetic - Thank You!

     The Nighthawk has one feature none of the other Space EdVentures simulators have, it is easily mobile.  Yes, the Valiant can be moved - but not easily; that's the trick.  The Nighthawk is the USS Voyager's sister ship at the Renaissance Space Academy.

    The Nighthawk is scheduled to launch on its first missions for the Space Academy's Leadership Space Camp on June 24-25.  It will fly a tandem mission with the USS Voyager.  

     Spencer Baird, the Nighthawk's Set Director, spent numerous volunteer hours getting the ship ready for Saturday's shakedown cruise into the unknown.  There was much to do before Terran Space Command would issue a flight certificate authorizing the starship for space duty.  Equipment had to be purchased (thank you Mr. Ursic), installed, and tested.  Helping in the endeavor was Jennie Steeneck.  Spencer was also grateful his enthusiastic little brother Jackson helped by staying out of his way.

Spencer and Jackson

     The flight worthiness certificate mission launched yesterday at 4:15 P.M. The brave crew of test pilots known for nerves of steel, sat in the Voyager's Briefing Room for their instructions.    

      "You're here because you're the best," Spencer explained.  You don't crack under pressure, even if the ship is flying itself apart - you hold it together.  Being test pilots you know each mission could be your last. Trust me, I've gone over the Nighthawk exhaustively and run every equipment check known. I trust this ship and know it will bring you back safely..... but you never know, right?  Be sure you have your next of kin paperwork filled out before boarding - just a formality."  And with that, Spencer briefed the crew on their objectives to pass the certification test. 

     With objectives in hand, the test crew boarded the ship and launched.   

     There were a few rocky moments. There was the jump core meltdown which was quickly averted by Ethan's quick thinking.  There was the excellent piloting skill of Jackson. There was superb navigation by Lalith not to mention Jack's fine touch on the weapon's systems.  All in all, a job well done. 

     The Nighthawk returned to starbase in one piece. The cleaning crew rushed in to handle a nasty splash or two on the floor and walls caused by a few crew members who weren't prepared for a sudden failure of the inertial dampeners, but they'll live to tell the tale, minus their lunch.  

     And now, representing Terran Space Command, I'm pleased to present the Nighthawk with its Flight Certificate.  Well done Spencer and team!

  

Admiral Williamson

Congratulations John Robe, a Former CMSEC Volunteer and Programmer. 

Hello Space EdVenturers!

     Many of you old timers remember John Robe, a fantastic CMSEC volunteer and member of the Space Center's Programming Guild.  John worked alongside Matt Long and Tyler Gardner in programming controls for the Voyager, Phoenix, and Galileo. John graduated from university, married Rebekah Blackburn, and just recently got a great job.  He posted this to his Facebook page.

     So, it's official now! I just got a new job with Amazon - as a Software Development Engineer II. I'll be working on Amazon's AWS platform, which is effectively "The Cloud", and I'll be working in Seattle - which means, I'm moving!It's a crazy, fast, and amazing opportunity that came almost out of nowhere and I'm really excited! Also, if you've known me well for a while you'd know that getting a job as a software developer/engineer at one of the large tech companies has always been on the top of the "Life Goals" list, so this really is a dream of mine finally being fulfilled!     I'll be moving up to Seattle this Saturday (they wanted me to start ASAP) - but will be doing a slow move, so I'll still be in Utah from time to time for the next year or so.

     I sent our congratulations to John.  He was kind to reply with the following, which speaks highly of our volunteering programs.  We love our Volunteers!  

Hey Vic! I just saw your comment on my post and I just wanted to take a second and tell you thank you! I really, truly, wouldn’t be where I am today without your incredible influence. Anytime anyone asks something like “how’d you know what you wanted to do when you were older?” or “how’d you start programming?” or “how’d you get where you are?” I always start with “Well, have you heard of this place called the Christa McAuliffe Space Center down in pleasant grove?”. I remember the first day I got an email from you, about accepting my application to become a volunteer. I was so excited, I loved the field trip that I went on, and I knew that it would be so much fun to be a part of that. Little did I know then, that receiving that one email would be a changing point of my life. I really don’t know where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for the programming guild. It put me light years ahead in terms of my education for my profession, it effectively got me my full tuition scholarship to the University of Utah, and now I can say it was the starting point to reaching my dream. Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but I really do want to thank you again for what you’ve done! The space center was the the first step to getting me where I am.

Again, Congratulations John and thank you for your service to Utah's students.

Mr. Williamson 

Imaginarium Theater
The Best Videoettes of the Week from Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience.