Bradyn Lystrup Named as Director of the Canyon Grove Academy Space Center in Pleasant Grove (Reality's Edge). From the Historical Archives: James Porter Unloads. Emily and Megan Discuss Scaring Kids. Imaginarium Theater and Memes

Bradyn and Jacqueline Lystrup

     The Canyon Grove Academy Space Education Center (Reality's Edge) in Pleasant Grove has a new director.  Bradyn Lystrup formally took command of the center's three simulators: Everest, Dauntless, and Valiant on Friday.  As the new center director, Bradyn will oversee all operations including field trips, overnight camps, summer camps, and private missions.

Bradyn has that ability to play unique starship characters both onboard with the kids or
behind the microphone as a flight director.

     Bradyn is married to Jacqueline Wallace. The couple have two children and live in Lehi.  Bradyn and Jacqueline met as volunteers at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center. They both became supervisors during their high school years. Bradyn went on to become a Voyager flight director.  Today Jacqueline works as a nurse in labor and delivery at American Fork Hospital.  

Bradyn as a young Ranger at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center. Left, giving a tour
of the Voyager's Galley and crew quarters to the overnight camp crew. Right, lined up with the summer camp staff for lunch.

     This is one of those classic space center stories of the right person becoming available at the right time. Canyon Grove Academy's director contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I had any ideas on what to do with the school's space center.  Their once busy space center was in danger of closing.  Its former directors had left to pursue other interests.  At about the same time, Bradyn contact me asking if I knew of any opportunities for full time employment in one of the valley's space education centers.  He had recently left employment at a car dealership. 

     Directing a space center was always a dream of Bradyn's.  He was bit by the bug after many years of service at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.  To me it was the perfect match. Canyon Grove needed a full time director and Bradyn was available and interested.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Bradyn training the Voyager's Right Wing Officer during his high school days

     Bracken Funk and I sat down with Bradyn at the Space Academy to discuss his goals for the Canyon Grove program.  Bradyn will keep Canyon Grove within the Farpoint Universe, allowing his three simulators to do joint missions and programs with the Space Academy.  We also discussed cross training and employment opportunities for both center's employees.  Our goal is to create a "Farpoint Institute". The Institute's graduates would be employable at Farpoint centers straight away having been thoroughly trained in Thorium controls, Supervising, Flight Directing, and Farpoint lore. 

Bradyn flight director in the original Starship Voyager

Bradyn as his engineering character "Sparky" aboard the
Starship Voyager at the Space Academy this last Halloween

Bradyn and friends at last year's telling of "Child's Play" on the Starship Voyager

     

     Bradyn and Jacqueline have been and continue to be a Renaissance Space Academy supporters. Both were instrumental in founding the Academy's Young Astronauts Long Duration Mission program. Jacqueline volunteered her time every Saturday morning with the LDM missions.  Bradyn volunteered as a coach for one of the squadrons. For the past two years Bradyn, Jacqueline, and friends donated their time to operate the Academy's Halloween Fright Flights.  

     The Space Academy wishes Bradyn the best as he embarks on this new adventure.

From the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Historical Archives

Odyssey note
Sun, 29 June 2003 
From: James Porter 
To: Victor Williamson for the YahooGroup

     The last three weeks have been a blur of constant work. I seem to head in Monday morning, bicycle a blazing (I was almost late one day...I did cut off 10 minutes from my normal time), and then I seem to stumble out shortly before the sun sets. Tuesday starts off with short missions warming me up to being there until Thursday night. Then it's a

quick nap in my empty house and poof - I'm somehow back at the center working the normal Friday night to Saturday morning overnighter. I have flights even after the
overnighter. A tired but satisfied James freshens up with a shower and shave and slips into bed late Saturday afternoon.

     For those who have to work with me I apologize and hope your next assignment isn't with me (I think I nearly took Sam Brady's head off last mission).I would like to thank all of you for the hard work you put into the Odyssey, I think our scores reflect it. Especially because of the time you take to vacuum and dust. Any time you notice the Odyssey could use a bit of cleaning it would be greatly appreciated if you did it. And if you see another ship looking in need of cleaning you should think, "Hey I should make sure the Odyssey doesn't look like this." 

     For some of you who have seen me with my head down during a mission, please remember that I am conserving my energy but am fully focused on the mission. Now that the niceties are over with. . .let me sum up by saying that better work is wanted. 

     I thought about what Mr. Williamson said about kids being scared and it reminded me about a point I wanted to make. On the Odyssey we have a doctor and only a doctor, no bridge officer. As the doctor you have to play both roles. It is the doctor's job to help the crew feel the emotions of the situation. If the mission is exciting you should probably not be sleeping on a bunk like Randy Jepperson. I remember when staff fought over the position of Doctor in the ships because they got to control the excitement or fear of the flight. You should make up a name and use an accent (as long as you can sustain it) to make your character more interesting. Make the crew feel like they are in a ship. 

     In the Odyssey the computer doesn't say whether an officer is injured; we leave it up to he doctor. You are the one who can see best who to injure and when. Taking into account their importance to the situation (Don't take tactical in the middle of the few battles that occur). When you do so you should approach them in a way that catches their attention. "Oh, no! We've lost our Datalink officer, I'll see what I can do. . .someone help me bring him to a bunk." Don't just pop them a pill and forget about them for 5 minutes, this is your time to shine as a medical officer. Scan them, focusing in on the injury and then test different methods to get the best result. When complete don't just say, "Your up get out of here." Say something that helps them play along like, "Take it easy, your epidermis can't take much more of that kind of treatment." And if you don't know medical technobable, make some up.

      I know I have babbled a bit long but hopefully you get the idea. I also want to say that you should be where the story is. If the crew is transporting a bomb off their ship, I better see you right next to the Datalink station. It is the flight directors job to keep the mission moving. If you see the crew isn't listening to the obvious hints coming from the flight director, or the captain suggest something more than once through "inspiration", then you should enforce the idea and keep it moving. Stay where the story is for the most part.

     As I mentioned earlier, time is flying by now that I am a bit older. (Which makes me wonder about Dub's [Mr. Williamson's] perception) So I would encourage all of you to have as much fun at the center as possible. But don't do the goofing off fun, do the "I almost got myself killed as I jumped out of the Magellan's doors and scared all of the kids" fun. Believe me, I don't remember any goofing off that I did back in the day, but I do remember all of my injuries.

-James Porter

Thoughts on Scaring Kids During a Mission

Emily Perry

Hi,

This is in response to the most recent journal (concerning scaring people.)
     

     I think the problem is what it is you are expecting the crew to fear. Weapons that can destroy planets at a time, strange illnesses, those have become more of a reality then futuristic fantasizing. I think that when something becomes more regular, it becomes less
scary.

     When my brother went on Shadows, he was scared half to death. I think this is because your enemy isn't something you can shoot or blow up. Your facing something that is just sort of there, lurking in a dampening field, just waiting. It's totally unknown to the crew (in this case my brother).
     The thought of being killed off one at a time can be quite scary as well.
     Having to hide in a "Deep dark place" sort of triggers fear. The words deep and dark add to the urgency to get away.
     So my overall conclusion: use scary words, make the enemy unknown, make the way out not obvious, and make it so only a couple are there to run the whole ship.

Thanks for reading!Emily Perry

Thoughts on Scaring Kids During a Mission

Megan Warner

Hello!
As I read the part in the journal about the campers being harder to scare and whatnot, I decided I wanted to speak up on my opinion. I know for a fact, from talking to campers and stuff, that the missions are not losing their scare factor. I've had to try to comfort quite a few campers that were so scared they couldn't move just this month, so that's not it. I think it might just be that they calm down enough over ice cream so as not to be too scared to sleep. I dunno. Anyway, those are my cryptic two cents. It's ok if you didn't get them, I didn't either. To many camps! (I know many of you can understand that.)
Bye all!

-Megan 

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