A Fun Experience in the Field Trip Classroom

Mrs. Lorraine Houston Awarding an Honor to a Member of the Staff

by Lorraine Houston Space Center Educator 

      Teaching in the classroom is like giving a performance on stage. Each day the afternoon class comes in with full tummies and an attitude. The simulation is over and thirty small bodies enter into the classroom, They glare at me and I sense their thoughts; "Nothing you can do will ever be better than the spaceships. I dare you to teach me something!" 

     The lesson begins with the usual spill on Christa McAuliffe first teacher in space. Some adults ask questions but most of the time they settle in for a long nap. I then introduce them to Edwin Hubble an recite his words: "Equipped with his five senses man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure science." 

     I tell them to sit up straight, buckle their seatbelts and stare into the main screen. We are going to take an adventure into space. By this time most of them are listening and ready to see what the classroom has to offer. I turn up the volume as loud as I dare and push the button. On the screen stars appear, Star Wars music plays while the words "LONG AGO IN A GALAXY FAR FAR AWAY" roll across the screen. The words continue " WAIT, HOW LONG AGO? HOW FAR WAY? WHAT ARE GALAXIES? WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? DO WE LIVE IN A GALAXY? The last question asked is,"WHAT HAPPENED IN THAT GALAXY FAR FAR WAY, ANYWAY? 

      I can always tell by their reaction what kind of class they will be. Once in a great while the class will respond by laughing and be ready to learn all about galaxies.

     One day last week I had a class really enjoy the lesson, they were asking questions and participating. Their expressions of awe where gratifying, the way you flight directors feel when you have a crew that listens, learns and screams at the right time. At the end of the lesson the teacher had the students give me a round of applause, a standing ovation. It happened with two classes on the same day, it was an unprecedented first. The classroom has begun to rise in competition with the simulators! Maybe I did exaggerate just a bit. I had the students standing ready to leave when the teacher had them clap. Still, It was a standing ovation! The awesome teachers and classroom lessons are beginning to compete with the simulators!

Galileo News

Kyle 'The Fish' Herring

Greetings readers!

This is Mr. Herring, not Mr. W.

Many comments have come in for Mr. W. to stop his endless stream of crazy rants about loons in Rapid City, South Dakota and to start talking more about the awesome projects we are working on at the Space Center, especially the new Galileo, Mark VI.

The Galileo, Mark V was built over 12 years ago in the Provo School District as an experimental "portable" simulator. The Galileo history is a long story for another time but the short version is 10 years ago the Space Center bought the simulator and renamed it the Galileo.

I built the Galileo and I was the first and only flight director for the Galileo for over 4 years, until Mr. Billings arrived on the scene. Now the Galileo has had over 10 Flight Directors and countless thousands of flights!

If you take the approximate cost for the Galileo the Space Center has spent over 10 years, about $10,000.00. Divide it by 10 getting = $1000.00 per year. Running Approximately 200 + Missions per year. Costing the center about $5.00 or less per mission to run. The Galileo has been a whale of a deal in my opinion.

Six years ago Alex Debirk and I began working on designing the new Galileo, we affectionately named the "Mark VI". We had a grand vision for the new ship, one that would require a lot more expertise then both of us has.

Two years ago I discovered the BYU Capstone Projects and the possibilities for our design to come to life with their help. For the next year I worked at getting the monies and permissions to begin the Fall of 08'.

The Capstone Team has taken our design and polished it, worked it to fit within budget constraints, made it much more portable and put it through simulations testing. Next week they will start construction with a scheduled completion of the structure, shell and doors by April 1^st were then it will be on display at BYU and then transported to Scenic Service Specialists for painting, completion of the interior and electrical.

The new Mark VI in my opinion is awesome! It has an aluminum exterior, steel bulkheads, sleeping for 4, Torpedo launching tube (yes you will have to manually put in the accessories for your probe or torpedo in the casing, place it in a tube and lock it in, to be fired!), has a crew of 6, custom designed chairs, interior like a jet aircraft except for the diamond plate aluminum floor, sliding interior door, drawbridge exit aft door, emergency escape hatch in the front, and touch screen controls! I think that is most of the key features…

Some of the builders of the new Galileo will be visiting the Space Center for the upcoming Voyager Club Meeting with blue prints and first hand accounts of their efforts! If you can't come to the meeting, keep you Internet browser on this blog as we will be posting pictures of some of the construction efforts.

All the Best!

Mr. Herring

An Explosion at the Space Center!

Emily Perry Peering in Grand Pose just before the start of the Mission

Hello Troops,
The Glass Ceiling (a term commonly used to describe a situation where a woman can see the top of an organization but can't reach it because of a male dominated workforce) shattered this weekend. All males at the Space Center dove for cover from the flying shards.
“It was ghastly,” reported Bradyn Lystrup, still shaking after the explosion. Paths of dried blood etched down his cheeks. The number of injuries overwhelmed the Space Center’s two first aide kits. Todd was dispatched to our local WalMart to pick up new supplies of bandages.
Many that escaped physical injury were effected emotionally. The Odyssey’s beds were full of volunteers and staff suffering from shock. I nearly called for an ambulance but wanted to keep this from hitting the local news.
I moved from bed to bed assuring the casualties that all was being done to stabilize the situation. I found Kyle Herring on the bottom bed. I knelt down. He grabbed my hand and asked me if all was lost. “Can we make this right again?” he whispered through his cracked lips. His skin was cold and clammy - a sure sign of extreme shock. I lied and told him everything would be just like it was. It seemed to calm him. I took out my Star Trek Commemorative Coin to give him something to hold onto. I motioned for Emily Perry, our EMT, to come take his blood pressure. He pulled back into a fetal position upon sight of her. She backed away realizing from her training that he may be beyond hope of saving. She needed to treat those that still had a chance.
I walked to my desk wondering if I had done the right thing. Look at what my decision had wrought? So many affected. So much blood. Such sadness. I sat down and put my head in my hands.
“It will be OK,” a weak voice said in front of me. I looked up. It was Carson. He seemed unscathed by the event. He was helping Spenser D to one of the chairs that run the length of my long wooden desk. Spenser’s arm was in a sling. I later learned it was a dislocated shoulder.
“Will you be OK?” I asked them both. They nodded . “I’m sorry this happened without warning. I take full responsibility.” I sat back and watched as broken glass was picked up buy the few remaining males that could still stand.
“You did the right thing,” Stacy Carroll said as she carried in a just emptied trash can.
“It had to happen. That glass ceiling was growing weaker and weaker.”
I agreed. It was the right thing.
The explosion of the glass ceiling was the direct result of one thing. Emily Perry, a female, flight directing a paid private mission by herself without a coach on Saturday. This day will go down in infamy - January 24, 2009. After 18 years the last remaining male stronghold of the Space Center fell to the advancing female column. The white flag was raised over the Fortress at 11:30 A.M. The glass ceiling exploded at 2:00 P.M. just as Emily finished the mission and placed the microphone in the stand.
My Friends, according to many males who survived the event, the Fat Lady Sang and Hell Froze Over.
I apologize to all my fellow males for allowing this ‘abomination’ as you put it. But I say this once again - it is time to leave the 19th century. Girls can vote. They can own property and they are allowed out of the kitchen. We have many fine female flight directors. They can hold their own in a mission to mission face off with any male. Trust me on this.
Some of you may feel I’ve lost my bearings and turned my back on my gender but once again I say - GOOD JOB EMILY! YOU DID IT! YOU RAN THE VOYAGER’S FIRST MISSION DIRECTED ENTIRELY BY A FEMALE. The glass ceiling is shattered. We live in a time of change and change can be good.

I want to thank Emily’s supervisors Spencer D and Carson M. for helping with this special event. They did their jobs well giving Emily the supported needed to pull it off.
Now, I’m sure emails and comments of congratulations will come pouring in from all. I’m also ready for the backlash from our unhappy males. I can live with that but I warn you against toilet papering. Oh yes...... you don’t want to go down that road.

Your Progressive Sleepless Leader,

Mr. Williamson

P.S. Emily did a great job and was supported by everyone. I do like to exaggerate but it makes for interesting reading and writing. Good Job Emily.