The Mission Behind Every Closed Door

There is something mysterious about a closed door. What lies beyond is the wooden barrier's secret?

Perhaps a new discovery.
Perhaps a hidden danger.
Perhaps an adventure never taken.
Or a story sad in its telling.

Starting a new mission at the Space Center is like approaching a mysteriously closed door. I stand in the portal and hear children's voices on the other side. My adventure is about to begin. I pause for a moment and wonder. How might this telling be different than the others? What challenges will this mission offer? It is unknown and hence - the mystery.

My pause at the door is too long. The voices sound impatient. I gather my wits, take a deep breath and reach for the handle. With fingers crossed for a smooth journey I turn the handle until I feel the door give way. The voices grow louder. I clear my throat and step through.........

"Hello Troops, Welcome to the Space Center. My name is Mr. Williamson. I'll be your Flight Director. Let's Go!"

February Loosing its Month Status?

Emboldened by their success in declaring Pluto not a planet, the International Astronomical Union determined this week by a close vote that February is too short to be considered a true month. It has, however, been granted the newly created status of “dwarf month.” It shares this dubious distinction with several other calendar time spans, including Labor Day Weekend, Christmas Vacation, and the Time Between When You Were Supposed to Get Your Oil Changed and When You Actually Did.

“It only seems fair,” said IAU President Ron Eckers. “February reaches a peak size of 29 days, averaging only 28 days for 75 percent of the time. Recent research has shown that other periods, such as the Time Between When You Were Supposed to Get Your Oil Changed and When You Actually Did, often exceed this meager time frame. In fact, this erratic behavior only strengthens our case that February does not belong in the same classification as the eleven ‘true’ months.”

Eckers also warned that the crop of 30-day “so-called” months should be careful to maintain their number of days. “They’re already cutting it pretty close in my book.”

by Michael Haber

Early April Fool's!

From Aleta Clegg

Space Center Educator

New Staff Equipment to Ensure a Happy Appearance.

Notice to All Staff and Volunteers.

Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.

All personnel will now be required to look happy while working. Space Center approved supplies will be provided to each employee at little or no cost.

• Workloads getting to you?
• Feeling stressed?
• Too many priorities and assignments?

Here is the new low-cost, Space Center-approved solution to cope with multiple priorities and assignments!
Each staff member will be supplied 2 paper clips and rubber bands. (See Fig 1.)

Fig 1.


Assemble items as shown in Fig 2.
Fig 2.


Apply as shown in Fig 3.
Fig 3.

Enjoy your day. This happiness device will help you to reach the end of a mission with a smile on your face!

Mr. Williamson

(I already have mine and it works very well. The 3:30 P.M. staff and volunteers gave me an odd look but other than that I carried the smile all mission long and all without any effort on the part of my face muscles).

Thanks to Debbie Wallis for this Post.