CBS Announces New ‘Star Trek Live’ Theme Park Show – Exclusive Details October 23, 2009

Hello Troops, Well - it sounds like CBS and Star Trek, along with Mad Science are working on something very similar to the experience we offer at the Space Center. We all knew it was just a matter of time before our unique interactive simulation was adapted for wide distribution. I'm curious how it will work and how the audience will interact. Lots of information missing from the article but enough to be real interesting. Mr. Williamson

CBS Announces New ‘Star Trek Live’ Theme Park Show

by Anthony Pascale

Star Trek is headed back to theme parks. Today CBS, along with the Mad Science Group, announced ‘Star Trek Live’ a new traveling interactive stage show which will be combining "science and entertainment" using Star Trek. More details below, plus TrekMovie has the exclusive first look at the logo and marketing brochure.

Star Trek Live!
Star Trek Live is a touring interactive stage show that will be appearing at theme parks and performing arts centers across America, starting in 2010. TrekMovie has a first look at the official brochure (below), which promises:

Audience members join Starfleet Academy only to be unexpectedly whisked into an adventure steeped in the grand tradition of Star Trek itself. STAR TREK LIVE combines cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction, and cool science to create an exhilaration and unforgettable theatrical experience.

The 60 minute show will have audience members playing the parts of Starfleet cadets, who are learning from Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, when the Enterprise is attacked and you set off on an adventure that will combine Star Trek fun with real science. CBS is working with Mad Science Group, a company that specializes in educational entertainment, and the brochure promises the show correlates with a number of national science education standards. No word yet on what footage and imagery the show will use, but the brochure (below) does include a shot of the Enterprise from JJ Abrams new Star Trek movie.

Here is the marketing brochure:

Front (click to enlarge)

Back (click to enlarge)

Press Release

CBS CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND MAD SCIENCE TO CREATE NEW LIVE STAGE SHOW BASED ON STAR TREK

Interactive show slated to debut in 2010

NEW YORK October 23, 2009 – CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Entertainment, and Mad Science®, have united to launch an interactive stage show — STAR TREK LIVE.

Targeted for a run in theme parks and performing arts centers across the country, the show takes audiences of all ages on an exhilarating journey with Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan science officer Spock. The show combines cutting-edge special effects, unmatched audience interaction and an exploration of real space-age technology.

"The STAR TREK brand continues to offer entertainment and education through this multifaceted live stage show," says Liz Kalodner, Executive Vice President and General Manager of CBS Consumer Products. "STAR TREK LIVE allows fans to experience Starfleet Academy firsthand and follow in the footsteps of STAR TREK’s iconic heroes."

Mad Science’s Managing Director and producer Leonard Lipes added, "So much of the STAR TREK technology once considered science fiction has become a reality. STAR TREK LIVE is going to explore many of these technologies as well as other sciences for a truly memorable experience resonating to audiences of all ages.

Combining science with entertainment, STAR TREK LIVE sparks a world of discovery by teaching and encouraging scientific literacy. Audience members will leave the attraction with an understanding of the different elements of science and technology.

STAR TREK LIVE will debut in 2010 and travel throughout the United States and Canada.

About STAR TREK LIVE
Eager to learn from Starfleet’s best and brightest, Captain James T. Kirk and Vulcan science officer Spock, our cadets assemble, anxious to prepare for their first day at the Academy and an exploration of the legendary U.S.S. Enterprise. As we are introduced to the proud legacy of the most powerful and most advanced ship in the fleet, the Enterprise and Earth itself come under attack from alien forces, leaving the fate of the Federation in the hands of our cadets. Our cadets will have to quickly learn the intricacies of living and working in space, modern space travel and the latest in communication and technology as they draw on the achievements of science in the 21st century. It will require all our knowledge, ingenuity, logic and an exploration of science to discover what is happening and how to set things right before it’s too late!

About CBS Consumer Products
CBS Consumer Products, a unit of CBS Entertainment, manages worldwide licensing and merchandising for a diverse slate of television brands and series from CBS, CBS Television Studios and CBS Television Distribution, as well as from the company’s extensive library of titles. Additionally, the group oversees the CBS Retail Store and online sales of programming merchandise. For more information, visit www.CBS.com.

About The Mad Science Group®
Mad Science® is the world’s leading science enrichment provider sparking the imagination and curiosity of children around the world. With live performances conducted in schools, camps, homes and theme parks, the Mad Science Group has developed over 2,000 hours of original content, with thousands of unique interactive activities! The company delivers its brand of fun science through an extensive network of 200+ franchised locations in 29 countries, and through its own award-winning large-venue touring production unit, Mad Science Productions®. This year, the company will conduct 250,000 live presentations in 13,000 public and private schools in North America, reaching over 7 million families. For more information, visit www.madscience.org.

Orionid Meteor Shower Under Way

Meteor crosses star trails in a time-lapse photo

As Earth crosses the path that Halley's comet makes around the sun, we encounter the dust and ice grains left behind. These particles hit the Earth's upper atmosphere and quickly heat up from the friction with air molecules. Since the particles are usually small, these reactions appear as swift flashes of light leaving a trail of hot ionized gas.

The best time to see these meteors is at about 3 am as the Earth positions your viewing point directly into the dust trail. Reports indicate about 25 meteors per hour on the average. You never know when a brighter fireball may appear (a larger bit of dust!) Look in the direction of the constellation of Orion, which gives this shower its name.

The shower will peak on Wednesday night. Previous years have seen an average of 60 meteors per hour. Check www.spaceweather.com for all sorts of good stuff on this shower, including pictures, sounds and more!

---------- Bunker Alert -------

Here at the Bunker we expect to be safe from the bombardment released by the Halley mothership. According to the evil plans of the Comet Realm, comets which miss the Earth completely (and there are many) turn into orbital bombers and release their matter, hoping to get us through whatever means necessary. The poor planning of the Realm engineers means that most of the bombardment particles are too small to last even to the ground. However, take proper precautions and avoid annihilation by specks of outer space rocks!

by Mark Daymont
Asst. Director
Spacerubble.blogspot.com

Ares-1X Rollout

Ares-1X on the way; Launch control center in foreground

At about 11:39 pm MDT Monday, NASA began the rollout of the Ares-1X test rocket from the VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building). Securely mounted on the giant crawler, the system will slowly roll over to Pad 39B which has been undergoing modifications for use with the new launch system.

View from High Bay 3 inside the VAB; catwalk is 16th floor

While listening to the NASA TV announcer, I believe I heard him say the rocket weighs in at about 16,000,000 pounds. Not sure if he meant rocket and crawler together. The crawler and base carefully adjust enormous hydraulic systems to keep the base level and cause minimum vibration to the rocket assembly. It's expected that even as tightly clamped as possible, the top of the rocket may move as much as a foot, while the base may adjust up to 6 inches.

SRM first stage has 4 segments; Actual Ares will have 5

For comparison, keep in mind that the VAB was built tall enough so that the giant of them all, the Saturn V, could just barely make it through the doorway with the launch tower attached to the base. Looking at the picture above, you can tell that the Ares=1X is almost as tall as the old Saturn V!

Rear view of Crawler from VAB High Bay

The crawler is moving along slowly, working up to its expected speed of 8/10 of a mile per hour. In the photo above, look carefully for the man walking beside one of the crawler tracks for a size comparison. Ahead of the crawler, a huge water truck is wetting down the gravel roadbed with great sprays of water to keep dust down and settle the gravel.

The capsule at top is a "boilerplate" model, which means it has the same dimensions as the eventual capsule but has no equipment inside other than telemetry sensors. This test rocket has 4 segments in its solid rocket motor first stage, which have participated in various shuttle missions going back to the late 80's.

I just heard that the actual weight of the rocket stack is 11,067,000 pounds. The order has been given to begin closure of the VAB door segments. Next stop: Pad 39B, which at one time saw the launch of Apollo 10. Pad39B is usually kept as a backup readiness pad for human spaceflight.

by Mark Daymont
Asst. Director
Spacerubble.blogspot.com