Why The Space Center?

The first picture of Earth from such a distance taken by the
Voyager Space Probe in 1991 as it passed Saturn.
From this image this has become.....This is our Blue Dot in Space.

Hello Troops,
I've been asked many times over the last twenty years why I created the Space Education Center. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, the answer lies in something I saw and heard that changed the direction of my thinking towards space and our place in it.

I'd like to share that experience with you. Perhaps, after watching this, you'll come to understand the power of emotion in education and how something lasting only a few minutes can change a life forever.

The three minutes I spent listening to this master teacher may seem insignificant in a life of 52 years - but they were. They inspired me to pass this reverence of what lies beyond in the darkness that surrounds us and the importance of what we have here on Earth with my students. And thus, from my sixth grade classroom in the 1980's, sprang the concepts the Space Center was built upon.

The power of Dr. Sagan's words, spoken so long ago, still impact the children that come to the Space Center to experience what is, what was, and what could be -

- if we cherish the pale blue dot in space we call home.

Mr. Williamson

"We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.

Dr. Carl Sagan

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

An Entry from the Overnight Journal.

Hello Troops,
Just a quick word before turning in for the night. I'm at my desk at the Space Center. It's 11:42 P.M. so therefore it must be an Overnight Camp! Tonight we are hosting 45 4H campers. They're a great group of kids.

I just returned from checking on the High School Staff in Discovery. The room was dark and the talking robust (and if your interested in what robust means, look it up). The girls are all settled down in the Gym with Mrs. Houston, Metta and a 4H chaperon.

The junior high boys are sleeping in the Odyssey. Only McKay seems to be talking. The other five are quiet. McKay is telling a story - the plot is confusing because I'm hearing only bits and pieces. The boy campers are in the Voyager.

It's cold outside, a sure sign of Fall.

I'm typing this post on my new (gently used) computer purchased from Alex Anderson. Alex is getting a new one. My old desktop is going to the Magellan Control Room to become their Tactical Computer. Aleta, Lorraine and Sheila are happy. With my computer in their Control Room, the Magellan staff won't be borrowing Discovery's laptop every time they need to run their new tactical screens.

Jon just walked through the Briefing Room.
"Are they settled?" I asked while I typed the paragraph above.
"They're settled," he replied as he collected his laptop from the side desk.

Now its time for me to settle. I've got a pad waiting on the floor in front of my desk with my name on it. It will be sweet slumber once my head hits the pillow. I dream I won't be woken up by a needy camper. Six hours of sleep is all I ask. I'll be happy with five but will settle for four is need be.

Goodnight.
Sleep tight.
Don't let the bed bugs bite......

Mr. W.

Today at the Space Center.

Hello Troops,
Today at the Space Center is brought to you by "The Imaginarium" located in beautiful downtown Wonderland, right next door to the Department of Culinary Inspiration, where the world's greatest chefs access the inspiration to create tomorrow's Michelin Star winning dishes.

Warren Nuila's Last Day!
Supervisor and all around good guy, Warren Nuila, spent his last day in Space Center Blues last Saturday. Warren leaves for Germany on Wednesday to serve an LDS mission. Warren worked at the Space Center for the past 7 years as a volunteer, supervisor and flight director. If you've ever flown on a Magellan Camp you probably worked with Warren.

This is a picture of Warren and his band of cut throat Orion Space Pirates as they prepare to blast their way into the Magellan's Bridge. Unsuspecting younglings, working on the Bridge, were caught off guard and quickly lost all sense of organization as Warren and the gang burst through shouting "Get them humans!" and "Shiver me Timbers" and "Aaarrgggg!"
"You're Down and You're Down and You're down. Yes you. Yes you're down and don't argue," shouted the Bridge Supervisor.

In a matter of minutes, Warren had successfully taken the last Bridge of his Space Center career. It was a moment to be remember for all that participated. I'm sure Warren basked in the joy of knowing he was once again successful, because of his cunning - not to mention overwhelming fire power.

In fact, here is a shot of Warren basking. Bless his heart. A Legend at the Space Center and the source of many a child's nightmares over the last seven years :)

Good luck Warren and Keep in Touch.

Awards Given For Excellence Above and Beyond the Mundane!

Yet once again, awards for our awesome volunteers were given at the end of a recent Overnight Camp. In the picture above you see Julie receiving her Odyssey Pin for demonstrating outstanding talent in pushing play and pause. In fact you see Julie showing us the exact thumb she uses when pushing play and pause - mirrored by Emily, Odyssey Set Director, who also uses her thumb to push play and pause.

Granted, most people use their forefinger to accomplish the same task more efficiently but that isn't the Odyssey way, according to Emily.

"You'd be surprised at what the thumb can actually do," Emily said during a recent Odyssey training meeting where the Odyssey staff had all their fingers taped together, leaving only their thumbs to control equipment and computers.

Mr. Daymont is seen here congratulating Eric and Jordan for earning their Magellan Pins. We were limited on time for the award ceremony (due to the consumption of mass quantities of Lorraine's delicious Snickers Chocolate Cake) which is why you'll see Mr. Daymont shaking both boy's hands at once, thus saving approx. 3 seconds.
"A second wasted is a second lost," Mr. Daymont is fond of saying.

Stacy, feeling the pressure of time, followed Mr. Daymont's lead and shook both Jordan and Erin's hands at the same time thus congratulating them on earning their Galileo pin. I should point out that Jordan earned his Galileo pin over a month ago but because he was already standing at the front of the room, and seeing an opportunity to be congratulated a second time for an achievement he was already congratulated for, chose to stay and receive the applause and adulation of the assembled staff. Stacy was willing to go along with the deception remembering what happened the last time Jordan was called out for getting a second congratulation. It was unpleasant, to say the least.

Space Center Staff Assist with Central Elementary School Literacy

Alex Anderson, Stacy Carrell, and Jon Parker spent part of the this afternoon unboxing and stamping reading books for Central Elementary School's literacy program.

In this picture you see Alex and Stacy unwrapping and stamping the books with Central School's address.

Jon Parker did the same from another desk. Jon worked separately because he was working at a slower pace.
"Them books is the coolest," Jon said as he carefully leafed through each book, taking time to appreciate the artwork. "Whoda thought readen could be fun?".

"OK Jon, what's your favorite?" I asked.

"This un right here," he replied opening a book about Boats. "I never figured there was so much learning about bats. Bats are cool the way they can't see worth a darn and shout when they fly so everyone in their way has enough time to clear out!"

"Jon, that book is about Boats," I said quietly, not wanting to embarrass him in front of Alex and Stacy.

He looked over his left shoulder, hoping neither one was aware of his reading blunder.

"You're right. It's about Boats and Bats!" he exclaimed.

"You gotta get up early in the morning to pull a fast one on you," I said.


Mrs. Houston Changes Bulletin Board Paper!

This just in, Mrs. Lorraine Houston was seen in the Discovery Room this afternoon changing the paper on the left bulletin board! This was done secretly. The old paper had been on the board so long most of the staff were fond of it. There was no telling what kind of retaliation Mrs. Houston would suffer if the staff found out it was her that changed the old, yellowed, stained, ripped paper. She was right to do it secretly.

The new black paper is very nice and black.

Those of us still at the Center when school got out went in and admired the new paper.

"It'll do," Stacy said. "It'll do. No reason to get worked up over it."

Everyone agreed.



Again, just another day at the Space Center.

Mr. Williamson