A Rest and then INCOMING!

Hello Troops,
Our last visitors to the Space Center disembarked the Starships at 6:30 P.M. last night. Today is our day off. Tomorrow our call to duty comes at 10:00 A.M. with private missions. Three day EdVenture and four day Ultimate Campers report for duty at 6:45 P.M. Shortly thereafter we engage the enemy. It will be four great days of flights, classroom work, swimming, chills and thrills.

We had a fantastic group of campers last week. The Flight Directors were happy, the volunteers were happy, our teachers were happy and most importantly - Mrs. Clegg was happy. In fact, she was so happy she donned her Klingon uniform and served our disco lunch in character.

Megan Warner and Matt R. are nearly finished with the Voyager's new medical station. It should be ready for this upcoming camp. The medical station will allow us to take one extra camper per camp. Happy camper and happy Mr. Williamson (more campers means a better balance sheet).

Our camper quote of the week:

7:20 A.M. Friday morning. The boys are slowly streaming into the gym from the Voyager's sleeping quarters with their sleeping bags and pillows. I'm sitting by the gym exit door waiting to send them to breakfast. A campers walks up to me looking worried.

"Mr. Williamson."
"Yes."
"When do we get to spend money?"

These campers never fail to please or surprise me, even after twenty years of running these camps.

The staff and volunteers serenaded me for my birthday on Friday. Thanks everyone for remembering. I've survived 53 rotations around the sun. All but seven of them have been in some kind of school whether it be elementary, secondary, college and twenty nine years of teaching. You'd think I'd have this learning thing out of my system by now.

Shall we enjoy the latest imaginings steaming in through the Imaginarium's Central Control Center. I'm sitting here right now watching the monitors. I'm always amazed by people's creativity and imaginations.

Task: design and build a fountain.
There is the traditional fountain exposing a serious cancer of creativity

Then there is the fountain designed by a student of the imagination.

One Awesome Watch.

Two buttons that tell the truth about politics.

Something for us Dr. Who and Harry Potter hybrids.

Having some imaginary fun with Disney and Potter

Your MisFortune Cookie

Get it? Trix and Illusions? Get it?
I'm lovin it.

And so it is and ever will be.......

See you in the Trenches! Enjoy your summer and remember, no summer is complete without time spend at the Space Center.

Mr. W.

Utah Kids Learn Space Skills at Astrocamp

Hello Troops,
Astrocamp is our sister center located at Discovery Elementary School in Ogden, Utah. Ed Douglas founded the camp about the same time I started the Space Education Center in 1990. We sponsor a joint camp with Astrocamp every summer. This six day camp starts at Astrocamp on a Monday. The campers are bussed to the Space Center on Thursday. They finish the camp on Saturday.

Astrocamp was in the news today. Read on and learn about a great educational program in Utah.

Mr. Williamson


By Mary Richards
KSL.com

OGDEN -- After July, the U.S. will no longer fly shuttle missions into space. But Utah kids don't care. They are still excited about space travel.

In one room at Odyssey Elementary School in Ogden, kids wearing orange jumpsuits are concentrating on the binders before them, fingers poised over the buttons they must push.

"Systems activated," says one. "Copy, Phoenix!" says another via headset from mission control down the hall, where another team looks at its screens showing different views of the shuttle and surrounding area. Every person plays a part in this simulated shuttle takeoff and landing.

Astrocamp Director Ed Douglas says it teaches teamwork and boosts confidence.

"That self-esteem, that 'I did something hard,' there's nothing better than that," he said.

Douglas says Astrocamp registration fills up within days of opening in the spring. Kids are still clamoring to learn about space, even though NASA's space shuttle program is ending.

"We've finished one chapter in a book and we've started another chapter. It's still the same book. Space travel will always be space travel no matter what system or program we are using to launch astronauts into space," he explained.

There are different levels and lengths of missions they can go through.

"They can do a spacewalk and get in helmets and repair a satellite, and experience just what it is to be an astronaut."

But it's not just about astronauts. Douglas likes to share with the kids a story of Neil Armstrong thanking the guy who tightened the screws, because everyone is important and must work together.

As the kids finish this mission, they breathe sighs of relief when they hear that although they were about a minute late for the projected liftoff, they still had very few mistakes.

"Nice job, Astrocamp!" they cheer.

June 23, 2011. Bed and the Medical Station.

Hello Troops,
I'm at my desk waiting for the boys to finish their tribal experience in the Voyager's Crew Quarters. Jon has them layered deep listening to somewhat exaggerated tales of previous crews and their daring exploits from one corner of the Galaxy to the other.

And now a Walton's moment....
"Good night Jon," said a voice from the loft.
"Good night boys," replied Jon from below.

This is the first night of our 3rd EdVenture Camp with four more to go (and a Leadership Camp thrown in for good measure). We're at our breaking point max with 46 campers (our preferred number is 44). We're making do. The Magellan is taking 15 kids in each rotation. The Voyager will increase their numbers to 11 instead of 10.
Of course that means the Voyager's Medical Station will need to run and that presented a problem. The programming for the Medical Station is faulty.

Matt R. stepped up to the plate early this afternoon and began working on a Revolution Stack to take the place of the current Hypercard Medical Stack. Megan Warner arrived at 4:30 P.M. to help in the design. They worked on the station until 11:00 P.M.

Hopefully the Medical Station will be ready for the camp's first 5 hour rotation tomorrow.

Megan and Matt discussing the main screen on the Medical Station

A close up of Megan's art work on the Briefing Room's white board

Matt gets clarification on a few of the icons before programming them into the stack.

And they both pause for a moment to smile for our Troubadour readers.

And I'm hoping to see you soon at the Space Education Center,

Mr. W.