NASA is Bringing Mars to the Orem Library Tonight

Hello Troops,
A special event will be held tonight at the Orem Public Library. Attending this event will give you two class hours toward your Space Center Rank (for you campers). I attended Todd's presentation last year. It was well worth my time and I urge you and your family to attend. The article below was taken from the Daily Herald.

Mr. Williamson

As part of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Todd Barber, a NASA scientist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will talk about highlights and memorable moments in his career as a NASA engineer. He will share images of his work and the new Mars rover launching in November 2011, named Curiosity. The program is called "NASA Science Outreach: Lifting The Veil On The Solar System."

"They have done amazing things all year," said Nan Black of the Orem library.

"Nan put the hard sell on to get us to Timpanogos," said Barber in a phone interview as he prepared to board his flight to Utah. "We go to see how the real masters of storytelling do their magic and try to incorporate that in our public outreach."

Barber is a popular speaker wherever he goes, and will be speaking to more than 2,500 people while he is here. He will be showing video and photos of everything from the two Mars rovers, to the new Mars rover to be launched the day after Thanksgiving, to the final shuttle mission this year, to missions to asteroids and distant moons and more. He also will be giving away shuttle patches, shuttle bookmarks, lithographs and more.

"I will talk about our last Mars rover," he said. "We've lost one of the two, six years into its three-month mission." Telling the public about Curiosity, the new rover to be launched this fall, gets people "fired up for the next big thing at JPL," he said.

"Join him as he reviews an exciting 2011 for JPL, including the Aquarius launch, Comet Hartley-2 and Comet Tempel-1 fly-bys, Jupiter Juno launch, the last shuttle mission, observation of icy jets on Enceladus, new data from the Dawn probe, and preparation for the Mars rover and Curiosity launches," said library officials in a statement.

Barber will speak on today at 7 p.m. at the library, located at Center and State streets in Orem

Chili's Resturant Fund Raiser Tonight

Hello Troops,
A Space Center Fund Raiser will be held Tonight and Tonight Only at Chili's Restaurant in American Fork. Click on the image above to enlarge, print it, and present it when ordering your meal and Chili's will donate a portion of your bill to the Space Center. Everyone Wins! You get a great meal and the Space Center earns much needed funds for our new 3rd Grade Educational Outreach Program.

So, take the night off, don't cook and eat out at Chili's in American Fork. Don't forget to take the image above and present it when ordering. (Flyers were also sent out to all staff, volunteers and Frequent Flyers).

Thank you!
Mr. Williamson

Tyler Gardner Wins Scholarship to Space Camp!

Hello Troops,
One of our very own programmer / volunteers was recently awarded a scholarship to Space Camp in Alabama. Click to read all about it.

Congratulations Tyler!
Mr. W.