A Call to the Space Center Leads to an Enjoyable Conversation with the Director

"Why can't we go to the Space Center?" Nick asked with a sigh. Nick and James sat outside pondering their next move. Nick's mother banished both of them to the outdoors. She thought they needed some fresh air.

"Four hours of video games is enough," she explained to the boys. They objected, but it didn't do any good.

"The guy said the Space Center was closed this week when I called." James answered with an added shrug of the shoulders for emphasis.

"Maybe he just meant they were closed for a couple days. I'll bet they're open now. Call and find out." Nick shoved his friend, unplanting his backside from deck.

"I'm telling you they are closed."

"Call and see!"

"OK, ok." James pulled his phone out from his pocket and dialed the Space Center.

"Space Center," Mr. Williamson answered in his bright and welcoming voice. He strictly reserved his Bright and Welcoming Voice for telephone calls and the issuing a 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards to members of the Space Center staff and volunteers who do remarkable things above and beyond the call of duty.

"Are you open this week?" James asked, not realizing he was actually talking to the founder and director of the Space Center himself. Had James known............ well, it really wouldn't have really matter so never mind.

"Sorry, we are closed for Spring Vacation," Mr. Williamson replied with a voice so rich in melody, his words could have been sung over the phone - giving the listener something to whistle for the remainder of the day.

"Well, my friend and I were just wondering." James was about to say "bye" when Mr. Williamson cut him off with a question.

"Bored are we?" Mr. Williamson deciphered the sound of his disappointment. Mr. Williamson continued to explain the reasons for closing the Center

"You see, Spring Break gives us an opportunity to do maintenance on our ships. We are so busy during the school year that we rarely can get into the ships to fix things that break or modify the ships so they run better."

James held up the hand that wasn't holding the phone and tapped his forefinger and middle finger against this thumb, giving Nick the universal symbol for 'this guy won't stop talking'. Nick smiled.

"Let me hear." Nick pulled on James's phone. Nick held the phone away from his ear so Nick could hear the lecture for himself.

Mr. Williamson spoke in one long run on sentence, seemingly without needing to pause for a breath - the sure sign of an experience Space Center Flight Director. "


"Most people don't know all the work that's needed just to keep the Space Center running. Just yesterday, Jon replaced the video projector mount for the Voyager. Today he's in the Phoenix taking up the floor to replace the blue rope lighting......."


..... Christine is in the Odyssey cleaning. The Odyssey hasn't had a good clean in a long time...

....She's making a real mess of things. She is watching the BBC show "Sherlock Holmes" while she cleans. Everyone around here is a real fan of the new Sherlock Holmes......


.....Jackie was here helping Christine. The more hands the merrier when it comes to cleaning we always say.....

.....Megan Warner is a Phoenix Flight Director. She's taken everything out of the Phoenix's Control Room for a good clean. Jon is going to install a new shelve.....

...of course, this deep cleaning means everything from the ships must be stored in the Space Center's office. You should see my office. It's a real mess right now.....



....Matt Ricks is the Space Center's Tech and a member of our Programming Guild. He is in the Magellan debugging the Magellan's new simulator controls. The Magellan is converting from a Starbase to a Starship this summer.....



.....Yesterday the Phoenix Flight Directors spent time decorating the school's Faculty Lounge. They put out a few props to see what it would take to create a Canteena scene in the Faculty Lounge for the Phoenix's new summer story.....



.....They also spent a good part of the morning painting a couple of lamps for the Canteena. So now I hope you understand why I have to close the Space Center from time to time. Because even when we are closed, we are here working to ensure people like you always have the best experience we can give with the resources we have."

Mr. Williamson stopped talking when he heard the steady beeping tone a phone makes when the person on the other end hangs up . He hung up the Space Center's phone confident he'd educated a young Space Center fan on the inner workings of the Second Happiest Place on Earth!

Spring Vacation, Our New Benches and The Great Wall of the Space Center.

Hello Troops,

It is a beautiful Easter Sunday here in Pleasant Grove. I see a busy week full of classes, planetarium shows, missions, screams, laughs, and cheers in my rear view mirror. Ahead, and as far as a week stretches over the horizon, I see the calm open fields of Spring Vacation.

The Space Center is closed until April 16. While not all of us have this week of Spring Vacation, those of us working and going to school in the Alpine School District get a beautiful seven nights of wistful sleep and seven days with nothing more to occupy our time than the passing thought of what to do next.

I will be in the office daily to keep up on emails and phone calls. If I don't, I'll regret the almost insurmountable deluge which would surely be waiting on my desk and computer upon my return Monday next. Don't pity me. There is something I enjoy about being alone at the Space Center and kept company by the ghosts of missions past and present. I get more done and can set my hours.

Tyler Gardner finish his Eagle Project for the Space Center and Central School yesterday. I asked him to replace the park benches that sat in the school's lobby for as far back as I remember.

The Benches which occupied the school's lobby since the fist seconds were counted in time.
I've heard Brigham Young sat on one of them, and if you look closely behind the bench on the
right you'll find Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the wood .
I believe the carving says "Bakara is a blessing to Banafrit whom Osiris loves"

Tyler built two beautiful new benches for the lobby. They are modern in design and graffiti free.
He and his fellows did an excellent job. In fact, they are so well done, I'm charging a small fee for their use. You may pay per sitting or pay a monthly fee for the privilege of resting your backside upon them.

I let Tyler sit on his benches for free so I could take these pictures.

Tyler on bench one near the school's front doors.
Charge: 0.25 cents for just sitting with a 0.10 cents per minute charge afterwords.
The 25 cent just sitting down fee applies only to this bench because of the beautiful
view one has of the school's front sidewalk and lawn.

Tyler sitting on bench 2.
Fee: 0.10 cents per minute with an additional charge for
using the handy electrical plug
found beside the bench.

The Space Center is happy to take your bench reservations. When calling, please identify which bench you'd like to reserve (front with the scenic view or library). Don't forget to include your arrival and departure times. Please have your credit card ready for the down payment. Be sure to book early for weekend use.

"I came to school early and sat on the Space Center's new benches without paying."

Local businessman may want to consider advertising near our two new benches. Please contact the Space Center's office for details.

Disrespect Rampant at the Space Center?

I decided to run home for a few minutes early Saturday morning after the campers were back in their ships and off to the four corners of the known universe. I always appoint someone to be in charge while I'm away. Dave Daymont was that person on Saturday.

I wrote "Gone Home for a minute. Dave Daymont in Charge" on the white board behind my desk notifying everyone of who was in charge. Dave Daymont is the Phoenix Set Director. Everyone knows that the "in charge" person carries my authority. Dave took advantage of his "in charge" status and added a few things to my note as seen in the photograph below:

Dave added the following three orders to my notification:

1. "The Phoenix always wins". The Space Center's Outstanding Performance Trophy is awarded after every Overnight Camp to the simulator that gets the best overall scores from the campers as written on their post camp survey form. Dave's order simply states that the Phoenix will always win. Dave's order is Space Center law until I return to the office.
2. "Never Say Bad Things About the Phoenix" was Dave's second order.
3. "Bring Gifts to Dave Daily" was his third order. While some might consider this bribery, I look at it as a way to show respect to someone I consider worthy enough to be left in charge of the Space Education Center in my absence. Shouldn't someone with whom I've placed such trust deserve gifts from his or her subordinates?

Sadly, someone without scruples and a shred of human decency took an erasable marker and defiled Dave's mandates as shown in the photograph below:


Sadly, others were overheard taking Dave's name in vain and speaking rudely of the Phoenix. The offender's names were placed on the white board: Miranda, The Demontress and The Red Blemish.

Another sick individual added the following to Order 1: "unless the Voyager is flying". Rumor has it that Jon Parker was the culprit. Dave was visibly upset by the ordeal and had to go lay down for a few minutes to recover. Chelsey Roberts was running the Phoenix at the time so Dave's absence was not noticed by the Phoenix Overnight Crew.

One would expect The Demontress and "M" the Destroyer of Worlds to be involved in this conspiracy, but The Red Blemish - our scooter transported superhero sworn to uphold the law and protect the week and confused? There is something not right at the Space Center and I will get to the bottom of this, rest assured.

An Update on the Great Wall of the Space Center

Drywall and taping was on Friday's agenda for the Space Education Center's Great Wall currently under construction in the school's Commons area. Mudding and sanding will be next, topped off by a few coats of paint. Soon troops, soon and the wall will be finished and our Digitarium Planetarium will have its new quiet home.





Mr. W.

The Space Center Paid What for this Thermos? Has Mr. Williamson No Shame for his Actions?

Hello Troops,
Yes, that's one expensive thermos. Care to take an educated guess? What would you expect to pay for this white thermos? Notice there are no cartoon characters decorating the outside cylinder. Why buy a thermos for your milk, coffee, hot chocolate etc without pictures of your favorite cartoon characters? When I was a kid at Canyon Lake Elementary School in Rapid City, South Dakota I had a Johnny Quest lunch box with a Johnny Quest thermos. Standing alongside Johnny was his best friend Hadji and Bandit the dog.

What would I pay today to get my Johnny Quest lunch box and thermos back? I'm thinking $50.00 real American money. So if I'd pay $50 for a vintage Johnny Quest lunch box and thermos, what would I pay for a plain white unremarkable thermos?

I asked Jon Parker (Voyager Flight Director) what he thought this white thermos was worth. Jon appreciates a good vintage lunch box. You rarely find him coming to work without his Amazing Hulk lunchbox.


Jon looked at the picture of the thermos I had just purchased for the Space Center and nearly fainted to the ground at the price.

"You paid WHAT?" he exclaimed after coming around. We had to use the extra strong smelling salts from the big First Aid kit. Everyone in the room agreed that I was the perfect example of Government waste.

"What did you pay for this plastic ruler?" Stacy asked sarcastically. "$200.00?"

"But this isn't your run of the mill lunchbox thermos." I stood my ground with determination. "This is a Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen Dewar 10 Liter 1C0- 10 D."

"A What?" The staff spoke in unison. They were perplexed by my use of scientific words.

"This is a Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen Dewar 10 Liter 1C0- 10 D," I repeated myself. The words fell from my tongue with ease. They were impressed. Heck, I even impressed myself, and that isn't easy to do.

Jon raised his hand to speak for the rest of the staff. "What do you carry in Cryogenic Liquid Nitrogen Dewar 10 Liter 1C0- 10 D?"

"Liquid nitrogen, of course."

Stacy laughed. "Of course, why didn't the rest of us think of that? But come on, $430 dollars for a thermos to carry liquid nitrogen? Are you crazy? Think of what we could have bought for that kind of money."

"It will allow us to do liquid nitrogen science demonstrations for our field trip lessons." My explanation didn't seem to sway them to my way of thinking. I resigned myself to the fact that my staff would always be skeptical toward my nearly $500 thermos.

By the way, I thought you readers of the Troubadour, and true fans of the Space Center might like to see the other flight director's lunch boxes so Jon doesn't feel picked on.

Zac's Lunchbox (Magellan Set Director)
He is a closeted Jetsons fan.
I'll tell you a secret, I think he's got a crush on Rosie the Robot.

Emily's favorite lunchbox (Voyager and Odyssey Flight Director). She rarely arrives at the Center without her Barbie lunchbox complete with a Ken Thermos and an assortment of decadent delicacies. Emily and her Barbie lunch box are well known at BYU's Cougareat where some mistake her for BYU's Homecoming Queen. Emily rarely if ever corrects their misunderstanding.

Stacy's Lunchbox (Galileo Set Director).
Careful, she also carries her live fishing bait in this box.

Christine's Lunchbox (Odyssey Set Director) with
Woodstock Thermos. Christine always shares, just in case you
arrive at the Center hungry.

Dave's Lunchbox (Phoenix Set Director)
Always carries a Thermos full of Mt. Dew, a BLT sandwich and a Twinkie.

Megan's lunchbox. Megan doesn't get a thermos

until she learns how to drink from one without spilling!

And life moves on at the Space Center.

Have a Happy Easter!
Mr. W.