The Inspiration that Became the Space Center

I was once asked if I had any heroes.
I do.

The Space Center started with a simple assignment.  In 1983 I student taught at Central School.  My cooperating teacher asked me to teach the science unit on space.  I was to be evaluated by both Mr. Thompson and my university supervisor.  It had to be unforgettable.  I wanted an A.

I had recently watched Carl Sagan's Cosmos on television.  In Cosmos, Carl Sagan took an imaginary spaceship on a voyage deep into the universe to explore what was out there.  We went along for the ride.

I knew what I had to do.  I would recreate Cosmos in a classroom at an unremarkable school in the center of a small town called Pleasant Grove. We would take a Sagan like journey in a make believe ship to experience the science and majesty of space.  Who knows what and who we would discover.

Carl Sagan was an amazing man and astronomer.  He is one of my heroes.

 Take a moment and listen him speak about mankind's future, in his own words.

Mr. Williamson

Who Pays for All This?

Sen. Jake Garn and Superintendent Steven Baugh at the Center's Grand Opening
November 8, 1990

Hello Troops,

 "When do we get to come back?!" is the question asked most often by the preteens and teens who attend our Space Center camps and private missions.  I like that question.  It tells me we are doing something right.

There are many museums, planetariums, clubs and camps that would love to hear their visitors ask that question more often. These organizations champion the cause for innovative education but sometimes forget one important aspect to survival in this industry -  a carefully blended mixture of education and entertainment.  The Space Education Center is one of the nation's best examples of a successful school / community partnership which unapologetically champions the inclusion of 'play' in its educational programs centered on the Utah Core Curriculum.

Carl Sagan's Message to the First Humans on Mars.  

The Dance Between Science and Science Fiction.  3 minutes

The Alpine School District houses the Center at Central Elementary.  The public supports the Center by attending Space Center field trips, private programs, camps and classes.  The fees charged for after school programs provide the funds to build new simulators, upgrade existing simulators, purchase new Starlab Planetariums and enrich our curriculum offerings.  All of this makes the Space Education Center a uniquely successful school / community / business partnership.

"Who pays for all of this?" is the second most often asked question at the Space Center.  It is asked by two types of people;  those hoping to prove the school district is wasting tax payer money, and those amazed that such a facility exists in a public school.

Public support of the Center also comes from the thousands of people who've volunteered over the years.   

I explain the Center's school / community partnership to both groups.  Those who ask in hopes of discovering extravagant waste are surprised to learn that most of our budget comes from people like themselves who send their children to our camps and classes.  They are impressed by the fact that THEY are the ones who provide much of the Center's budget through their attendance, fees and donations.  Those who ask out of amazement are surprised to learn that Central is a normal Title I neighborhood school.

"So, this isn't a special school for smart kids?" they ask.

The interior of the Phoenix Simulator.
Yes, it is an amazing place!

"Nope," I reply.  "This is neighborhood school just like the one your child attends."

"Amazing.  I never knew we had such a place.  This is amazing!"  is the usual response.

Who pays for all this?  You, the good people in our communities pay for this through your support of the Alpine School District and the Space Education Center.  I thank you for that support on behalf of the 24,000 people who attend our programs every year.  We ask for your continued support while the Center is closed for repair and improvements.

I know some of you had your camps and private programs canceled due to our renovation.  I apologize and remind you that the Center will be a better place when it reopens.

Thank you for your patience,

Mr. Williamson

Space, In the News.

Frustrating Spacewalk

Akihiko Hoshide on end of robotic arm.

Not everything goes right in space.

The first spacewalk for Expedition 32 occurred on August 20, with cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Yuri Malenchenko Their tasks included moving a cargo boom from the Pirs docking module to the Zarya module, installing micrometeorite/debris protection shields on the Zvesda module, and the deployment of a small science satellite. That spacewalk met its objectives.

Computer graphic of spacewalk in mission control.

Yesterday's spacewalk didn't go as well. Astronauts Suni Williams and Akihko Hoshide (from Japan) were supposed to replace a power bus on the station's main truss, prepare power cables for the docking of a Russian Science Module in the future, and replace a camera on one of the robotic arms. However, the Main Bus Switching Unit had bolts that refused to tighten correctly. Running out of time for the walk, they had to simply secure it to the truss temporarily until another spacewalk could be scheduled to repair the bolts. Before the problem, though, they did move the power cables. They had unfortunately run out of time to replace the robotic arm camera.

Nightside picture of spacewalk on August 20.

Akihiko Hoshide. This spacewalk was not only the first for Hoshide, it was the third spacewalk made by a Japanese astronaut.

Suniya (Suni) Williams floating around the ISS with a camera. Yesterday was her fifth spacewalk. She's getting good at it!

Neil Armstrong is Remembered

Neil Armstrong, official NASA photo. Known as a "WSS," or "White Space Suit" image, this type of portrait became the iconic image of the American Astronauts.

It was inevitable, you know. Last Saturday the family of astronaut Neil Armstrong announced that he had passed away due to complications from heart surgery performed a couple of weeks before. Born in 1930, Armstrong was 82 when he died.  All of our Apollo astronauts are getting along in age. Some have passed on already, like Alan Shepard (First American in space, and commander of Apollo 14) and Jack Swigert (command module pilot, Apollo 13). The Apollo astronauts all remain in our hearts as heros of space education.

But Neil Armstrong, and his Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin, have the distinction accorded to few astronauts who have ever flown. Because of their famous and dangerous first landing on the Moon in the Apollo 11 mission, their names are forever enshrined in our memories. Perhaps because school textbooks have only so much space for history, or perhaps because television documentaries mention them more than the others, it seems to me that theirs are the first astronaut names that come to mind of the general public.

I know this, because for years, working at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center, I have questioned children and adults alike as they visited us. I've asked "trivia questions" to see what the general public really knows about our space exploration history. And I've come to several generalized conclusions:

1) Ask any kid "which  astronaut" did whatever, and their first response is almost always Neil Armstrong. Asked to name a second astronaut, they often respond Buzz Aldrin (although some kids enjoy saying, "Buzz Lightyear".

2) Older people always know about Apollo 11. Some people remember Jim Lovell in command of Apollo 13 (thank you Tom Hanks and Ron Howard!).

3) Many older people remember Alan Shepard as the first American in space, but have forgotten that he also walked on the Moon (and played golf there!).

4) Many people remember a Russian was first is space, and half of them remember his name was Yuri something.

5) The number of kids and adults who have a good knowledge of the other astronauts in space history is rare.

With the passing of Neil Armstrong, I've enjoyed talking to people about what they remember that incredible day of July 21, 1969. Everyone who witnessed it on TV remembers where they were and what they were doing. It was a world-wide event, and one of those generational moments when the world and nation came together in awe. I won't go into Armstrong's career here, as there are many other tributes being published this week. But I would like to take a moment and let you know that Neil was not alone, he served with a team of heroes that prepared for and/or went to the Moon, and here they are:

Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong (deceased 2012), Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins

Apollo 1:   Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White II, Roger Chaffee (All perished in the Apollo 1 fire-1967)

Apollo 7:  Wally Schirra (deceased 2007), Don Eiselle (deceased 1987), Walt Cunningham

Apollo 8:  Frank Borman II, Jim Lovell, William Anders

Apollo 9:  James McDivitt, David Scott, Russell (Rusty) Schweickart

Apollo 10: Tom Staffard, John Young, Eugene Cernan

Apollo 12: Pete Conrad, Jr (deceased 1999), Richard Gordon, Alan Bean

Apollo 13: Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert (deceased 1982), Fred Haise

Apollo 14: Alan Shepard Jr (deceased 1998), Stuart Roosa (deceased 1994), Ed Mitchell 

Apollo 15: David Scott, Alfred Worden, James Irwin (deceased 1991)

Apollo 16: John Young, Thomas "Ken" Mattingly II, Charles Duke

Apollo 17: Eugene Cernan, Harrison "Jack" Schmidt, Ronald Evans (deceased 1990)

Please remember them all.

Mark Daymont,

Space Center Educator