Voyager Lingers in the Land of Silence

Voyager Lingers in the Land of Silence  

The Voyager lingers in the Land of Silence.  Quietly and patiently she waits.

Her Bridge is still.  Where are the crews which once listened to her tales of brave sailors in the starry skies?  Are the villains in our adventures victorious?  Have our heroes faded away?

What is to become of our Lady Voyager?  Will we enjoy her ballads again?

We watch the canvas sails; waiting and listening for the swells of a patriotic wind calling us to our duty.

____________________________________

Yesterday I stopped at the school to grade a few math papers and answer an email or two.  It was a warm Saturday afternoon.  The mountains towering above the neighbor's trees blushed with Autumn.  This is my favorite time of year.  

I stepped out of the Battlestar and paused.  I saw something I'd never seen before.  It was a Saturday afternoon in September and the parking lot was empty, save for my Battlestar.    

The Space Center traffic was gone.  There were no cars filled with overly excited groups of children talking, laughing and shouting as they arrived and departed from this, the happiest place on Earth, (at least, of course, within a day's carriage ride of our Pleasant Grove).

I walked behind the school toward the Voyager's outside entrance.  I wondered if I had I stepped into some kind of  parallel universe?  The staff and volunteer's cars were gone.  There were no black shirted volunteers crossing the blacktop expanse carrying trash cans overflowing with pop bottles, decoded mission papers and pizza boxes.  It was quiet, except for the subdued shouting coming from the far end of the playground.  Two young soccer teams were in the throws of a fierce competition.  

I entered the school to feed the fish.  They were as confused as I.  It was 3:30 P.M. on a Saturday. The school's foyer should have been alive with adolescent crews loading their ships for their space edventures.  There were no explosions or huddled groups of volunteers blocking the halls.  There were no Supervisors in blue, barking orders and wondering why no one was listening. There was no music filling the halls or the sound of thick accented ship engineers gently leading their captains to the obvious solutions to their perplexing problems.

No, it was just me and the fish.

That is all.

I took my camera and took a few pictures to remember the day.  It was surreal.  The school felt sterile, like a piece of its soul was missing.

Be persevering Troops!  With a bit of luck and big chunk of change, we hope to be flying again soon.

Mr. W.

"Four Hours, A Space Trip". A Must See Video on the Space Center.

 

Even Disneyland closes attractions from time to time for repair.

We are in good company :)

 Hello Space Center Fans!

I have a real treat for you today, something to lift your spirits while the Space Center is closed for renovation.  Below is a YouTube video entitled Four Hours, A Space Trip.  This 20 minute video is a documentary on the Space Center filmed by Mark T. Lewis;  Mark was a BYU film student at the time.  This film was his Pièce de résistance while at BYU.  Mark entered Four Hours, A Space Trip  in several student film festivals around the country.  I consider it the best film made on the Space Center.

Four Hours, A Space Trip follows a class of students on their Space Center field trip.   The film starts at their elementary school the morning of their adventure. You ride with them on the bus to the Space Center.  You watch them pull up in front of Central Elementary.  You go into the simulators with them.  You watch them do their best to succeed in a mission called The Children of Perikoi.  You see them stress over decisions and you share in their joy of success.

Our visiting students, the Space Center staff and our young volunteers are the stars of  Four Hours, A Space Trip.  You'll even get to see inside the sacred Control Room and watch Yours Truly in action at the microphone.

Now sit back, relax and enjoy the video.  Please leave a comment telling us your thoughts.

And now, silence in the house.  The lights are dimming; the red velvet curtain is opening, and for Pete's sake, will someone get that crying baby out of the theater!

Mr. Williamson

Jupiter Takes One for the Team and Other Things

Hello Troops,

The video below shows the moment Jupiter was struck by a mighty meteorite yesterday - and our only record of it is this image, captured by a lone webcam chugging away in the early hours of the morning.

As the people of Earth carried out their lives unawares, it seems our gas giant neighbour took a forceful blow to the side at about 11.35am GMT yesterday.

Amateur astronomer George Hall, from Dallas, captured the flash on video at 5:35am CET - but he only went to check his footage after hearing online that another astronomer, watching the planet with his own eyes, saw the huge explosion bloom out of Jupiter in the blink of an eye.

Jupiter has been known as the 'cosmic vacuum cleaner' of the solar system.

The planet's mass and large orbit sweeps up the scattered meteors that are relics from the early days of our solar system formation, with the planet either 'taking the bullet' itself, or deflecting orbits away from the inner planets.

Many astronomers believe life would not have got started on Earth with Jupiter's influence - and before our solar system settled down, Earth was frequently bombarded with giant impacts.

An Update

Other than Jupiter's gallant heroism there is no other news to report from the Space Center.  Our Center is closed for maintenance and renovation.  The renovation hasn't started and I'm not sure a contractor has been hired. The renovation is under the direction of the school district's maintenance department.  We hope for the best.   Until then, we soldier on.  I'm continuing to teach my math class at Central and helping the principal and teachers at Shelley Elementary.  

I'm pleased to report that Jon Parker, Voyager Flight Director, has found a new job at the Common Sense Gas Station in north Orem.  He'd love to see anyone from the Space Center (campers included) so the next time you need gas, stop at the Common Sense and look for Jon.   Megan (Phoenix Flight Director) is substitute teaching.  Ben (Galileo Simulator) has also found a good job with better pay.  Our other flight directors and supervisors are actively looking for jobs, so let me know if you or someone you know is looking for an outstanding employee. 

I'm beginning to fear we won't have a staff left when the Space Center's key is returned and we are cleared to open.  Training new staff will take an additional couple of months.


 And now, let's stroll through the Imaginarium to find something creative.... 

A perfect disguise for a door's view hole

Yes boys, we are to be gentlemen and scholars

The Freak Show at the Utah State Fair

So don't waste your one life.

Why take the stairs?

The Time Travelers Gather

Christmas is a few months away.  Have anyone in mind for this stocking stuffer?

The Founders of Hogwarts

Another summer like the one we are in and this business will be

the perfect investment.

Who could throw this away? 

Perfect concept in advertising.

Imagination and creativity:  A

Someone just blew their diet.

Monday morning back to work and school. Right?

That's it, hold your conservative community hostage.

Planet Suckers.

Imagination: B

This one if for Emily, our Odyssey Set Director

And put so nicely with such a warm font.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
Enjoy what you have.