Pictures from the Space Center's Past. And, the Imaginarium

Hello Troops,

Mrs. Houston stopped by my cozy white trailer at Central Elementary School two weeks ago with a grocery bag holding a stack of pictures she took years ago at one of the Space Center' summer camps. 

"Here you go.  You might want to post these," she said.  I thanked her.  She just made my life easier.

It's not easy keeping up a Space Center blog when the Space Center is closed and there really isn't anything to write about.  Everyday I think, "What can I put in The Troubadour today?"  The Space Center is like a ghost ship floating aimlessly in space.  It sits there, all locked up, vacant and in the dark.  No one IN the Space Center means no stories to tell.  No stories to tell means nothing to write in the blog.  You get my point, don't you?  That's why I was happy to get the pictures from Mrs. Houston.  Now I have something to write about!  Mr. Williamson is a happy camper.  If Mr. Williamson is a happy camper, then hopefully by posting these pictures, I'll be able to make you a happy camper too.

Jennifer Remy teaching the Apollo 13 lesson to our summer campers in July of 2002.  The Apollo 13 class was a favorite of our campers, our staff and our volunteers.  
  

July 2002.   Brady Young and McKay Hardy are putting together the life saving equipment that will keep them alive on their long trip back to Earth from the Moon in their crippled space capsule.  Doesn't Brady look young? 

"No!  It couldn't be.  That isn't a very young and immature Casey Voeks....... is it?" you ask.
"Why yes it is," I answer.

The photo above shows Current Space Center Flight Director Casey Voeks as seen in July of 2002 working with an unknown partner as part of the Apollo 13 lesson.   What about that shirt?

Many of you have flown with Casey either at the Space Center or iWorlds in Park City.  Casey is currently working on setting up iWorld's Valiant simulator at a school in Eagle Mountain.  In his spare time, he dabbles in real estate and substitute teaches. 
  

One of our Honor's Night in 2006.  How many of our current and old staff do you recognize?

Julie Collette in the Apollo 13 class.  July 2002.

Bill Schuler with his niece and the brave crew of the Falcon in the summer of 2002.  My nephew Brock Bodily is kneeling.  Brock is currently serving an LDS mission in South Africa. 

The Falcon was a portable simulator housed in Central School's cafeteria.  The desks and computers were inside the Starlab bubble.  Mr. Schuler and Mrs. Houston ran the Falcon for a time along with Stacy Carrell and Josh Babb. 

This photograph was taken during the summer of 2002.  Mr. Schuler and Mrs. Clegg were the summer camp cooks that summer. 

And finally, Chris Call.  This photo was taken in April 2002.  Chris was the Odyssey's Set Director for several years.  Chris was awesome - there is no other way to describe him.  The staff, volunteers and campers loved him.

Thanks to Mrs. Houston, there will be other photos to follow in future posts.

And now, the Imaginarium

 There is always one in every crowd you hand out with.  Who is the one in your circle of friends?

"Johnny, what would you like for dessert?"  Mother asked at his birthday dinner.
"Nothing," Johnny replied.

Johnny got his wish!

 I'll take a 32 ounce of Out of Control.  Wow, I'll bet it carries quiet a punch!

 I don't know about this.  I know a few people whose beliefs could be written on a postage stamp!

 Wow, think how far you've traveled through space since you started reading this post!

We are all astronauts if you stop and think about it.

I  always wanted a pet but decided against it.  Caring for a pet takes time and effort.

 Well, not anymore!

A stubby little vacuum cleaner like this would make a perfect pet for me.
 It just takes a bit of imagination.

This is just like a Flight Director with his crew.

How many of you have gotten scared during a Space Center mission?

Those evil Flight Directors!

And Finally,

An Imaginative Halloween Story.....

 

Thursday's News and Updates. Plus, the Imginarium

 

The Imaginarium is in the process of covering the Space Center

signs with "Welcome to Reality" signs.

Our little corner on the Imagination market is temporarily Out of Commission.

Hello Troops,
I'm in my nice quiet trailer on Central's playground waiting for a parent or two to stop by to hear the great things I have to say about their child unlucky enough to be in my math class.  Not many parents stop, either out of fear (you know, the old cranky veteran teacher who started teaching shortly after the Bubonic Plague swept through Europe) or because I do such a great job keeping them informed of their child's progress that they feel there is no need to make an appointment.

I'm impressed with the new Common Core math our district implemented this year.  I was skeptical at first.  We've had so many math programs come and go over the years.  You learn to smile, take the new book, stick it on the shelve and continue as normal.  Not so with this new math.  The Common Core math program is well thought out and difficult (a good difficult).  Today's students in the Alpine School District need to really focus in their math classes if they want to do well.  The assignments contain several real world problems forcing students to take the math learned and use it in detailed, complex word problems.

I know many of The Troubadour's readers are Alpine District students.  What do you think of your new math this year? 

Let me offer a suggestion if you find yourself struggling.  Make an online visit to the Kahn Academy (www.khanacademy.org) for help at home.  There are hundreds of small videos teaching you every type of math possible.   Khan Academy will be your life line.

Space Center Renovation News     

Sadly, no news to report on the Space Center's renovation.  Work has not started.
I get many emails and phone calls asking for information.  Many are frustrated,  especially those who had their parties and camps canceled, that I haven't anything to report. The renovation is under the direction of the district's maintenance department.  I'm out of the loop on this one folks, which is why I can't answer your questions. 

Any news I come across will be posted to the blog - so please keep checking.

iWorlds

Many of The Troubadour's readers flew in the iWorlds ship Valiant when it was housed at Thanksgiving Point.  The Valiant was built in a semi trailer and is pattered after the Voyager at the Space Center. It holds 16 crew and three staff.  The Valiant was moved from Thanksgiving Point to Park City last November.  It currently sits unused in Provo.  That may change soon. 

Rockwell Charter High School in Eagle Mountain has expressed an interest in hosting the Valiant at their school for the school year.  If all goes well, the Valiant will open before Christmas.  Rockwell proposes to use the Valiant for its own students, then open the simulator to the public after school hours.

I'll keep you posted on developments so keep reading The Troubadour for the latest news on anything Space Center related.  

The Imaginarium

And now, sit back and relax while we have our imagination's exercised at Wonderland's Imaginarium. 

The different accepted methods for holding a tea cup.

By the way, Posh means 'British upper class' in Britspeak.

Perhaps too much imagination in this. 

Brillaint!

I would have been this machine's #1 customer in August and September :)

There's a sad story in this picture.

Imagine, a walk through library with simulated books on the shelves.

Scan the bar code with your phone and the book appears on your mobile device.

Creativity: A +

The Penquins are back, giving great advice.

I use their "Just smile and wave" example all the time 

when faced with a "New Math" problem I've no clue how to solve.  I remain calm, I stand up, I smile and wave and walk away from the confused 6th grader.

Star Wars and Dr. Suess team up on a new series of children's books.

Crime Scene investigation.

Imagination: A

A perfect Christmas gift for that balding relative or friend?

Imagination: B

Humor: A

Practical?: F

Still might be worth a try to disguise that thin spot at the top of my head.

The things you'll see on an evening walk through Wonderland.

Have you ever taken the time to stop and ask?

Don't be a slave to it.

There is more to life.  Look below.....

Last call for all those who want to leave...

A moment of perfect time.

The pictorial definition of "Jumping into the deep end".

Only one please.  Whichever you need the most.

A reminder of a simpler time.

Thank you for reading The Troubadour and your continued support of the Space Center.  Keep imagining; take the ordinary and make it extraordinary.

Mr. Williamson

The First Week of October

This describes you, doesn't it?

Hello Troops,

September is behind us.
This is the longest the Space Center has been closed in 22 years.  In 2000 the Voyager was closed for four months undergoing a major renovation.  We installed new furniture, a new network and new computers. The Center remained open during that renovation, running private missions in the other four ships.  We couldn't take field trips because the Voyager was closed. Today's renovation of all five ships requires us to close completely.  It is good to do it this way and not disrupt the Center for a longer period of time doing one or two ships at a time.

The Space Center's staff and volunteers can take pride in what they've accomplished over the past 22 years.  Over 310,000 people have attended the Center for field trips, classes and camps.  Our simulators have run over 30,000 missions, making the Space Center The Second Happiest Place on Earth (remember, I give the Disney Parks credit as being the first.  Who doesn't love the Disney parks?).

Thank you staff and volunteers for the time, devotion and energy you've given over the years.  The Space Center is what it is today because of the work of thousands of volunteers and staff.

Thank you Space Center fans for your continued support.  The Center would have closed twenty years ago had it not been for an outpouring of support that convinced the school district to keep the Center open.  You said it was awesome and they agreed.

Thank you to our school district for being innovative and visionary.  I doubt you could find a school district more supportive of this new and unusual way of using simulations in education.

I believe simulations are the future of education.  Soon, with computers improving almost daily, children will do most of their learning through real life, science fiction and fantasy simulations.  Why would a teacher lecture on life in the Middle Ages, when her class could go on a virtual journey into the Dark Ages to see and experience it for themselves?  They could walk through a medieval village, see a battle,  explore a castle and meet the historic people of the time?   Perhaps a century from now, children will virtually walk through a holographic Voyager to see a place that pioneered education through simulation in a small elementary school in far away Pleasant Grove.

Today's Lesson.

People gravitate toward those who nourish, love and sustain them.  Think about your life.  Do you prefer to be in the company of optimists or pessimists?  Do you prefer to see a stern face standing at the front of a class or a face wrinkled by excessive smiling and laughing?   Do you prefer to hear, "It can't, it won't or it's a waste of your time and mine,"  or  "Why not, It might, and Let's give it try?"
Be the kind of person you enjoy being with.             

And now, Wonderland's  Imaginarium 

Creativity in Design and Advertising.  A

Protestants are not allowed to be buried in Catholic cemeteries.

This couple found a creative way to display their love despite 

their religious and physical separation.

The inside of a train car disguised to resemble a library.

Brilliance in Design: A

Finding a new use for a common Kitchen utensil.

Thinking out of the box.

A Conference Room at the Ministry of Nightmares and Machinations here at the Imaginarium.

A Four Generations Photograph.  

Outstanding use of imagination and creativity.

My kind of drain stopper.

Creativity: A

A Goodbye cake to a workplace friend.

Humorous with an icing of creativity!

A unique Halloween costume for a boy in a wheelchair.

Imagination and Creativity:  Off the Charts!

And finally,

Just when you thought your flight home would be peaceful and uneventful.

Just when you thought you'd be able to do a bit of in flight work.

Suddenly, your seat mate arrives and all bets are off.

Ever have this happen to you on a flight?

Pray it doesn't.