Space Center Staff and Volunteers Make the News Again. Space and Science News. See 100,000 Stars in 3D. The Imaginarium

Imagination lets us see a time beyond our horizon

Hello Troops,
Happy Wednesday and Independence Day Eve.

What do you think of the picture above?  Looking at it makes me wish my birthday was June 24, 2213 instead of 1958, but fate decided otherwise and here I am.

Those of us living today have a responsibility to those who come after us.  We have an obligation to open the universe to them so they can do what we only dream of doing today - flying to distant stars on majestic starships.

We stitch the future together with our actions and decisions; so let us make the right decisions today.  Let us strengthen the economy.  Let us get our nation's debt under control.  Let us invest in science, technology and medicine.  Let us establish a human presence on the Moon and Mars.  Let us begin doing great things with a vision outward and a selfless attitude toward our resources.  The future holds promise for everyone if you contribute to this great society.  Make good decisions.  Be responsible for those decision and use your resources for the common good.

Morgan Mitchell, Justin Meiners and Victor Yu are examples of Space Center staff and volunteers who are making a difference.  They are visionaries who use their talents to ensure a bright future for all.

I asked Morgan to write the following email for the blog.  Please take a minute to read it and celebrate their accomplishments with me.

Mr. W.


Hi Everyone!

Mr. Williamson asked me to write a post about this weekend's events in Anaheim, California. This past weekend a couple of Space Center kids were invited to attend the National Leadership Conference for Future Buisness Leaders of America. It was a blast being half a mile from Disneyland, driving to the beach, and attempting to fit in pools and elevators with 8,000 other high school students in the same location. 

To be invited to the Conference you must place first or second in your event at the state level (which was back in March). Among those of us in attendance were as follows:

Victor Yu

Victor just graduated high school (Orem) and has been a Space Center volunteer for a few years. Victor is heading to college in the fall. He plans to major in something technology/science related. Victor placed 9th (in the nation) in his event; Computer Applications. 

Justin Meiners

Justin also just graduated from high school (Mountain View) and is a part of the Space Center's programming guild. He will be going on a mission this fall to Northern California. When he returns he will be attending school at Utah State studying Computer Engineering. Justin was a finalist for his event (top 15 in the nation); Desktop Application Programming.

Morgan N. Mitchell

I am not going to write this in third person because that would be weird….

I just graduated from Park City High School and I will be headed to Massachusetts in the fall to study Aerospace Engineering (and Robotics) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. I have been a Space Center volunteer throughout high school braving the hour drive from my house (each direction). I competed in the Job Interview event and I was honored to be named 1st place (in the nation). 

These results show just how important the Space Center is. Only a few students from Utah even placed at Nationals, almost half of which were us CMSEC kids. Also looking back at Sterling Scholar earlier in the year: the vast majority of Computer Technology finalists (winners and runner-ups) were CMSEC kids. Mr. Williamson has made a change in the world. He has helped so many of us try new things and find out who we truly are in the process. Thank you Mr. W. 

FBLA is a high school club that I would recommend everyone should get involved in if you can. There are lots of different events including: speaking events, team events, written/multiple choice tests, presentations, etc…. It is all encompassing of the business world so you can do anything from a technology related event, to a community service project, to a school subject test (like economics or math), and the list goes on and on. 

If you are interested in checking out more information about FBLA here is the website: 

http://www.fbla-pbl.org

The video of the awards ceremony is also online and a list of the winners. They are both in alphabetical order of event names:

http://pdcproductions.com/fbla/

http://www.fbla-pbl.org/fbla.asp?landingpage=2013competitiveevents

I have also attached some pictures of the weekend.

Thanks for all of your support!

- Morgan 

Space and Science News

In Saturn's Rings

South African filmmaker Stephen van Vuuren is currently working on an IMAX production called In Saturn's Rings in which he's stitched, processed, and animated over a million images to give viewers a remarkable sense of motion and full immersion. The result can only be described as spectacular.

This is Beyond Cool.  Take a 3D Tour of the Nearest 100,000 Stars

If you have ever thought about space and wished you could travel to, say, the nearest 100,000 stars, this is for you. It’s an interactive 3D visualization of our stellar neighborhood, with our sun in the middle. You can click on a star to get a close-up of it (with amazing graphics and detail) and a quick description of the star. You can click on the “Take a Tour" button and be guided through a quick trip through space which starts at our Sun, and ends at the edge of our galaxy, the Milky Way. You may also toggle a spectral index, allowing you to get a visualization of how hot the stars are! Here is a screenshot of our Sun I took on my virtual trip through the cosmos:

Travel Our Stellar Neighborhood (in 3D!)
http://workshop.chromeexperiments.com/stars/

The Imaginarium

Are you making the ordinary, extraordinary every day?

A lesson in gravity in 3, 2, 1....

A Mannequin's head in the ceiling.  Great Way to Make the Day Interesting

A Miracle.  Walking on Water

The Imaginarium is Back in Business. A Story from a Cadet. Space and Science News.

Hello Troops,
Yes, I'm back from my first vacation in four years!
It was fun and relaxing, but I'm glad to be back.  The world can only go so long without the power of the Imaginarium!

A little over a week ago I asked our Farpoint Cadets to send in a few stories and observations about volunteering at the two space centers.  Tonight I'm going to share one of those emails.

From Bradyn S.

So, there I was. I'd just woken up on a beautiful Thursday morning, thinking about my last observation at Central that night. That led me to think of the Cadet meeting the previous day, in which Mr. Williamson had said, "Just before you leave to volunteer, check the schedule to make sure your flight has not been canceled." Or something similar to that.
    My mission wasn't for about 10 hours, but I thought I'd be able to get a few brownie points just by checking. I scrolled down to "Thursday" on the volunteering schedule. I expected to see "Galileo CMSEC 6:30-9:00." I didn't. I was then sent into a frenzied panic, quickly scrolling up and down the list to find any last minute observation spots. I didn't. But, there was a field trip that morning...
    I left a quick message at Central explaining everything (okay, maybe it wasn't THAT quick), then took off to the Magellan. The only thing I was nervous about was, "We will not let you volunteer at Central without having both your observations done," Megan had said at the Cadet meeting. But I had no other option, hoping Megan would let me volunteer, but count it as an observation.
    I arrived, turned right twice into the Discovery room, found Megan, and explained everything. "What? I never cancelled that mission! You're talking about the one on the Galileo tonight?" Megan asked, confused. 

"Yes..." I answered, confused as well."Some one better not be cancelling my flights," Megan said. "So, can I still volunteer for this field trip, then?" I asked, knowing I had nothing much to do that morning, anyway. "Yes," she said, as I relaxed, "and as far as I'm concerned, the flight is still on tonight."
    Once I got back, I checked my e-mail. Mr. Williamson's name was in my Inbox. I clicked on the message, and it read  

    "Sorry Bradyn,
The Galileo is still flying tonight.
It was taken off by my mistake.
                     Mr. Williamson."

Yes Bradyn,  even Mr. W makes the odd mistake here and there.


Space and Science News

Scientific American features a fun, new, science-related activity every Thursday that parents and their six- to 12-year-olds can do together. Adults will find easy-to-follow instructions and simple materials lists as well as additional background to help them explain the key concepts. We hope you enjoy, as science begins in the home.  

Mars One

This image depicts the interior of a Mars One habitat as envisioned by its designers.

Mars One aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023, requiring no return mission, and radiation fears shouldn't hold that back, explains Bas Lansdorp, Mars One co-founder and CEO, in this op-ed article:  http://oak.ctx.ly/r/725l

It's official! Two tiny moons orbiting the dwarf planet Pluto finally have new names: Styx and Kerberos. http://oak.ctx.ly/r/720c

A Russian rocket exploded in a massive fireball late Monday (July 1), destroying three navigation satellites after a failed launch that appeared to veer out of control shortly after liftoff and crash back to Earth. http://oak.ctx.ly/r/71px

The Imaginarium

We are back with more of the ordinary, transplanted with organs from the extraordinary.

How Retirement makes me feel :)

This is some serious hopscotch

The world's largest rock climbing wall in the Netherlands

Found at an airport

Science can fix it.

Every village has an idiot?  No,
Every village has a wizard.

What aren't the blind telling us about the 7th floor?

I need these for my Battlestar

Sign over a box of fake grenades

Time for Vacation. I Can Be Reached by Telegram. Space and Science News. The Imaginarium

A Group Shot of us from our last trip to Deadwood

Hello Troops,

We are turning off the lights and locking the doors here at the Imaginarium.   The staff and management are closing for one week for a greatly needed, decade in the waiting, VACATION.  Yes folks, The Troubadour is going silent for a week while we pack up and venture north.  I'll be going to South Dakota.  Why South Dakota?  It's where I'm from.

We are driving as far as Fort Casper, Wyoming where the paved road ends.  The Great Northern Railroad should get us to Sundance (barring any problems with the boiler).  We catch the Deadwood to Bismarck stagecoach in Sundance and roll into the Black Hills and indian country.  I'm not sure the internet has made it that far north, hence the reason for a week with no blog posts.  In case of emergency, I can be reached by telegraph.  Send a Western Union telegram to Saloon #10 on Main Street.  I know the owner.  He'll make sure I get it.  Our Deadwood home is right up from Main Street.

 Have a great week and wish us luck along the trail.

Mr. Williamson  



Space and Science News

Evacuate Earth!

"If we faced a countdown to destruction, could we build a spacecraft to take us to new and habitable worlds? Can we Evacuate Earth? NGC's one and a half hour special examines this terrifying but scientifically plausible scenario by exploring how we could unite to ensure the survival of the human race."
Video: http://ow.ly/mik7E


Plants Perform Arithmetic Calculations Throughout the Night to Ensure Their Survival

In order to keep themselves going in the absence of sunlight, plants perform division equations throughout the night to ration their stores of starch until the moment the sun reappears.

By counting their starch and dividing it by the number of hours left until morning they ensure they do not run out until the crack of dawn, and can even adjust their calculations during the night.

Read more

Why Does It Smell So Good After a Rainstorm?

Step outside after the first storm after a dry spell and it invariably hits you: the sweet, fresh, powerfully evocative smell of fresh rain.

If you’ve ever noticed this mysterious scent and wondered what’s responsible for it, you’re not alone.

Back in 1964, a pair of Australian scientists (Isabel Joy Bear and R. G. Thomas) began the scientific study of rain’s aroma in earnest with an article in Nature titled “Nature of Agrillaceous Odor.” In it, they coined the term petrichor to help explain the phenomenon, combining a pair of Greek roots: petra (stone) and ichor (the blood of gods in ancient myth).

In that study and subsequent research, they determined that one of the main causes of this distinctive smell is a blend of oils secreted by some plants during arid periods. When a rainstorm comes after a drought, compounds from the oils—which accumulate over time in dry rocks and soil—are mixed and released into the air. The duo also observed that the oils inhibit seed germination, and speculated that plants produce them to limit competition for scarce water supplies during dry times.     Read more

Alan Turing can easily be called the father of the modern world; conducting some of the first work in both computer science and the philosophy of artificial intelligence. He also aided in ending World War II by cracking the German Enigma machine. 

For more on Alan Turing:http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/609739/Alan-M-Turing

The Imaginarium
The Ordinary, made Extraordinary by simple folks just like you and me....

Kid's Understand this

A Necessary Missionary Training Tool

A Peaceful Day in the Empire

The Worlds' Best Lemonade Stand

Someone asked me what retirement was like

A Few of you Space Center Old Timers will get this.

Heck of a place for the Bible Camp Banner

I think we know who's moving into first place

Look at the shadow.  Its all perspective. Same with Life.