The Troubadour

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Sunday, March 2, 2014

This Week in Science. Do Scientists Fear the Paranormal? Discovery Launches Discovery. Other News. The Imaginarium.

Hello Troops,
Another beautiful Sunday in Utah Valley. We had rain yesterday so I took a few pictures from the deck to share with you.

Looking southwest over the valley and Utah Lake. That's rain you see falling.

Looking northwest toward Lehi and Point of the Mountain.

Discovery Space Center Launches Shuttle!

CJ, Brandon, Tyson and BJ finished launching the Orbiter Discovery in the Discovery Space Center's Command Center (formerly the Galileo Room). The orbiter hover's over the birthday party tables. What an awesome place for a birthday; you've got a cool room with cool colors and a shuttle orbiter flying overhead. Discoveryspacecenter.com

Mission Control Desk

What a Lucky Boy

Both Dave Daymont and Matt Long sent me a link to this cool short video of a kid with the coolest dad. How would you like to have a mission control desk of your own?

Memory Flashback

Written in March 2008

The Power of Suggestion. A Space Center Learning Moment.

Magellan Simulator Security Officers Discuss Options with Staff

By Alex Anderson

A few weeks back, I was doing bridge on the voyager. This was a slightly older group (about14-15 years old) and they were running 'Midnight Rescue.' They were doing a pretty good job, and eventually transported the New Earth engineer (Sierra, a Central worker) onboard. The security quickly dispatched her and brought her up to the brig. After a few minutes, the engineer stirred and the security officer quickly grabbed his interrogation papers and began badgering the helpless engineer. The engineer curled up in the corner and didn't say a word. Discouraged, the security officer emerged from the brig and walked up to me. He said "What am I doing wrong? She won't tell me a thing!"

I thought for a moment, and then told him "Well, maybe you are being too harsh with her. She might feel more comforted if you talk to her kindly." I told him to act like his best friend's mom would act to him. He stood there for a moment, probably thinking "He wants me to do that!?! He's crazy!" But eventually he walked back to the brig with his clipboard and warily stepped in. The engineer looked up at him, and then resumed her original position. He walked closer to her and said something like, "Are you alright? It's okay, don't worry." Remember that this is a 14-15 year old guy. I smiled and returned to the bridge. A few minutes later I decided to check up on the conversation and saw the security officer crouched down next to her, talking with the engineer in that same soothing voice. I saw a few of the questions filled in on his clipboard. It amazed me that I was able to make this security officer warm up to this engineer so much by just telling him to.

I guess that is all.

Alex Anderson

The Formula for a Successful Life

I was asked once how the Space Center came to be. I answered, "Imagination, Education, and Hard Work!"

I've discovered that success is build upon those three things. Imagination gives us the belief that anything is possible. Imagine the amount of Imagination it took to dream up the Space Center. I've been blessed to surrounded by so many imagineering giants.

Education gives us the tools to give substance to the powerful thoughts generated by imagination.

Hard Work is the hours of labor required to take imagination and education, and fuse them together to create a legacy - something that lasts beyond your years.

• Keep Imagining

• Give Education 100 %

• Work hard to give your dream a physical presence.

Success, in all its forms, is waiting. Go Get It.

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

Albert Einstein

Do Scientists Fear the Paranormal?

Anecdotal evidence throughout most of human history has “proven” the existence of the paranormal and supernatural. From eyewitness testimony of the power of psychics, to stupefying magicians, to bigfoot/the Loch Ness monster/aliens/ghosts: human history is ripe with fantastic stories of the “unexplainable”. Why hasn’t science proven the existence of these phenomena? Are scientists blinded by their antiquated scientific theories, refusing to accept the supernaturally rife reality we live in? Read More at Quarks to Quasars

Your Body in Numbers

Credit: Hashem AL-ghaili

➤ 100 Trillion Cells
➤ 100 Trillion Atoms Per Cell
➤ 35 Billion Skin Cells
➤ 50 Billion Fat Cells
➤ 2 Billion Heart Muscle Cells
➤ 100 Billion Neurons
➤ 130 Million Retinal Cells
➤ 100 Trillion Bacterial Cells
➤ 206 Bones
➤ 650 Muscles
➤ 23 Pairs of Chromosomes
➤ 25,000 Genes
➤ 60,000 Miles of Blood Vessels
➤ 40 Litres of Water
➤ 100,000 Heart Beats Per Day
➤ 23,000 Lung Breathes Per Day
➤ 423 Gallons of Blood Processed By Kidneys Every Minute
➤ 300 Million Cells Die and Get Replaced Every Minute

Note that some of these estimates vary from person to person depending on gender, age and health state.

Science Summary of The WeekCredit: Hashem AL-ghaili

➤ Skin Cells into Liver Cells: http://is.gd/r2EPRd
➤ Rapid Cancer Test: http://is.gd/Q7w8iX
➤ 715 New Worlds Discovered: http://is.gd/K9xraa
➤ New Particle Discovered: http://is.gd/s2ZaAH
➤ Oldest Object on Earth Found: http://is.gd/s1iSZc
➤ Water Spotted on Alien Planet: http://is.gd/M5nItM
➤ De-extinction: http://is.gd/lDIe7S
➤ Video Version: http://is.gd/8mkHUz

The Imaginarium

The Ordinary finds a way to Extraordinary