The Decommissioning of the IKS Gallant. Another Ship Enters the History Books. This Week in Science and Technology. The Imaginarium.

Hello Space Center Fans,

     Today I'm sharing a post from Gary Gardner of Dream Flight Adventures, our space simulator partners in Pennsylvania.  

     We lost our first ship Voyager two years ago.  Dream Flight Adventures is decommissioning their first ship, the IKS Gallant.  There is always a sense of sadness when a simulator closes, especially when one remembers the adventures and wonder the ship brought to those who sailed in her.  

Mr. W.

The Decommissioning of the IKS Gallant

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Admiral Starblayze

Hello everyone, today we have a bit of an unusual Dream Flight blog post.  Normally we share the exciting news about our missions or what’s going on with our simulators.  But today, I’m going to write on a more personal note.  It all revolves around a special simulator that very few people know about:  the IKS Gallant:

This is the IKS Gallant… or, I should say it’s the Gallant when it was about 80% complete.  The main viewscreen projector and crew control stations are all missing.  Please pardon the dim photo—this shot was taken during our early tests of our multi-color lighting system.

The IKS Gallant was the first simulator I ever built.  I built it within my own home way back in 2011, and it completely filled my living room.  It was designed to fit six people and was made mostly of PVC pipe and expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam.  This was back in the early days of Dream Flight Adventures—before we had partnerships, any products in the market, or really anything beyond stacks of concept sketches and design files.  But we did have a dream—and a passion to bring it to life.

At the time I had completed a major milestone in the development of our simulator control software and just returned from the INplay conference in Toronto, which centered around using apps, digital media, and storytelling as an engagement tool, particularly for education.  We had officially formed the company just a month or two prior to that, and it was high time to start sharing our vision with the world.

There was just one problem—our experience is really something that you have to see to believe.  No amount of enthusiastic hand-waving while spouting off superlative adjectives could do it justice.  The photos and video from the Christa McAullife Space Education Center(Dream Flight’s inspiration) helped, but it still wasn’t enough.  I had to show people and let themexperience it firsthand.  So, I built a spaceship in my living room.

The original plan was to move the simulator to a new location once a partner was identified, so the Gallant was built so it could be easily disassembled, moved, and then reassembled in another location.  However, before we finished building it things started falling into place with our first partner—Shaler Area School District—and work on the Gallant stopped while we shifted our attention toward the IKS Titan.

Since that time Dream Flight Adventures has soared to new heights, with new simulators and missions being created all the time.  But whatever happened to the IKS Gallant?  Well, it stayed right where it was, dominating my living room for the past three years.  It was hugely inconvenient, but it sure made for a good conversation starter when we had guests over.  It also made for an interesting guest bedroom and board game room from time to time.  And to top it off, the Gallant was the very first Dream Flight simulator to host a birthday party:  my son’s sixth birthday in 2012.

So for the past three years the IKS Gallant has partially blocked my front door and served as a powerful reminder of where Dream Flight Adventures all began.  But time stops for no one, and it eventually became time for the Gallant to be decommissioned.  Two weeks ago a rainstorm put a damper on my weekend plans, so I dusted off the old tritanium arc welder and set to work.

Here’s the IKS Gallant as seen from the rear and facing the viewscreen right as deconstruction began.  You’ll notice the piles of miscellaneous junk that had been tossed onto the old bridge.  The small round holes in the walls were points where the crew control desks would connect with into the walls.  The giant gap beneath the main viewscreen was never filled because it was going to be covered by the front row of crew stations.  The back row of crew stations sat on a raised platform at the rear of the simulator.

One by one the wall panels came off to reveal the underlying skeleton—and to restore access to parts of the living room that hadn’t been seen for years.

Here is the ship completely stripped of its paneling.  You’ll notice the bookcase in the back corner—holding a whole slew of books we hadn’t had access to since the Gallant was first built.

I have to admit that I wasn’t prepared for this experience.  I thought I’d be reclaiming my living room and packing pipes into my basement, but the experience was much more than that.  In fact—and much to my surprise—I found myself getting choked up.  Taking down the Gallanttook only a few hours (it took several months to build!), but that was a long time to reflect on all the sweet memories it provided as well as all the profound experiences it subsequently brought into my life.

The Gallant was the beginning of what has been the most invigorating and rewarding journey of my career—and the realization of a childhood dream.  Now that dream has come to life and is inspiring new dreams in thousands of children—most of whom I’ll never even meet.  The Gallant may not have ever been fully constructed, but it completed its mission far more successfully than I had ever hoped.  It flew well, and I was honored to create it.  And who knows?  Perhaps like a phoenix it will rise from the ashes and take on a new form.  The IKS Gallant will fly again!

This Week in Science and Technology
From Sci-Tech

➤ Fuel-Less space drive: http://goo.gl/xgz2EG - *"NASA tests" 
➤ Transparent mouse: http://goo.gl/VXBY0m
➤ Magnifying glass galaxy: http://goo.gl/Bo6GEz
➤ Malaria vaccine: http://goo.gl/u3mV7s
➤ Smart screen technology: http://goo.gl/ZeMdY8
➤ Stem cells: http://goo.gl/8UWUFU
➤ Cancer-fighting parasite: http://goo.gl/EoGSsh
➤ Extinct penguin discovered: http://goo.gl/A9i3Ow

Tesla Gigafactory: http://is.gd/Y1H9wy
Synthetic Leaf: http://is.gd/NQxRQG
Nanosubmarine: http://is.gd/bjhB4r
Lithium Battery: http://is.gd/mAEIMq
Data Transmission: http://is.gd/ZfbYgy
Adaptive Display: http://is.gd/gf50mY

The Imaginarium

A Space Center Fan Designs a New Starship. The Imaginarium

Hello Space Center Fans,
     Miles Z. is a big time Space Center fan and has been so for the last three years or so.  He started attending camps at the young age of ten at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.  The Voyager was his favorite ship.  He's an intelligent young man with big dreams for the future.  

Miles

    He and his buddies (here's a shout out for Kit) have recently attended several camps at the Discovery Space Center.  A few weeks ago, just before bedtime (remember, I chaperon the space camps at the DSC) Miles asked if I'd be interested in looking at his starship simulator design.  "Send it to me," I replied.  He did and I was impressed.  Take a look.  

     Miles' design incorporates all the features we required in one of our ships.  I like the amount of room he has allocated to the stations.  I like the two levels.  It wouldn't break the bank to build it.  A design well conceived and thought out.  Good job Miles!

     I sent a few questions to Miles for this post.  His reply is below.

  

Hello again, Mr. Williamson,      

     I have attempted to reconfigure the bridge to become more wheelchair accessible.  According to the ADA requirements, an area that is to be able to house a wheelchair safely has to be 3 feet by 4 feet.  I have changed the stairs that led up to the topmost level to a ramp.  In addition, I moved the engineering access hatch into it's own separate nook so a wheelchair could fit in there.  I am still not sure as to how the bottom level can accommodate a wheelchair, due to the stairs that simply would not be functional as a ramp.  A solution I thought of was to put another "transporter" in the bottom level.    This would also serve as another entry point for "intruders".  As of right now, I cannot find a program that renders a 3-D perspective, but I am sure I will be able to find one.  

Here is some information:     

      1. I would like to call it the UCS Tempest           2. The approximate square footage of the revised bridge is 1,401 ft.            3. I do not simply like the space center.  I, like most of the campers at the DSC and CMSEC absolutely love the space center(s).  The greatest thing about the space center is the simulations, it is "Educating minds through the discipline of wonder" and that it provides everybody with the chance to make a difference. It doesn't just tell the story, it lets you be a part of it.             4.) I love the space center, and everything about it.  I wanted to be more than just a camper (I am hoping to soon become a volunteer and eventually a flight director).  I had an idea, and wanted to share it.           5.) I'd like to believe that by the time I graduate high school, I will be qualified enough to enter the Air Force Academy, and train to enter the operating Air Force as a fighter jet pilot. During breaks, I could hopefully travel to Pleasant Grove (A short flight from Colorado Springs) and work with the space centers.  After serving, I would likely try to become either a professional pilot, and engineer, or, if I am very, very, lucky get into NASA or Space x and serve as an astronaut.
Thank you so much for your consideration, 

Miles Z.

The Imaginarium