The Troubadour

Sunday, November 30, 2014

New Space Camp Ad at University Mall. Great Deals on DSC Space Camps. Space and Science News. The Imaginarium.

Hello Space EdVenture Fans,
The Troubadour has been offline for the week for obvious reasons. The holiday is in the rear-view mirror and life returns to normal. Company is gone, food digested, carb hangover
Alka-Seltzered through and house clean. Peace has returned. There is balance in the Force. How has your week gone?
The Discovery Space Center held an overnight camp on Friday. We had fifteen great kids on a new (new for DSC) mission Bracken wrote a few years ago. He told me my reaction to hearing the story for the first time was negative back in the day.
"Worse story you've ever written," Bracken quoted me as saying back then. I told him I didn't remember being so negative toward anyone's mission ideas. "You were that negative with this one," he said as we were getting the campers ready for bed and lights out. He gave me a script to reacquaint myself with the plot. I'll give it another read through to see if my opinion has softened.
I asked the campers what they thought of the story. Their reviews were great. The captain replied that it was the best mission he'd done at the DSC. So, either I was wrong and the story really is good, or Bracken had a really good staff helping him power through a weak script with excellent acting and outstanding away teams :) We shall see....

NEW DSC AD AT UNIVERSITY MALL

Casey Voeks and Team at the Discovery Space Center are happy to announce the placement of a new ad at the University Mall in Orem - just in time for the holidays! Anyone found depositing their used and flavorless chewing gum on this sign will be rounded up in the dead of night by the Galactic Security Forces and punished accordingly.
The advertisement somewhat reminds me of the obelisk from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I think the ad would look better with HAL peering at mall shoppers from the display's side and commenting as they passed.

What kind of creepy things could a HAL 9000 say to passing shoppers to attract their attention to our Space Camp advertisement?

In addition to the new ad, the DSC is offering a Black Hole Black Friday and Cyber-Monday shopping bargain. Check out the ad below.

Have a great week Troops!

Mr. Williamson.

Space and Science News

First 3D Object Printed in Space

Expedition 42 Commander Barry Wilmore of NASA holds up the first object printed aboard the ISs by the new 3D printing machine.

"Butch" Wilmore, commander of the current Expedition 42 aboard the ISS, installed the 3D printer a couple of weeks ago on November 17th. In coordination with ground engineer teams, calibration tests were made on November 20. Finally ready on November 24, the controllers sent a command to the printer to create a copy of the faceplate of the casing of the printer. This act proves that the machine can, in fact, make some replacement parts for itself. Then the next day, Commander Wilmore removed the part and inspected it. It was discovered that the adhesion of the printed object to its production tray was very strong, more than anticipated. There is some speculation that the material's bonding may be slightly different due to the Zero-G situation. After each printed object is made, analysis will help the engineers fine-tune the device to prepare it for full operational status.

Picture of the 3D printer before launch and some of the objects that are planned to be printed in space.

The 3D printer on the ISS was designed and built by Made In Space, Inc. based in Moffat Field, California. All of the parts that will be printed will eventually be flown back to Earth for greater study. With the cancellation of the Space Shuttle, that would have been difficult due to the limitations on what can be carried down from orbit on the Soyuz return capsules. However, with the success of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spaceship, experiments and equipment can be safely returned to Earth for further studies.

By Mark Daymont
Farpoint Educator

The Imaginarium

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Two Level Three Flight Directors Discovered. Saturday at the Space Centers. The Imaginarium.

Two Level Three Flight Directors Discovered

Last week I wrote about Mr. James Porter. I mentioned that Mr. Porter was a Level 2 Flight Director - able to do two things at once, thus needing a second person to operate his lights during a Magellan mission. In the article I mentioned that Level 3 flight directors were a dying breed. I was wrong as you're about to see for yourselves.

May I present Jorden O. Jorden is a Discovery Space Center flight director who also moonlights
at Party Land. Jorden was flying an Endeavor mission when I caught him Level 3 Flight Directing! Notice he has one hand on the sound mixer, one hand on the computer for screen and sound effects AND has his flight directing microphone skillfully positioned on his chest. This is amazing. I proclaim Jorden O., a Level Three Flight Director. By the way, his fannypack with the disinfecting wipes, air mask, Lysol mini-spray bottle, and plastic gloves hung on a peg near the door - easily got to in case of a microscopic outbreak or the close proximity of someone breathing his air.

Conner L., is the other newly found Level 3 Flight Director as seen in the photo above flight directing a Magellan mission at the CMSEC. You'll notice one hand on the keyboard for music, one toe on the sound effects keyboard and a hand with the microphone. Not to let Jorden share in the limelight, Conner let me in on a secret. He is developing a headband with meter stick attachment to be used to control his own lighting. That will make him a Level 4 Flight Director, something not even the greatest have pulled off. I'll keep you informed of developments.

Conner - the one man band - isn't too popular with the other Magellan staff. Notice Natalie and Tabitha sitting with nothing to do because Conner was doing it all himself. During a break in the Magellan story, I expressed by concerns about their job security. Conner chuckled. "Who needs 'em? I've got my young clone right here," he said referring to his younger brother. Collin smiled, leaned forward and whispered into Natalie's ear. "You're going down," I overheard him say.

Saturday at the Space Centers

Collin L., is the newest member of our Farpoint Voyagers Cadet Squadron. I met him during my brief Saturday stopover at the CMSEC. He was there for his last observation. You are right to think he looks like someone you know. Collin is the younger brother of Connor L., renowned DSC and CMSEC flight director. Collin has decided to follow in his older brother's footsteps and see if the Space Center might be a perfect fit to occupy some of his free time. Be sure to say "Hello" and "Welcome" to Collin when you see him next.

I didn't mean to disturb Andrew. He was sitting quietly in the Magellan Control Room enjoying a good daydream when I burst in. A crew of high school students had just loaded; it was their pre-Sadie Hawkins Dance activity.
Andrew is an outstanding Space Center employee who started as a volunteer several years ago as a youngling. He works as a Magellan supervisor. But deep down inside I sense Andrew would like to do more than supervise. He looks comfy in that flight director's chair. He seems to be well acquainted with the simulator's controls. I believe Andrew was sizing out the chair for a possible lateral employment maneuver. "Do the current Magellan flight directors have anything to fear?" I asked as he got up from the chair, moved around me, and sat in his normal place at second chair.
"Not as long as you keep what you saw to yourself," he cautioned while tapping an index finger against the side of his nose - the universal sign that he knows something I don't. I told him mum was the word and his secret would go no farther, apart from you Troubadour fans, of course. Keep what you've just read and seen to yourselves.

Phoenix Set Director Miranda is getting far too lax in her team expectations. Here she is seen flight directing the Phoenix - FROM A STOOL! Jordan, supposedly her subordinate, is sitting in the flight director's chair. Notice he is also out of uniform.
Could it be that Jordan is calling the shots in the Phoenix now? Could Mr. Porter, CMSEC Director, have a potential staffing problem on his hands? Does Miranda have the backbone to stand up to this usurper - this young claimant to power? Can Jordan be shut down before he makes his next move?
It may be too late for poor Miranda. It appears Jordan's next move was already in play. He brought in the heavy guns for this coup d'état.

Why look at who "happened" to drop by for this particular Phoenix mission on Saturday - Christine Grosland, former CMSEC Superstar flight director and Odyssey Set Director. She smiled for the photo, but let there be no doubt, Christine uses her broad smile as a disarming tactic.
"Is Christine back?" I asked, speaking to her in the third person as I snapped the photo.
Christine took no time in answering. "I just thought I'd pop by. I heard Miranda was flying." Jordan cleared his throat. Christine got serious and went back to monitoring her second chair screen. With that sudden cooling of the air, I thought it best to withdraw and shut the door. Miranda is on her own now. Will she survive the week as Phoenix Set Director?

While all that was going on, Mr. James Porter and Mr. Matt Long were in the school's hallway examine two new switch panels for the Odyssey. Matt will take the panels, use his electronic magic, and turn them into two cool activities for Odyssey crews.

Finally, for old time's sake, I took this picture of Central's gym. This was our (and still is for the current CMSEC staff) primary staging area for camps and home to many of our mission's landing parties. The old time staff spent so much of their volunteering time setting up and taking down wrestling pads and folding chairs for phaser battles and away teams. The gym was also one of our primary sleeping areas for the camps. It is impossible to count all the times the staff and volunteers set up and took down cots for the overnight and summer camps. This was also the home to some of the fiercest Bombardment and Dodgeball battles ever fought on American soil.
Good times for sure were had in this gym.

Mr. Williamson

The Imaginarium