Patch Designs to Celebrate the Launch of the New USS Voyager (Mark II). Kadie's Dream - A Child Inspired by Simulator Based Education. The Imaginarium.

Hello Space Fans!
Last week was one of those weeks I'll use to anchor time.  Anchors are the tales told at social gatherings - the blackards we wear that advertise who and what we are.  Suffice to say, and not to induce you to slumber, we shall move to more interesting news with my textual standard battle cry, "We Soldier On!" 

Before we do, I want to share something else totally off topic.  Ever get one of these types of emails?

Dear  Victor,

My name is Steve ********.  My wife and I have our cabin on Lot *** across ****** Trail from your lot [my brother and I own 8 acres of the once beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota ] As you are probably aware, there have been scattered areas in the development infested with pine beetles. Last summer 6 very large trees lining our driveway were attacked. This was kind of heart-breaking, but I chose, at a fairly large expense, to have the trees removed to prevent further spread. This year, again at some expense, I had a majority of the ponderosa pines on my property sprayed to hopefully prevent further losses.

However, it has been noted that there are a number of trees infested with pine beetles on your lot.  I would like to encourage you to have these trees removed, not only to preserve the trees, appearance, and salability of your own property, but to prevent further damage to trees on our property. You might also consider spraying your healthy trees.  Apparently the Firewise Program, which most of the homeowners have agreed to participate in, includes clearing of bug trees.  Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this work will be completed prior to the typical mid-July pine beetle "flight" this summer.

Thanks!
Life is like that, just when you clear your plate of something foul, someone or something serves up a heaping scoop of something equally disgusting! Who wants to deal with an infestation of pine beetles? I think I'll become an environmentalist and make a roadside sign for my 8 acres. "Pine Beetle Reserve.  See these wonders of Nature in their Natural Environment.  Tickets on Sale Now!"

There is another solution involving a match, but I don't think my neighbor would appreciate it as much as I would enjoy doing it.

Make lemonade - right?

Moving on.....

Which Patch Designs Do You Like?

Chris Alldredge, a member of our Space Education Center Foundation's Board of Directors, designed a few patches to celebrate the launching of the USS Voyager (Mark II) sometime this summer.  Realizing it costs a good chunk of money to have a patch sewn  (not as much as having 'several' trees cut down because of pine beetles), we'd like your feedback.  Which design(s) is/are your favorite (which translates to "If you had $5, and you couldn't spend it on a roadside snow cone, which patch would you buy if any")?    

                                           Patch 1                                                           Patch 2

                                          Patch 3                                                        Patch 4

       Patch 5

Patch 6

Patch 7

Patch 8

Drop us an email with your thoughts.  spacecamputah@gmail.com

Mr. W. 

An Update from our Friends at Dream Flight Adventures

Kadie’s Dream

by Admiral Starblayze
Dreamflight Adventures

Two years ago I had a very unusual opportunity.  I had the pleasure of visiting Baden Academy Charter School where one young girl—Kadie—was spearheading an effort to bring Dream Flight Adventures to her school.

We receive inquires about building simulators all the time, but they usually come from teachers and district administrators.  And naturally students always comment “I wish my school had one of these,” but that’s usually where the conversation stops.  Not so for Kadie at Baden Academy.  Over the past two years she has devoted her time and energy to making her “Baden Dream” a reality.

Dream Bigger! That is Kadie’s message. Her story of moving from a small idea to one that has involved much of our school is extraordinary. She communicates an entrepreneurial spirit alongside her earnest desire to make a gift to her school community.
Kadence is an entrepreneur and leader of the online company Baden Dreams. She has spent several years attempting to come up with creative ways to raise money to bring the indoor playground, Dream Flight Adventures, to our campus.

She started out trying to raise money for playground equipment, but during her research she stumbled upon our program and immediately latched onto the dream.  When I met with her and told her about how other schools have gone about getting a simulator—a complex process that almost always involves raising grant funding—she was undaunted.  She didn’t quite know how selling handmade jewellery on Zazzle.com would accomplish this mighty feat, but she didn’t let it stop her.  She’s fearless, and it’s that same unconquerable entrepreneurial spirit that made Dream Flight Adventures come to life in the first place.

We are humbled and amazed at Kadie’s perseverance.  Two years have passed, and her homegrown efforts are still going strong.  She recently made this TED-Ed Club talk, and we were so inspired that we simply had to share it with the world.  If we had the resources, we’d donate an entire simulator to Baden Academy simply on behalf of Kadie and her dream.  And who knows, maybe some fairy godmother will hear her story and together we can make this dream come true.

The Imaginarium

Meet Discovery Space Center's Two New Assistant Directors. Shoeism, The Imagineering of a Peculiar Romulan Cultural Trait. The Imaginarium.

Discovery Space Center's New Assistant Directors

Skyler Payne and Emily Covey are Discovery Space Center's two new Assistant Directors.  They were hired to take the place of Jorden Osborn, who has requested a lighter schedule to allow for a bit of play time before he reports to the MTC to serve an LDS mission (note to Jorden: how awesome it must be to know two people were hired to take your place :)  

Skyler started at DSC three months ago. He graduated from Pleasant Grove High School (which makes him an awesome person by default). Some of you old timers may remember him from the Space Center where he worked as a young volunteer for eighteen months a few years ago. 

Skyler is in charge of DSC's social media. AND to prove his trustworthiness, Casey assigned him to supervise the company's finances. You know who to go to when you need a quick loan (he charges 25% interest).  Just this afternoon he interrupted a discussion Casey and I were having to ask for business envelopes. Casey reached into his pocket, took out his car keys, and told him to fetch his wallet.  I was surprised by Casey's next words, "Take out the company credit card and go buy some."

Skyler is just that kind of guy.  He's hard working, friendly, and knows how to manage people. The DSC is lucky to have him on board.   

Emily Covey is just as awesome, which makes them both equal Assistant Directors.  Emily proved her awesomeness in the DSC's field trip classroom instructing and entertaining over 60 kids a day.  She likes the people aspect of the business - getting to work with the customers, staff, and interns - face to face.  Her favorite part of the job is seeing the faces of the campers as they board the simulators.  "Their faces light up in awe," she said. "I like how the missions help the kids work as a team and communicate better." 

Emily will work primarily with the interns and manage the summer campers.  Another feather in her cap was convincing Skyler to watch a Star Trek episode or two. "How can you work at Sci-Fi Central without liking science fiction?" she explained.  

Casey Voeks found the right people to help him at the Discovery Space Center. Skyler and Emily are excellent for the job, enthusiastic about DSC's mission, and persuasive missionaries for this type of experiential education.    

I should have removed the vacuum cleaner before taking the picture...

Shoeism:  The Imagineering of a Peculiar Romulan Character and Cultural Trait

By Jacob Brown
With inspiration from (Stephanie H, Elise, and Bronson)

(Before you read Jacob's superb essay, let me explain.  Jacob, Stephanie, Elise and Bronson were working as support players for one of the recent LDM missions.  During the mission Jacob took off his left shoe and decided that a one shoed Romulan would be his character. Over the next few minutes, the character expanded with much contribution from the rest of the volunteers for the LDM.  It eventually ended up evolving into the document below. Thank you for writing it up and thanks to all those who helped in the creation).
Mr. W.  

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL YEARS ARE CALCULATED IN EARTH YEARS, NOT ROMULAN YEARS, SO PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT AS SUCH.

ALSO NOTE THAT ALL STRIPES ARE ON THE RIGHT SHOE.

In modern Romulan culture, there is a subculture called Shoeism. In this sub-culture, male and female shoes look the same, or very similar, depending on where in the Romulan Empire (or otherwise) that they live. Single, male Romulans wear both shoes, whereas, single, female Romulans wear only their right shoe. After much courting, the male Romulan decides he wants to get married. In order to propose the male needs to take off his left shoe and offer it to the female Romulan. If the female wants to get married she takes the shoe that was offered. Before the wedding the female is not allowed to wear the shoe that was offered to her so she wears a flip flop or sandal until the wedding day. The wedding customarily takes place within one year after the male proposes. At the wedding the couple takes on the customary vows and the female puts on the left shoe that was offered to her as the male proposed.

Once married, the male is not allowed to wear a left shoe. The female, after marriage, is allowed to purchase a matching set of shoes. She must wear both shoes at all times. If the female wants a divorce, she must first get an approval by appealing to  the local government official. If the government official approves she is to burn her left shoe in front of her former husband. If the male wants a divorce, he must convince his wife that a divorce is the right thing, as she is the only one who is allowed to get a divorce. After the couple gets divorced, the male must get a new pair of shoes. This time the males new pair of shoes must have a red stripe* on them. If the female dies after marriage, she is buried or burned with her left shoe making the male, again, required to purchase a new set of shoes with a black stripe, along with any other stripes that he may have gathered. If the male dies after marriage, to remember him, the female etches her now dead husband’s name on the side of the left shoe that was offered to her at the wedding and puts it in a designated box in the home.

The age at which a Romulan is issued his/her first pair of shoes at the age of 26 and a half, an auspicious age that dates back to the beginnings of Romulan culture. The reason the Romulans picked this age is because it combines the qualities of the numbers two and six. The number two represents the dual aspects of a Romulans mind. The number six represents the six Millennia that passed before the Romulans gained control over their emotions. There is a difference between control and dampening. The Vulcans Dampen their emotions, the Romulans simply control them. (This is counting from the first recorded instance of written language). The half a year is simply because Romulan children learn to walk at nearly exactly half a year in Earth years, and so the Romulans that adhere to this subculture generally start the count of years from that time. The age at which a Romulan can no longer marry is at age 160. If a Romulan is still married when he or she turns 160, they can stay married. The age limit applies only to new marriages.

The officials at the Cultural Office are the ones that distribute new pairs of shoes to those who are in need of them. They hold all the males previous records and when a new pair of shoes is required, the Romulan will visit the local distributor and file for a new pair, which will be created according to the Romulans foot size and the stripes will be imprinted accordingly by the Cultural Office.

If the male has two red stripes or a red and a black stripe on his shoe, their next full set of shoes is required to have a yellow stripe. Once a male Romulan gets a yellow stripe he is not allowed to marry (or court) for two years. These two years are spent in menial labor. After the menial labor is completed, the Male earns a blue stripe, signifying that he has completed the labor. A Second yellow stripe can then be earned. The second yellow stripe can only be earned with one red stripe. In order for the male Romulan to become eligible to marry again he must serve another five years in a Romulan mining facility or other menial labor facility. Once he has completed his term he will be issued a new pair of shoes with the appropriate amount of stripes (eg: if he had a green stripe before his new shoes will have a green stripe of the same shade). These new shoes will also have a second blue stripe to signify he has finished his term at the mining or other menial labor facility. After this, if the Male earns any other stripes, his shoes are taken away and he becomes a hobo.

So, in summary: A Red stripe is imprinted  on a Males shoe after a divorce. A Black stripe is imprinted after a spouse’s death. The first Yellow stripe is imprinted after either two Reds or a Red and a Black. The second Yellow stripe can only be earned by a further two divorces. The Blue stripe is imprinted after the male has served his two year sentence in menial labor facility, which is served after earning the first Yellow stripe. After the Second Yellow stripe is earned by receiving another stripe of any kind, the Romulan must spend five years working in a menial labor facility, as opposed to the two years of the first yellow stripe. After these five years, if any further stripes are earned, the Romulans shoes are taken away and given to any Female homeless Romulans living in the area. All of the Male’s belongings are given to this homeless Romulan. The only way to come back into the culture after being a hobo is leaving the culture and earning your way back into prosperity. If you do this, you have officially left the subculture, meaning your shoes no longer have any stripes. The Green stripe is imprinted on every pair of shoes (females included) that the Romulan receives, even the first pair, if the Romulan has or is carrying has any kind of Genetic Disease that could impair the facilities of any offspring. The more vibrant the green, the worse the disease it is. A darker green is usually minor enough to not matter, but the vibrant greens can be life-threatening, or, worse in the eyes of some Romulans, a learning disorder or something similar.

 The Imaginarium