The Space Center's News Roundup. The Magellan Clock. The Phoenix Armrest. Theater Imaginarium. The Imaginarium with the New Wizarding Schools Just Announced.

The Space Center Weekend Roundup

Hello Troops,

     I glanced at the blog and realized how behind I am in reporting the latest news from the Space Centers; which is why you see today's post titled "The Space Center Weekend Roundup. 

     In today's news roundup, I'll cover a few topics or minor interest to most and great interest to a few, while leaving myself a couple good bits to post during the week.  Let's remember that too much of one thing isn't good for the digestion.  It is also worth noting that an overload of Space Center news can cause a rush of nostalgia, which prompts the brain to release waves of serotonin. The serotonin causes a sudden increase in body temperature which, while momentarily pleasant, opens the reader to the resulting emotional crash when he or she realizes how long it has been since he or she experienced the thrill of a space center mission.  Regretfully, the final outcome is depression - all brought on by this blog and my failure to ration the news.  I hope you understand and appreciate my thoughtfulness on your behalf.     

The New Magellan Clock

     You'd have to be a cold blooded sorry excuse for a human being if you're not completely blown away by the Magellan's new control room clock. Not only does it tell the hour and minute, it also displays the seconds along the clock's rim with LED red lights.  The Space Center offers a short, one minute long demonstration of the Magellan Control Room Clock to any interested camper for the nominal fee of $1.00. The fee goes directly to Jon Parker (seated above) to sooth his patience. Jon doesn't take kindly to people standing over him and breathing his air.  

     Two Saturdays ago I walked in and found Jon conducting a clock demonstration for a few of the volunteers.  They got the volunteer 50 cent discount.  They liked the way the seconds moved in a perfect 360 degree circle. I was confused why Jon was using a microphone to conduct the demonstration, considering they were all sitting right there beside him.  
     "I've flown so many missions, it's nearly impossible to talk without a mic in my hand," Jon replied when asked. "It's a real hassle, especially at school. Do you know how embarrasing it is to have to pull this mic out of my backpack everytime I want to talk in class!?  And don't even get me started about what this mic has done to my social life!"   

Natalie Anderson Takes the Phoenix Out for a Spin

     Natalie Anderson is an Odyssey flight director who is seeking to better her position at the Space Center by learning to fly other simulators - namely the Phoenix. I found her giving it a go a couple Saturdays ago. She was in the driver's seat. Phoenix Set Director Jordan Smith was in the passenger seat giving directions. 

     His nerves were obviously shot. His left eye was twitching. His voice quivered and I don't know what he had in that bottle.  Whatever it was, he kept it close. 

     After seeing what Jordan was doing to the armrest, I assumed things weren't going as planned.  Natalie seem oblivious to her mentor's approaching breakdown and chirped away into her microphone for her test subjects. 

     The Phoenix is a spoiled simulator.  Jordan thinks it is his 'baby', which makes former Phoenix set director and Space Center director Megan Warner see red.  "The Phoenix is MINE no matter where I live - California or Utah," Megan said during her recent visit to Utah. Jordan wanted to argue the point, but knew it was an argument he couldn't rationally win.  He stepped into the control room, shut the door, and took out his frustrations on the arm rest.  

The Odyssey Gets New Lighting

     The Odyssey is a beautiful simulator, wouldn't you agree?

     Take a look at the new blue lights installed in the roof support beams.  Tabitha and Natalie installed them in December. It was Tabitha's last contribution to her ship before leaving on an LDS mission. 
     The old Odyssey is very dear to many of you long time Troubadours. You get that warm nostalgic feeling every time you think back on your missions in that long gone, narrow, multileveled ship. But you must agree the new Odyssey is worthy of the name.  So, perhaps it's time to move on and do a mission in the new Odyssey. Give it a chance. I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience.     

Coming Attractions

Coming to The Troubadour in posts this week:  
1. Team Scorpio starts the 2016 Long Duration Mission.  
2. The Space Center's Honor's Night
3. Discovery Space Center's New Director.
4. The Voyager's Engine Room is Taking Shape. 

Stay Tuned!

Mr. Williamson 

Theater Imaginarium

The Imaginarium

30 Years Ago Today. The Space Shuttle Challenger Explodes. We Remember the Astronauts. The Imaginarium.

Crew of mission STS-51 L, lost January 28, 1986

Commander Francis R Scobee

Pilot Michael J Smith

Judith A Resnik

Ellison S Onizuka

Ronald E McNair

Gregory B Jarvis

Sharon Christa McAuliffe

January 28, 1986. The Challenger Accident

Hello Troops,
     Today is the 30th anniversary of the Challenger explosion. We celebrated the seven hero astronauts who died in that accident in each of my three math classes. I wanted my students to understand what happened and why. I urged them to remember that the Challenger astronauts died pursuing their dreams. They were pioneers, blazing a trail into the future for us to follow. 

      School teacher Christa McAuliffe was one of the Challenger Seven. The Space Education Center I founded was named in her honor. It is a tribute to her love of learning and her desire to motivate America's school children to dream big, work hard, and forge ahead overcoming all obstacles to reach their goals.  The Space Center is a testament to the fact that great things can rise from the ashes of tragedy. 

     I want to thank all those who've worked with me over the years to continue Christa's mission. We've done well. I'm sure she'd be proud of what we've accomplished together.

Mr. Williamson    

Wreckage of Challenger during recovery from Atlantic ocean.

Thoughts by Mark Daymont
Farpoint Voyagers Educator

     While we commemorate the loss of the crew, and recognize the courage of those who explore space and understand the value of the risk, let's also remember why it happened. I'm not talking about the actual failure of the frozen o-ring which allowed hot gas to escape the solid rocket motor. I'm talking about the failure of leadership. Someone was too eager to please superiors and succumbed to the pressure of a schedule, ignoring warnings from those who understood the danger. Seven lives were lost. The failure was doubled later, when those guilty of the failure tried to cover up their mistakes by blaming and persecuting the very engineer and team that warned them about the danger.

May NASA and ATK (formerly Thiokol) never make that mistake again.

Challenger in orbit, picture taken from the SPAS satellite.

     After the accident, America endured a period of waiting while engineers and scientists examined the cause of the accident and modified the shuttle boosters so that the same problem would not occur. Let's also remember that there were great sacrifices made by NASA and contractor workers to solve the problems and get us flying again. Eventually, shuttle Discovery returned our nation to space travel.

     We need to encourage private companies to continue their work on new launch vehicles and crew capsules which will give us alternatives to just one government launch system. With the competitive nature of Boeing, Lockheed, Space X, and Virgin Galactic, we look forward to a more prosperous space travel scenario.

The Imaginarium