I woke up this morning. Waking up a good way to start the day. The direction the day takes after your victory over permanent slumber is up to you. My day started with a 7:00 A.M. ultrasound on a slightly used, one owner thyroid accompanied by a blood draw performed by a competent yet haggard phlebotomist. She asked if I had a preference as to which arm should be drained. Left is my usual answer. I write with my right hand. Risking several failed attempts at capturing a vein wasn't worth the adventure. Today I threw caution to the wind and replied "right". She seemed pleased with my choice. Her needle supply, cotton, tape, defibrillator, test tubes, and hour glass were nearest my right arm.
There are some things I can't do. Watching my blood drain into a small vial is one of them. Examining the walls, the posters, the photos of smiling family, the fluorescent bulbs is my solution. Before I knew it, she was done. "Are you on blood thinners?" she asked while deciding what type of tape to use to stop the bleeding. There were two choices: duct tape and medical tape.
"Paint thinners," was my reply. She reached for the duct tape and cotton then stopped when my response penetrated the haze.
I got a smile, not the gut buster I was expecting. "No good, I've heard that too many times. You'll have to try harder next time." With that I got a boot out the door with a promise of a phone call in the not too distant future reporting the results.
The Cave (The video tour of the ship is at the bottom. Be patient)
Timp Cave was my next stop. I hike the cave trail two or three times every morning for exercise. There are stories to tell but they'll wait for another day.
The Simulators (The video tour of the ship is at the bottom. Be patient)
Casey Voeks called just as I settled down on the deck with a good book on the kindertransport from Nazi Germany (a little light summer reading), a sandwich, and a Hart's Gut Buster. The Gut Buster soda is too much for me. I usually get the Super Big Gulp but today's Gut Buster was free. I reached the tenth drink on my Hart's Card. By law, anyone entitled to a free soda must get the biggest size offered or run the risk of ridicule from the cashier and fellow sodaholics. "It's Friday and
you got your free drink. What a great start of the day!" What a curious cashier, finding so much joy in my obviously minor accomplishment. I stood at the counter waiting for balloons and confetti. Disappointment.
"Are you coming?" Casey asked. He reminded me of the appointment we'd made the day before. I was invited to tour the nearly completed simulators under construction at Lakeview Academy; an appointment I wasn't going to miss.
The simulators share the south wall of Lakeview Academy's new full sized gym. The simulator lobby is expansive and can switch from white to blue lights: white for instruction and blue for landing parties etc. An inflatable planetarium will easily fit into the lobby. It's also a great place to sleep campers should Lakeview offer overnight camps.
You'll notice two large revolving doors. The working names for the two ships are Apollo and Artemis. Apollo's entrance is on the left. Artemis on the right. The double control room's entrance is centered between them.
The Apollo's entrance. The revolving door can accommodate wheelchairs.
Both control rooms are similar in appearance. I was reminded that all lights are dimmable - even in the control rooms.
The hallway outside of decontamination will hold display panels giving the campers exact information about their mission. Another sliding glass door separates the display room from the bridge. One push of the button and the door slides open like magic.
The Apollo and Artemis are identical. Both have an upper bridge area behind the command station. Casey stands at the security station accessible by ladder. The yellow door is a nice added safety measure.
A nice sized crawl space extends from the security station and back several feet. A perfect place for engineering activities. It reminds me of the old Odyssey.
The ceiling makes the ship (along with the sliding glass doors and layout). The architects perfectly envisioned a multi leveled ceiling giving the feel of something Space Mountain like. A star field runs down the middle of the ceiling. The stars can be stationary or blinking.
The bridge floor is layered as well. Working stations are carpeted black. Command stations sit on blue.
A small sick bay cubical (right) is carpeted red. The long, narrow room on the left will be separated from the bridge by a partition you'd normally find in a walk in freezer - several door length panel of clear thick plastic. This is where the science station is located.
Lakeview Academy is partnered with our good friends at InfiniD. InfiniD is providing the software and missions. The Apollo and Artemis (remember, working names at the moment. They may change) are unique, impressive, well designed, well built and massively imagineered simulators. You'll love them - no doubt about it. They open with the start of the school year. The ships are primarily used for Lakeview's student body. Every student at Lakeview gets four or five missions per year held during the school day. The ships will be open after school for private missions and summer camps.
The Voyager at Renaissance Academy. The Apollo and Artemis at Lakeview Academy. Three state of the art simulators soon to open in Utah County. Am I right to say that the folks in Utah County are spoiled when it comes to these unique experiential learning opportunities? Add these three new ships to the existing ships and Utah County will have the following 14 simulators in alphabetic order:
Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center: Magellan, Odyssey, Phoenix, Galileo
Discovery Space Center: Everest, Pathfinder
Lakeview Academy: Leo, Apollo, Artemis
Merit Academy: Excalibur and Katina
Mobile Ship: InfiniD's Titan
Renaissance Academy: Voyager
Stone Gate Center for the Arts: Valiant
The Video Tour (Here it is. Thank you for being patient)
Are you ready to take a video tour of the Apollo Simulator? It was filmed in one take so the camera work will be wobbly. I did my best. Thanks to Brandon Wright from InfiniD and director of the Lakeview Academy Space Center for leading us on the tour. Rick Veasy is the school's director and driving force behind the project. He also plays another major role; he is the payer of bills.
The Imaginarium
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