Contact Victor Williamson with your questions about simulator based experiential education programs for your school.
SpaceCampUtah@gmail.com

Saturday, April 29, 2017

More Posts from Space Center History: August 2000. Space News. The Imaginarium

More Posts from the Past. August 2000. Mentioned in This Post: Brian Hawkins, Metta Smith, Kevin Anderson, Stephen Porter, Rick Cowdell 

August 14, 2000

SPACE CENTER FIELD TRIP PARENT NOTE

Where: Field trip to Hill Air Force Base and Lagoon
When: August 17th.
Depart: Central Elementary School August 17th at 8:00 A.M. (participants should arrive at the school by 7:45 A.M.)
Return: Central Elementary School August 17th at 9:30 P.M.
Cost: $10.00 to $25.00 depend on the amount of hours you worked during the summer. 
What to Bring: Money, This form signed, a sack lunch or money for lunch, swim suit and towel (if you what to swim at Lagoona 
Beach)

Parents, 
This form is required so your child may attend our Hill Air Force Base/Lagoon End of the Summer Field Trip. The price includes the school district bus, entrance to Lagoon and Laguna Beach, and an all you can eat supper of 1/4 pounder hamburgers and hot 
dogs. Each participant is required to bring their own sack lunch or buy lunch at Lagoon. 

Our first stop will be Hill Air Force Base for a tour of the Air Force Museum. Afterwords we travel to Lagoon. Those under the age of 14 will be required to check in with me every 2 hours. We will leave Lagoon at 8:15 P.M. and should arrive back at Central 
at 9:30 P.M.(depending on traffic).

Please sign below and have your student bring this form on Thursday. 


Hello Voyagers!
I want to take a minute and inform everyone that Brian Hawkins has returned from his mission to Portland Oregon! Brian was our Hypercard programmer until he left for his mission. Many of you first came to the Space Center and did missions 
using Brian's programs. 

Brian will be put to work programming our new oceanography controls for the Magellan, Odyssey, and Galileo. We will see if we can talk him into teaching Allan's advanced programming class again and starting a new class for those of you interested in learning 
hypercard programming. 

AGAIN, WELCOME BACK BRIAN!



Posted by Rick Cowdell

Always look to the positive . . .
>>
>> My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE -
>> "If you're going to kill each other, do it outside -
>> I just finished cleaning!"
>>
>> My mother taught me RELIGION -
>> "You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
>>
>> My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL:
>> "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle
of
>> next week!"
>>
>> My mother taught me LOGIC:
>> "Because I said so, that's why. "
>>
>> My mother taught me FORESIGHT -
>> "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an 
accident."
>>
>> My mother taught me IRONY -
>> "Keep laughing and I'll *give* you something to cry about."
>>
>> My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS -
>> "Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"
>>
>> My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM -
>> "Will you *look* at the dirt on the back of your neck!"
>>
>> My mother taught me about STAMINA -
>> "You'll sit there 'til all that spinach is finished."
>>
>> My mother taught me about WEATHER -
>> "It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."
>>
>> My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS -
>> "If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you; would you
listen
>> then?"
>>
>> My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY -
>> "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times - Don't
>exaggerate!!!"
>>
>> My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE -
>> "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
>>
>> My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION -
>> "Stop acting like your father!"

Hi my name is Kevin Anderson
I just got back from my three week trip to Idaho to visit my cousin and help drive spud trucks for the grain harvest, and I found out that my application letter got accepted so I am
now in the waiting list.

A little bit about my self: I am 14 and go to AF Jr. High I have lived in Utah the last 10 years, before I lived here I lived in Washington D.C. and my dad worked at the Pentagon (but he can't tell me exactly what he did there but he did say it had something to do with computers). 

I like science, space, reading books, watching star trek, playing my computer, riding motor cycles, and playing football. Right now I am in a lot of pain because I was swimming in a canal on Friday and slipped when I was climbing out and hit face first into a big rock and broke my front two teeth in half exposing the nerve and bit a big chunk out of my lip,
so I went to a dentist in Idaho and he covered the nerve with filling and said to have my dentist build by teeth back to normal when the roots stabilize a little more, so I am going in tomorrow to see if they can fix it yet. I hope they can fix it before school starts. 

I have already wasted too much of your time so I will talk to you all later.
Kevin

August 21, 2000
Hello everyone out there this is Metta Smith. I am 14 years old,  until November 29, and I am going to Mt. Ridge Junior High this year. 

Sincerly,
Metta M. Smith 

MODERATOR'S NOTE:
ONCE AGAIN THE BLACE MARK OF THE MODERATOR MUST STRIKE CERTAIN PASSAGES FROM MR. PORTER'S SARCASTIC ESSAY. 
AND NOW STEPHEN'S REMARKS.......EDITED REMARKS.

Hi, I am Stephen Porter.
Who are you?
oh, really? I have never heard of you.
Oh well.
Maybe next time kid!

Hey, Delete "CENSORED" from the volunteers thingy... is that guy still  breathing the petulant gasses as the rest of we mortals? I have not seen hide nor hair of the little guy since the high school  mission... off with his head!

Hey, I added another MP3 to the file section.

Check it out!

I just bought one of them new fangled "ball-less" mice. It is glowing bright red right now, so I haven't touched it. (I hope it goes to sleep at night, or else I won't get any winks.)

Hey, does anybody out there have an extra copy of adobe photoshop. If you do... I want it for free.

Down with the man, heaven is a halfpipe - OPM

Yeah for wayne, he is one of few people whose posts last more than 3  seconds on my screen. HEY YAA!

Boo to "CENSORED" ... She needs to be shot into the street and  dragged. I mean, why do you waste my bandwidth with such pointless  dribble as "CENSORED" in big pretty colors... Wow, it is cool  that you know HTML... that is really cool... but don't flaunt it
every second of the day, then it becomes annoying and Cliche.

Boo to judge Dredd, have you ever seen that movie?

Yeah to Cool volunteers, you know... the ones that only speak when it  is appropriate.

"I INVITE ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEERS TO RESPOND TO THIS LAST STATEMENT OF STEPHEN'S"

Third wonder.

Boo to the gallileo, cause it has wheels.

Yeah to the voyager, it has a color projector.

Boo to the magellan, for the obvios reasons.

Yeah to the odyssey, wait, on second thought... boo.

Huzzah to the falcon, to only simulator that you board via extra 
vehicular activity.

Boo to board games, they smell of old spice.


Boo!! yeah! thats right... you like that? huh? thats what I thought.

Stephen Porter - Boo, hiss, queen of filth.

Le traducteur d'AltaVista de visite pour toute votre traduction a 
besoin... sur l'Internet. 

AS THE MODERATOR I MUST ASSUME STEPHEN HAS HAD A BAD DAY. PERHAPS THERE WAS NO PRIZE IN HIS BOX OF CRAKER JACKS. ONE CAN ONLY WONDER. LET US NOT GROW IN ANGER TOWARD THIS POOR SOLE SITTING ON THAT FRAYED LAWN CHAIR IN HIS BACK YARD LOOKING DEEPLY INTO THE EMPTY BOX WONDERING WHAT FATE WOULD DO WITH HIS PRIZE. YES, HIS PRIZE. THE PRIZE HE WAITED FOR AS HE SAVORED EACH CARMEL
KERNAL AND SAVORY PEANUT. NOW WHAT IS THERE TO LOOK FOWARD TO............? HE STANDS AND TOSSES THE BOX - THE CAUSE OF HIS DISAPPOINTMENT. HE MOVES THROUGH THE HOUSE INTO HIS BEDROOM. SITTING ON HIS BED HE OPENS HIS DRESSER AND REACHES IN TO PULL OUT HIS SOCKS. AT LEAST FATE CAN'T TAKE THIS SIMPLE PLEASURE AWAY FROM HIM. THE THRILL OF SORTING SOCKS BEFORE BED. 

"WHERE'S THE MATCH FOR THIS ONE?" HE MUMBLES AS HE SEARCHES THE PILE.
"THERE YOU ARE YOU LITTLE SNEAK! THOUGHT YOU'D GET AWAY DIDN'T YOU." HE SAYS AS HE TOSSES THE CRAFTY SOCK INTO THE AIR, THEN HOLDS IT CLOSE AND LOOKS DEEPLY AT THE COLOR, THE KNIT - THEN UP TO THE NOSE ..................A DEEP BREATH...............EVEN BLINDFOLDED HE CAN TELL THEM APART. 

INTO THE DRAWER THEY GO. THE LIGHTS GO OUT AND INTO BED HE CRAWLS. WHILE OTHERS DREAM OF GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS AND ROMANCE HIS EYES ROLL BACK IN THOUGHTS OF FRUIT OF THE LOOM OVER THE CALF. 

GOOD NIGHT STEPHEN..........
GOOD NIGHT ALL.........


MR. WILLIAMSON

Space News
By Mark Daymont
spacerubble.blogspot.com

China succeeds at first resupply spacecraft docking



Engineers helping to assemble the Tianzhou-1 robotic space cargo vessel.
On Thursday April 19, China took another step toward its goal of permanent Chinese presence in Earth Orbit, with the launch of a Long March 7 from the Wenchang Space Launch Center. Atop the rocket as the Tianzhou-1, China's first robotic resupply spacecraft. Looking very similar to the standard shape of international space cargo ships such as Cygnus, Japan's H-2, ESA's ATV, the Tianzhou-1 was set on an orbital approach to rendezvous with the Tiangong-2 space station.


Computer representation of Tianzhou-1 in orbit with power panels deployed.

Computer representation of Tianzhou-1 docking with the station Tiandong-2.
 The spacecraft rendezvoused with the station and docked successfully on Saturday the 22nd. With the main objective completed, engineers will study the combined craft operations and testing for two months. After that, Tianzhou-1 will undock and then begin a three-month period of orbital testing. Like many other cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1 is not designed to safely land back on Earth, but will eventually be de-orbited and burned up in the atmospheric re-entry.


Expedition 51 gets off to a busy start on ISS



Current docking arrangements on the ISS. (NASA)

Since the crew switch-over in mid-April, Peggy Whitson has been in command of the ISS and operational leader of Expedition 51. With the departure of Soyuz MS-02 earlier, that left three crew on the station to begin the Expedition 51 adventure: NASA astronaut (and station commander) Peggy Whitson, and flight engineers Oleg Novitskiy (Roscosmos), and Thomas Pesquet (ESA). While the crew awaited reinforcements from Earth, they continued biological and technical experiments, and important maintenance for an upcoming EVA on May 12. 

Once again spaceships left Earth to take supplies and new crewmembers to the station. First off the pad (LC-41) was Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo spaceship, riding atop an Atlas V rocket, on Tuesday April 18. A couple of days later, on April 20th, SOyuz MS-04 blasted off from Baikonur carrying two new crewmembers, Fyodor Yurchikhin (Roscosmos) and Jack Fisher (NASA).


Last minute photos before the roll-out of the rocket that will carry them to orbit. Yurchikhin (L) and Fisher (R). (NASA)

The Cygnus cargo ship was already in orbit when the Soyuz blasted off the pad. But this time, unlike the previous several launches, there were no more new tests to do certifying the advanced Soyuz, so the craft entered a fast-track six-hour orbital path to the station. Cygnus was on a slow approach that would bring it to the station several days later.



The tried-and-true Soyuz arcs upwards on a fast trip to the station. (NASA)


Soyuz MS_04 arrives at the station (NASA TV)


Six hours later, at 7:18 am Mountain daylight time, MS-04 finally docked at the Poisk module on the ISS. Crewmembers began the seemingly long process of equalizing pressures and turning off the propulsion systems. Three hours later the hatches were opened and Expedition 51 had a total of five crew on board. This was Yurchikhin's fifth trip to the space station, and this was Fisher's first trip to space.


NASA TV image of Cygnus spaceship maneuvering into position after reaching the station.
 On Saturday the 22nd, The Cygnus spacecraft had arrived at the station. Using the robotic arm, Peggy Whitson and Thomas Pesquet grappled the cargo ship and brought it to its docking port on the Unity module. The cargo ship was named the John Glenn, after the famous Mercury astronaut who had passed away last year. The cargo amounted to 7,600 pounds of supplies, fuel, air, and experiments. It will stay at the station for about three months while it is unloaded, and garbage stored back into it. 

On April 24, a special moment arrived for the station. Astronaut Peggy Whitson broke the record for US astronauts cumulative time in space, marking 535 days total on her several missions. During the day she received a congratulatory call from President Trump at the Whitehouse. Congratulations to Commander WHitson on this incredible achievement.

The Imaginarium





































































































Sunday, April 23, 2017

Meet the New Staff and Volunteers at Telos Discovery Space Center. The Magellan Dream Team? The Odyssey's VIP Guests. More Posts from August 2000 in the Blast from the Past Section. Theater Imaginarium.

New Staff Positions Announced at Telos Discovery Space Center


Telos DSC Director Megan Warner, Elliott M., New Supervisor and Flight Director Trainee, and Canyon Grove Site Manager Maeson Busk 
I stopped by Telos Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy on Saturday and met a new member of the Telos DSC staff.  Elliott (in orange) was recently hired as a new supervisor for the Everest and Pathfinder simulators. He was also going for his flight director pass that afternoon. 

Elliott is a 10th grader at Maeser Academy in Orem and started volunteering at the TDSC a year ago. 
He flew his first mission on the USS Phoenix at the CMSEC when he was 8 years old.  He's a starfleet veteran having served on board the Phoenix, Voyager, and Magellan. His favorite mission at the TDSC is Ultimatum.  

Welcome to the Space Center family Elliott.  You've got a couple of great bosses. 

A New Crop of Volunteer / Interns at the Telos Discovery Space Center

 Volunteerism is at the heart of all Voyager inspired space education centers. Volunteers provide the extra hands needed to enrich a mission and populate the story with characters. Hard working, talented volunteers who stick with it and learn the art of simulation based experiential education can easily find paid work when they're old enough at Utah County's four space education centers. 

I met a few of TDSC's new volunteers on Saturday. They were just about to start an away mission for the crew of the Everest, but upon Maeson's orders, were kind enough to pause for a quick photo. 


Maeson (in red) spoke highly of this new crop of volunteers and proudly stood in the photo with them.  Next to Maeson is John. John is 14 and a student at Vista Heights in Saratoga Springs.  Then Jake, also 14, a student at Timberline Junior High in Highland.  Elisabeth is next. She's 14 and homeschooled. Jonathan 16 has been at the TDSC for several months now and is the assistant volunteer supervisor. He attends Timpview High School in Provo.

The Magellan Dream Team?  Perhaps..

In my Saturday visits I encountered what could be considered the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Magellan simulator Dream Team.


Jon Parker, CMSEC Assistant Director, was at the helm directing a five hour mission. Beside him sat Isaac Ostler who's been a part of the CMSEC for nearly five years.  Isaac did his final volunteer observation with Jon in July 2012. It was the USS Voyager's final mission before the ship was permanently decommissioned and retired to Space Center history.  Behind them sat Orion, a talented young rising star at the CMSEC. Orion also volunteers on the new Voyager at Farpoint.  Missing from the photo is Lindsey. She had the bridge. Lindsey is the CMSEC's director of the Acting Guild. Her job is to train new volunteers in the art of simulator acting.  

Saturday's Magellan five hour crew were blissfully unaware of the talent running their mission. What I know is that they had fantastic time; and who wouldn't with the Dream Team at the helm.  

Look Who I Found in the Odyssey Control Room


James and Christine Smith just happen to be visiting the CMSEC when I stopped by on Saturday. Brylee (Odyssey Flight Director) had them sequestered in her control room, jealously guarding their time. Just look at the faces of the Odyssey's staff realizing the privilege they had of just being in the same cramped room with two legends of the Space Center.  

Christine and James are expecting their first child in July. It will be the fourth Space Center baby - born from parents who first met while working at the CMSEC.  

Christine will be interning in the 4th grade at Vineyard Elementary in Orem this next school year. Her students will be lucky to have her as their teacher.  

Another Blast From the Past Post from the CMSEC's First Internet Group: YahooGroup SpaceEdVentures  

August 1, 2000

Hello Voyagers!
Here are the polling results for camp 485

A perfect score is 1  The worst score is 5

Galileo: 1.107
Voyager: 1.131
Magellan: 1.278
Odyssey: 1.305
Falcon: 1.72
Classroom Session: 1.90

60% of the 15 students that flew in the Galileo said it was the rotation that made them think the most.
34% of the 65 students that flew in the Voyager said it was the rotation that made them think the most.
17% of the 65 students that flew in the Magellan said it was the rotation that made them think the most.
15% of the 40 students that flew in the Odyssey said it was the rotation that made them think the most.
11% of the 65 students that flew in the Falcon said it was the rotation that made them think the most. 

This Camp's Lord of the Votes goes to BRYCE REDD who once again keeps his crown as Lord of the Votes. This camp he scored $18.75 in vote money. GOOD JOB BRYCE!

A very good camp all around (except for the sour outdated milk the cafeteria tried to pawn off on the campers until Josh opened his carton and out poured clumps of milk!)

We start our last summer 48 hour camp on Thursday. What a great summer I've had working with all of you. Yes, Mr. Williamson has gotten "Focused" from time to time but that keeps everyone on their toes. 

I spoke to Lagoon. They need numbers by August 3rd. Let's get to the poll and vote on whether you are going on the Lagoon field trip or not.

All the Best My Friends.
Mr. Williamson 

August 9, 2000

Do I have to make an appointment to take my introductory flight as a volunteer in waiting or do I just choose a private mission date and show up? ThanksWesley Moss 

August 10, 2000
(Note on this post: The Space Center was an excellent place to try new, innovative ideas. A school year weekend camp was one such balloon I released into the air to see how the winds faired. Nothing came of the idea. It was thought letting kids take a Friday from school to attend a Space Camp wouldn't sit too well with the district's schools. My response was that kids attend a week camp at Space Camp in Alabama all the time. Kids also missed school regularly for away games in various sports so why not a space camp?
Mr. Williamson)

Hello Voyagers,
Next summer will be a real mess at the school. The school will be rewired meaning periods of time where the power will be cut off. In addition to that they will be putting in new ceilings in most of the classrooms. This construction will seriously affect our summer Space 
Camps program. 

One way of making up for the expected loss revenue would be to begin a school year space school program. This is just an idea that I thought I'd post first on the egroup to see what many of you thought about it. Give me your opinions. It's a different kind of a camp than we normally run. It will be heavier in the classes but they do get a Voyager mission and the overnight camp. The Space Center is open on Fridays because we are taking 2 classes per day Monday thru Thursday. 

Again, this is only for this school year. Its purpose would be to salvage some of the expected loss revenue from our summer camps. In addition - it will provide another opportunity for our students to come and get more class and flight hours. Anyway - read it over and post your opinions. Will it work? Will kids talk their parents into 
taking a Friday off to go to Space School? Is it something you would be interested in? 

An idea for School Year Space School. Each camp would take 20 students. The students would miss one day of school to attend the camp. We would do one camp each month. 
Price: approx. $80.00 

Camp begins Thursday evening at 7:00 P.M. 
1. Planetarium lessons 7:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.
2. Astronomical observations. 8:30 P.M. to 9:45 P.M.
3. Bed at 10:00 P.M.


Friday:
1. Up at 8:00 A.M. Breakfast
2. 9-9:45 A.M. Planetarium
3. 9:50 A.M. Lessons in the Briefing room.
4. Lunch at 11:40 A.M.
5. Magellan from 12:00 P.M. to 12:30 P.M.
6. Voyager /Odyssey Missions from 12:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.
7. Fitness for Space from 3:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
8. Video from 4:30 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
9. Supper from 6:00 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.
10. Overnight Mission from 6:30 P.M. to 10:00 A.M. Sat. 


The Space Camp kids would be joined by the regular Fri. overnight kids.

There it is and you all saw this idea first. Will we do it? I don't know yet. Post your opinions and suggestions.

Mr. Williamson


Theater Imaginarium
The best Gifs of the week edited for a general audience.