A Flight Director Returns from France. The Odyssey is Happy. Construction on the USS Hyperion Continues. Nicole's Last Mission on the Magellan? End of Camp Traditions Continue at the CMSEC. Space News. The Imaginarium.

Tabitha Long Returns from the Lyon France Mission. Starfleet Calls her into Active Service at the CMSEC. It's that Darn Reactivation Clause

Former Odyssey Set Director Tabitha Long returned from the Lyon France mission. Waiting for her was Mr. James Porter, Director of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center. In his hand was a document written in legal jargon. Behind him stood two overgrown red shirted Starfleet security guards ready to enforce the document if resistance was detected.

The CMSEC delegation was thoughtful enough to wait for the "Welcome Home" family and friends celebration to wind down before stepping forward to present the document.  Tabitha wasn't surprised, having seen the Reactivation Clause enforced on others who stepped foot into the 'real' world, only to be brought back to fulfill the Space Center's mission - A Life Changing Experience for Every Child.

Coercion wasn't necessary in Tabitha's case.  Tabitha was ready and willing to resume her duties in the USS Odyssey.

We want to welcome Tabitha back to the Space Center staff family.  The Odyssey is blessed to have a staff of highly talented bilingual staff ready to use their talents to ensure your next Odyssey mission is one never to be forgotten.

Construction on the USS Hyperion at Telos U Continues, Pushing for a September Opening

Telos U is located in Vineyard, Utah. Telos Discovery Space Center's Headquarters will soon be located on the second floor of this state of the art facility.    
  

The second floor is where the USS Hyperion is being built. 

Hyperion construction materials were hoisted to the 2nd floor through the plywooded window

Last week I did a walk through to document the simulator's construction knowing The Troubadour's readers are interested in all simulator news, system wide.  

The Hyperion's Sickbay with entrance to the hall leading to the elevator.

Standing on the Hyperion's Bridge looking through the wall down a hallway. Dr. Ryan Anderson's office will be through the first door on the left. It will sit adjacent to the Hyperion allowing him to monitor missions. Dr. Anderson is the TDSC's Director.

Standing on the future bridge looking toward the Sickbay

Standing at the back of the bridge.

Standing in the Hyperion's Conference Room (Captain's Ready Room) looking toward the simulator's Control Room.
The bridge is to the left of the picture through a Transition Room similiar to the one on the USS Voyager

A Room of Requirement in the Hyperion. Could be an active set. Could be for storage. Could be used for anything.

Nicole VandenBos Finishes the Summer Camp Season. It Could Be Her Last Mission. Maybe. Perhaps. Not Quite Sure. We Shall See. Former Magellan Supervisor Andrew McCord Comes to Celebrate. His Reactivate Contract is Strangely Missing.

Nicole's Perhaps Last Staff for her Perhaps Last Camp

Nicole VandenBos is one of Heber School District's best teachers and a rising star in the profession. She's also one fantastic Magellan flight director, which is why she has been graciously returning summer after summer to work Magellan space camps.  

After every camp season, the same question circulates through the staff in hushed tones as they slurp water at one of the school's four drinking fountains, "Will Nicole come back next year?".  Nicole doesn't know the answer herself reminding everyone that a lot can happen during a school year. "I love it here," she says, "but every good thing must eventually come to an end."  
"Not always," Tabitha interjected as she walked by with a new Odyssey crew in tow.  

Magellan legendary supervisor Andrew McCord graced the camp with a volunteer appearance to help his good friend Nicole finish up her last camp with a bang!  I wanted to question Andrew on what he's been up to since leaving the Space Center. Unfortunately, he skid-daled down the hall and out the parking lot doors after spying Mr. Porter running after him in full gallop with some kind of legal document in hand.  
  
The End of Camp Traditions Continue 

The Space Center continues many of the end of camp traditions established over the Space Center's first 25 years of operation.

The black shirt volunteers wait in the hall for their summons to form the police line up for votes.  Missing was a lot of the jostling for position so prevalent during the Space Center's Overnight Camp days :)

 Using sugar as currency is still the standard practice at the Space Center. Volunteers get one or two sugars based on the length of the mission they worked. Mr. Porter waits patiently for the volunteer to make a decision. He is more patient than I ever was. Ten second rule, still no decision, you get whatever I put on the counter.

One big difference is in vote calculations. I used to do this all by hand and calculator while the staff cleaned and waited in the Discovery Room. Mr. Porter has it all computerized. The camper's complete the survey's in the computer lab, using the computers instead of paper and pencil.  

The staff and volunteers gather in the Discovery Room to hear the results.  Jon Parker read the survey and vote results for this week's camp.  Clean sweeps are still celebrated with the ringing of a bell.

Matt Robinson records the ships' averages on the white board as the tension mounts to discover which simulator won the fought for "Outstanding Simulator Award". 

Brylee Perry and the Galileo won for this week's Day Camp.  Good bye Magellan.  Better luck next time.  Nicole was not happy. 

Space News

by Mark Daymont

spacerubble.blogspot.com 

ReThree New Crew for Expedition 52 Arrive at ISS

Contact! Soyuz crewed spaceship MS-05 reaches the docking port on the International Space Station. (NASA TV)

 ISS Expedition 52 received three new crew members with the arrival on Friday of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Using the six-hour ascent interception plan, the Soyuz reached the station safely and docked at 5:54 Eastern Daylight time. On board the spacecraft were Soyuz commander Sergei Ryazanskiy (Roscosmos), astronaut Randy Bresnick (NASA) and astronaut Paulo Naspoli (ESA). The crew now stands at six, including Expedition 52 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin (Roscosmos), Peggy Whitson (NASA), and Jack Fischer (NASA). 

Soyuz training photo. L-R: Paulo Nespoli, Sergei Ryazanskiy, Randy Bresnick.

The new crew is expected to remain on the ISS for four months. During that time, the station expects arrivals from Dragon, Progress, and Cygnus cargo spacecraft. Much of the science work for this mission will involve medical studies including an interesting look at how Parkinson's disease is started. They will also study how small satellites can be used in critical situations such as natural disasters or severe weather monitoring. The original Exp. 52 crew of Yurchikhin, Whitson and Fischer are expected to leave the station in September.

The Imaginarium
I do the searching for the best examples of human imagination and you get the reward.
Enjoy

InfinD Takes the Starship Titan to Family Day at Adobe's Corporate Headquarters in San Jose, California. The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center Staff Visit a Local Escape Room. Theater Imaginarium.

InfinD Takes the Starship Titan to Family Day at Adobe's Corporate Headquarters in San Jose, California

Adobe Corporate Headquarters. San Jose, California

The Titan Arriving at Adobe in San Jose

"Have Starship will Travel" is one of many mottos applicable to our good friends at InfiniD.  This last week Casey Voeks, Skyler Carr, and Brooks Heder powered up the Titan's warp nacelles, checked the oil and the dilithium crystals, cleaned the windshield on InfiniD's pickup truck, and set course for the San Jose settlement on the planet California in the Liberal Constellation.  They went to help Adobe celebrate "Family Day".  Employees and their families gathered for games, contests, and entertainment.  The Titan was one of the event's highlights.

Casey sent this subspace communication about their experience. 

Working with Adobe this week was a great experience. We flew missions with around 1,000 Adobe team members and their kids. I love every new peak our team is able to climb. The reflection at the end of these awesome experiences is incredibly rewarding. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us but tonight I'm going to just feel good about how far we've come.

Family Day. Adobe. San Jose

These were the first Voyager inspired Space EdVentures to be flown in California putting Calfornia firmly in the sights of InfiniD Learning.  It is only a matter of time before InfiniD computer lab simulators start popping up in other states. Utah can't be greedy with this innovative experiential based method of learning.  It is time to take the concept to the world.  What a journey this dream has taken toward new lands to explore and vistas to conquer.  

The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Staff Visit a Local Escape Room. A Staff that Plays Together Stays Together (Or So They Tell Me)

 

How does the staff of a local space education center celebrate the end of the summer space camp season?  The staff of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center have a new, two-year-old tradition; they visit a local escape room.

Sadly I was unable to attend due to a mission previously scheduled on the USS Voyager at Renaissance Academy, my stomping grounds.  I missed last year's grand outing and vowed not to miss this year's which I missed because I'm too old to get my dates and scheduling right.  What really makes me happy is they consider me just tolerable enough to invite even though I'm technically not a member of staff.  

I like to think of myself as Space Center Director Emeritus, which means I get to stop by once in awhile to enjoy the spirit and enthusiasm of the staff and volunteers without having any responsibility (as long as my visits usually include sugary treats and a Dr. Pepper for a certain weekend assistant director). How cool is that!   

Directing the CMSEC for Twenty-three years was long enough, thank you very much. Space Center Directing is for younger people and Mr. James Porter is doing a fantastic job of it.  I mean, look how much fun he's having clinging to that, whatever it is.  Maybe it's the ship's smokestack?  It can't be - this is Treasure Island; you know, sailing ships with sails unfurled. Maybe the ship's mast.  Maybe just a random pipe in the room painted black (kind of like the USS Voyager's "Blowline Digester", the pipe that occupied the hallway just as you came through the ship's turning door from the stage).

With the summer space camp season nearing its end the CMSEC staff turn their attention to the 2017-2018 school year field trips.  Thousands and thousands of students will be anxiously waiting the field trip of their lives and this group of folks you see in the photo above will provide it.  

Congratulations Staff and Volunteers of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove for a great camp season. Good Luck with the coming school year. 

And Finally

These folks influenced my life and played a part in the Space Center's inspiration.

The Star Trek Greats: Capts Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer
They influenced my life

Theater Imaginarium

The best gifs of the Week Edited for a Gentler Audience