Calling all Budding Programmers! Want to Learn How to Develop Websites? Want to Get Involved in Programming Controls and Panels for the Space Centers? Read On! The 40th Anniversary of the Voyager Probes (The USS Voyager was Named After Them) The Imaginarium.

Announcing the WebDev Guild

Hello Troops,

The Farpoint Space Education Center at Renaissance Academy, home of the new USS Voyager, is pleased to announce a new program for anyone with an interest in programming. In addition to our Saturday SCRATCH programming class for beginning programmers, we now offer WebDev for those ready to go beyond SCRATCH and start learning something more useful in the real world.

Read to learn more,

Mr. Williamson

Calling all budding programmers! 

Want to learn how to develop websites? Want to get involved in programming controls and panels for the space centers? Read on!

I'm pleased to announce the WebDev Guild, an independent guild for the next generation of web developers. The demand for good Web Developers is exploding - the WebDev Guild will help to prepare you to meet that demand. Through meet-ups, training videos, and the advancement program, in a short time, you'll become prepared to take on real jobs making real websites. The program will also serve as a way to get involved in programming controls for the Voyager and other simulators.

Alex Anderson of the WebDev Guild in the Voyager Control Room

The WebDev Guild is designed for anyone to be able to get involved, learn, and get the help they need. We separate Guilders by three ranks: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master. Each rank has several badges which cover aspects of web development (such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and using the command line terminal) and which lead up to a final project to complete before achieving each rank. 

The requirements for the badges have explanations, learning resources, and step-by-step assignments to complete. WebDev Guilders (or guild members) are encouraged to learn on their own with the resources provided. In addition, every WebDev Guilder will have access to a team of mentors who can answer questions and guide them through their learning. Finally, we will have regular meetings to coordinate efforts and provide in-person training for the badges. Think of it like Boy or Girl Scout troop meetings.

The WebDev's Matt Ricks Confused by Ancient Technology

We won't just cover Web Development topics either. We're currently putting together resources for UI design, general application development, electronics and hardware programming, analytics and statistics and more. Everyone can find something interesting to learn in the WebDev Guild.

The WebDev's Isaac Ostler (in blue) knows his programming, but also knows his simulators.

Want to get involved? Here's what you should do:

* Check out the advancement guide: https://webdev-guild.github.io

* Join our discussion group on Discord: https://discord.gg/PUcnnjV

* Want to be a mentor? Get in touch with one of the current mentors: https://webdev-guild.github.io#mentors

Finally, come to our first guild meeting! All are welcome, regardless of age or experience. Our gracious host is Farpoint's Voyager Club. Our first meeting will be on Saturday, September 9th at 9:30 AM at Renaissance Academy. Meetings will continue every other week.

We look forward to you joining us and can't wait to see what you make!

Alex & Crystal Anderson, Matt Ricks, and Isaac Ostler

The Farthest Operating Spacecraft, Voyagers 1 and 2, Still Exploring 40 Years Later.  The Space Probes the USS Voyager was named after in 1990.  

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of the world’s farthest and longest-lived spacecraft, NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2. Four decades ago, they embarked on an ambitious mission to explore the giant outer planets, the two outermost of which had never been visited. And since completing their flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in 1989, they have been journeying toward the farthest reaches of our solar system – where no spacecraft has been before. These two intrepid spacecraft continue to return data to NASA daily, offering a window into the mysterious outer realms of our solar system and beyond.

The Voyager spacecraft were launched during a very short window that took advantage of a unique alignment of the four giant outer planets – one that would not occur again for another 176 years. (Try this lesson in calculating launch windows to get an idea of how it was done.) Launching at this point in time enabled the spacecraft to fly by all four planets in a single journey, returning never-before-seen, close-up images and scientific data from Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune that greatly contributed to our current understanding of these planets and the solar system.

I named the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's first simulator "Voyager" after these two space craft in 1990.  

Happy 40th Anniversary to the Voyagers!  May their journey's find happy endings.

Mr. W. 

The Imaginarium

InfiniD Learning Opens its First International Simulator in Cambodia. Voyager Inspired Simulators Will Soon Encircle the World! Posts from the Space Center's Past: March 2001. Theater Imaginarium

Cambodian children will soon have an InfiniD Experience!

Talented people who grew up attending the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove are hard at work taking simulator based experiential learning to the world.  Take Gary Gardner and associates at Dream Flight Adventures for example. They have simulators in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C. and Venezuela.  InfiniD Learning, headquartered in Vineyard, Utah,  has dozens of simulators in Utah schools; and now they too have an international location - Cambodia.  

Brooks

InfiniD's Brooks Heder recently returned from Cambodia where he installed the country's first InfiniD Lab starship / inner body simulator at a private school sponsored by David Moon, a former LDS mission president in Cambodia, and a partner in iWorlds when it was in operation in Murray and Thanksgiving Point. 

Learn more about Dave Moon

InfinD is hard at work changing the way kids learn.

Casey Voeks is getting teachers across the state trained on how to use their new spaceship/shrink ray/time machines that InfiniD delivered to their schools this summer. If you hear your kid talk about how much they need to get their homework done or their space ship will blow up, you know they have an InfiniD lab. 

Casey sums up InfiniD's mission in a recent Facebook post.

18 years ago I had my first experience with the program that inspired our program. We now are building this program across the state and soon the country.
Children are bored out of their minds with school and they struggle to relate to the material they are being taught. They don't feel passion for it.
Gallup research reports that by the time kids are in high school, 2/3 consider themselves either 'not engaged' or 'actively disengaged' with their academics. They can't find why they should care.
We are bringing a solution to the table that inspires children. It legitimately blows their mind. That is a very worthwhile thing.
I especially love seeing the infiniD Lab at work in Title one schools. Many of those kids just don't have experiences like this. We open their little minds and allow dreams to happen.
We have some deeply talented and committed people on the team. We are fortunate to be able to do what we do. I am not always the best at explaining what we do, but I am good at showing it. I want all my friends to see what we have built and continue to build. This is one solution to many to our engagement issues in education.

Space Center History: Posts from the First Blog: SpaceEdVentures

March 1, 2001

The New Blue Shirt Teams 

People Mentioned:  Josh Webb, Stephen Porter, Brady Young, Bryson Lystrup, Brandon Cambell, Randy Jepperson, Landon Hemsley, Matthew Long, Rio Downs, Soren Seibach, Chase Wooton, James Porter, Charlie Heaton, Bryce Redd, McKay E., Jamie Catlett, Jason Hills.

Hello Troops,

These are the new Blue Shirt Supervisor Teams:

Blue Shirt teams
Voyager, Magellan: Supervisors: Josh W.
Stephen P.

Working Schedule beginning in April:
Team 1: Weekends 1 and 3
Team 2: Weekends 2 and 4 

Team 1. 
A. Brady Y, Bryson L.
B. Brandon C., Randy J.
C. Landon H., Matthew L. (Both pending stations pass)

Team 2
A. Rio D., Soren S.
B. Chase W., James P. 
C. Charlie H., Bryce R. (Both pending stations pass)

Substitutes:
McKay E.
Jamie C. 
Jason H.

March 2, 2001

New Gift Card Structure of Blue Shirt Supervisors and How You Get to be a Blue Shirt.

People Mentioned:  Brady Young, Brandon Cambell, Randy Jepperson, Rio Downs, Soren Seibach, James Porter, Chase Wooton, McKay E., Ryan Davis.

Hello Troops,

I'm happy to report that the shirts are in. All Voyagers and Pioneers may pick up their new shirts the next time they work. 

Also, there has been a question about levels for Blue Shirts. That is true - there are 3 levels of blue shirts.

Level 1: $10.00 certificate for every overnight mission. (No one currently is in level 1)
Level 2: $15.00 certificate for every overnight mission. Soren, Brady, Brandon, 
Level 3: $27.00 certificate for every overnight mission. Rio, Chase, McKay, Jamie, Randy, 
Level 4: $32.00 certificate for every overnight mission. Ryan D., James.
These levels are based on performance, years of service, and points earned.

Also, there are several of the soon to be Blue Shirts that need to get a few overnight missions in this month to finish their pass offs. They are asking anyone that has an overnight mission this month to trade them for private missions or take a training spot so they can have your working spot. They would be very grateful if you would change with them. It would also be a good way for you to have a Blue Shirt owe you a favor. 

Also - I want to say something about the promotion of our 4 new Blue Shirts. They were chosen based on points but mostly on pass offs. I WANT EVERYONE TO REMEMBER THAT MR WILLIAMSON HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING ALL OF YOU TO GET PASS OFFS EVERY OVERNIGHT MISSION BUT NO ONE SEEMED TO BE INTERESTED. EVERYONE WANTS TO COME IN AND BE AN ACTOR AND PLAY PIRATE OR SOMETHING. NO ONE WILL EVER BE PROMOTED TO A HIGHER LEVEL WITH THE PASS OFFS! I hope I made that clear enough. Now one more time. You cannot pass a station unless you are trained on it and training comes from the training positions on the overnight missions. Pioneers, you can sign up for private missions and come to train only. I'll let you begin doing that this month. 

Those that seek to get pass offs instead of just the acting parts show determination to succeed. If you want to get ahead in any organization you must pay the price and move ahead of those that are just drifting by. Get noticed! Pass off the stations. Find a new way to contribute to any organization you belong to. This will bring success in anything you do in life. 

Thanks for all your time in making our Center succeed. I really enjoy working with what I consider the best group of kids in the state of Utah!

Mr. Williamson

March 4, 2001

The Space Center's Shirt Colors and What They Mean: Pioneers, Voyagers, Blue Shirts, Green Shirts.

Hello Troops,
Perhaps too much attention has been given to the promotion of new Blue Shirts. We congratulate the new Blue Shirts but let no one doubt the importance of all levels of volunteers at the Center. Let's look at them for a minute:

Pioneers: 

Our Pioneers man most of our after school and Saturday missions. These missions are a vital part of the Center's income and provide a large part of the weekly operating budget. The private missions provide the necessary money to underwrite the day time field trip programs for schools. The $3.25 per student we charge daily is not enough to cover the cost of the program. The extra $$ needed comes from the private programs. Thanks, Pioneers! Your volunteer efforts open the door to the Space Center to nearly 400 people per week.

Voyagers: 

Our Voyagers man most of our overnight and summer camps in addition to several of the after school missions. These great volunteers play a vital part in the expansion of the Center. The money the Center makes on overnight and summer camps is used to maintain the Center, repair broken equipment, and enlarge and improve the simulators. Our ever improving Center is thanks to the dedication of the Voyagers. Without them, our programs and simulators wouldn't be anything like they are today.

Blue Shirts: 

Our Blue Shirts are given small gratuities in the form of gift certificates but don't think this is pay. It is a small thank you for a long period of service and dedication to the Center. Blue Shirts are still volunteers and give a great deal of service to the Center. Blue Shirts provide consistency and quality to our missions. Our Blue Shirts are trusted to be in charge of the missions for the Flight Directors and to ensure the quality of the flight on the bridge and in the second chair positions. They are also directly in charge of proper training of our Voyagers and Pioneers. A Flight Director knows the value of good Blue Shirts (Staff). Good Blue Shirts are in demand. Flight Directors will come to me requesting certain Blue Shirts. The Green Shirts know their successes and failures are tied to the work of the Blue Shirt in the simulator.

Green Shirts: 

Our Green Shirts are our hourly paid employees. They are our Flight Directors, Teachers, and Staff Supervisors. The Green Shirts answer to me. I hold them responsible for their simulators and maintainance, classrooms, and lessons. They are responsible to write their own missions and put them together, our teachers prepare their own curriculum. If a ship or classroom has problems they are the ones that are in the hot seat. They feel the pressure and work hard to succeed. Please don't doubt this fact. The Green Shirts work many more hours than they are paid. They set the example for all of our volunteers. Please look at the Staff Volunteer Database if you want to see an example of the volunteer effort our Green Shirts put in (it is not complete - I'm still getting an idea of the volunteer hours of many of the Green Shirts). 

The Green Shirts are under a lot of pressure. This is live theater. The show must go on. Sometimes our Green Shirts get a bit testy. Please understand and cut them some slack. If they yell and snap remember what they are doing and realize they are completely focused on our customers, students, and the quality of their presentation. If the show isn't good our patrons will not come back. Support the Green Shirts and remember, if I put you down as one of their workers then they are your boss for that flight. Do what they say. Only I or Mr. Daymont can override the orders of the Green Shirt I assigned you to work with. 

Me: 

Well, you know what I do. I start work every day at 8:00 A.M. and usually get home after 9:00 P.M. in the evening. I believe in volunteerism. I hope you see my example in the volunteering effort. I'm paid for only the flights I do. The extra work from 3:30 P.M. to 8:00 or 9:00 P.M. is all volunteer. I practice what I preach. I volunteer along side our super Pioneers, Voyagers, Blue Shirts, and Green Shirts. 

We are all a vital part of the Center. All of us, no matter which level we work on. Without all of us working together, the Center cannot serve the students of the Alpine School District - our primary responsibility.  

Thanks to all!
Your efforts are noticed and appreciated.

Theater Imaginarium

The Best Gifs of the Week Edited for a Gentler Audience

USS Voyager Field Tests the New Thorium Starship Simulator Controls. Looking Good! The Voyager's Isolinear Chip Assembly Team Hard at Work. Meet Jensen, the Voyager's Newest Supervisor. Space News. Theater Imaginarium.

Saturday, August 19, 2017, saw the first roll out and debugging of the new Thorium starship simulator controls created by long-time Space Center supporter, fan, volunteer, flight director, programmer Alex Anderson.  

Alex reviewing his code during the test run of Thorium on the USS Voyager at Renaissance Academy

The Voyager's Jensen Caldwell and Asst. Director Isaac Ostler in the Voyager's Control Room trying to keep up with Alex's demands.  There was a lot of "Send This" and "Push That" along with "Can you see...." and "I'm not seeing".

Isaac was doing three things at once. Typical for this wunderkind. 

The Voyager launched with Thorium for a quick tour of the solar system.  Alex stayed pretty much on the bridge issuing commands and logging results.  Isaac and Jensen did their best to keep up in the Control Room. This was their first time working with Thorium so there was a learning curve.  

Assisting Alex was his wife Crystal and long time friend and associate, Matt Ricks.  Matt is a person you want as a friend. He knows a lot about everything and is always willing to help.  

Tex spent most of the mission in the engine room struggling with confusion, the kind that comes from being introduced to something new. He was heard murmuring something about old dogs and new tricks by those unlucky enough to be on duty that afternoon.

Of course, there were issues; when aren't there with a new set of controls?  Overall, the test went better than expected.  The ship circled around Pluto and made it back to Earth in time for the Voyager's 3:00 P.M. private mission.  

Take a moment and enjoy seeing Thorium at work on the USS Voyager.

Mr. Williamson

The USS Voyager's Isolinear Chip Assembly Team Hard at Work 

Testing the new Thorium Starship Controls wasn't the only thing on the Voyager's agenda yesterday.  The ship's engineering department was busy at work soldering and assembling the ship's computer boards for the new isolinear chip module nearly ready to be installed in the simulator.  

Affan, Matt Ricks, and Isaac Ostler at work on the computer boards

Gibberish decorated the Briefing Room's white board.  It looked important so I took a picture. I could have asked Affan what it all meant, but I didn't want to appear ignorant.

Binary code appeared behind Matt Ricks on the opposite side of the white board. I think it translates to "Work Hard to Make a Better Tomorrow!"  Perhaps another translation is more accurate. "Job Satisfaction is Reward Enough when in the Service of the Voyager".  Perhaps in reference to the fact that the day's assembly was voluntary.   

There were lots of these around. I mistook them for refreshments.  A mistake only made once.

This is where the finished boards were going. Every board a labor of love and burned fingers.

Welcome Jensen Caldwell to Gainful Employment Aboard the USS Voyager

 

The young man in black on the receiving end of Isaac's exuberant enthusiasm is Jensen Caldwell.  Jensen is a junior at UCAS in Orem, Utah and a former Renaissance Academy student.  "Having Jensen on board really classes up the organization," I said out loud so I could have a quote to go along with the story.

Jensen started volunteering on a regular basis in December. Isaac was immediately impressed with his work and insisted Jensen be put on payroll.  I held out as long as I could before approving the promotion because that's just what bosses do.  In the end, Jensen's hard work, enthusiasm, punctuality, work habits, intelligence, and patience (necessary when working with the Voyager's management) won the day.   

Jensen readying the Voyager's crew for their long walk to the bridge

Jensen worked his first paid mission on Saturday.  It was a baptism by fire into the life of a space center employee.  The group showed up with a crew of 14. The Voyager takes 11 max on private missions.  A choice had to be made. Would Isaac take bridge supervisor or would it be Jensen, the new hire?  Jensen lost the debate. Isaac said something about 'pecking order'. Jensen spent the entire two hours dealing with a gaggle of younglings all needing his attention and a very demanding control room staff.  

Welcome to the Starship Voyager Jensen. We hope your time onboard will be rewarding and beneficial for you and the ship.  Remember, we live to serve the ship.  

Mr. W.  

Space News
By Mark Daymont
Spacerubble.blogspot.com

ISS: Dragon Arrives and Russians Take a Walk

SpaceX Dragon resupply cargo vessel orbiting Earth and about to dock with the ISS. NASA pic.

SpaceX made another great launch last Monday, August 14th. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted the Dragon cargo spacecraft into orbit, and then flew back to Earth for a soft landing back at Cape Canaveral. The Dragon carried thousands of pounds of supplies and experiments for the crew on Expedition 52 in the International Space Station. 

NASA graphic of the current spacecraft locations on the ISS.

After a two day "chase" the Dragon spacecraft caught up to the ISS and maneuvered into a capture position. Astronauts Jack Fischer and Paulo Nespoli used the robotic arm to grab the capture point and guide the craft to its docking adapter. Eventually, the spacecraft was secured at the new Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) on the US Harmony module. Dragon will remain at the station for unloading, and then reloading of items to return to Earth in September.

Cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchkhin (L) and Sergey Ryazanskiy (R) preparing to exit.

On Thursday, August 17, Russian cosmonauts conducted an EVA to launch satellites and bring samples back inside. Expedition 53 commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and flight engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy left the Russian Pirs module for a seven-hour spacewalk. They launched five nanosatellites that had been stored outside the station from a previous supply mission. One of the satellites was to test 3-D printed materials, while several others were commemorative or experimented with communications.

Theater Imaginarium
The best gifs of the week edited for a gentler audience