There is Something in this Post You've Never Seen Before. Center Directors Passing Other Center Directors. Bizarre Doesn't Explain It. The Voyager Staff and Volunteers - Outstanding Students. Congratulations to our Winning Voyager and Young Astronauts Teams. The Imaginarium.

This is something you've never seen before; a center director going for a flight director pass at another space center and being evaluated by that center's director who also works for the center director going for the pass at his center.  Did you understand anything I just said?

Let me see if I can make this clear. In the photo above you have Nathan King at the microphone going for his flight director pass at the Telos Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy. Maeson Busk is doing the evaluation.  Nathan is the director of the Lions Gate Center at Lakeview Academy.  Nathan also teaches Lakeview's Space Tech class in the middle school.  Maeson is the TDSC Canyon Grove Director and an employee of Nathan's at Lakeview.  I told you it was something you've never seen before.  

Adding Lindsey Hatch (sitting at 2nd chair) to the mix makes it even more interesting.  Lindsey is a supervisor at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center and an employee of TDSC.  The spirit of interconnectedness and cooperation is strong in the space centering community.  We look after each other, support each other, and employ each other!

TDSC Director Maeson Busk Welcoming Nathan to the TDSC Family of Flight Directors

And if you're wondering, Nathan got his pass.  Nathan King is the newest flight director at the Telos Discovery Space Center.  Congratulations Nathan.  

OK Nathan, all that's left is to get your flight director pass on the Voyager and you're set.

TDSC Director Maeson Busk Receives his Flight Director Shirt from Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center Director James Porter.  

CMSEC Director James Porter Presenting Maeson Busk with his Flight Director Wings.

You see what I mean?  This is a post of firsts.  First you have Nathan King, Director of the Lions Gate Center, getting his flight director pass at the TDSC and now we must congratulate TDSC Director Maeson Busk on receiving his flight director pass at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.

Maeson Busk

Maeson Busk is one accomplished individual - a first in the history of the space centers.

• Maeson is the director of the Telos Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy.
• Maeson is a flight director at the Farpoint Space Education Center at Renaissance Academy.
• Maeson is a flight director at the Lions Gate Center at Lakeview Academy.
• Maeson is a flight director at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.

Maeson is certified to fly the following starship simulators:  Galileo, Voyager, Everest, Pathfinder, Apollo, Artemis, Titan, Valiant.  He is working on a Magellan pass.  You see what I mean by Amazing!

Congratulations Maeson

Farpoint's First Round Top 6th Grade and 5th Grade Young Astronaut Squadrons Win a Reward Mission at Telos Discovery Space Center.  Thank you TDSC.

Farpoint's 6th Grade Cobras and 5th Grade Scorpions Take Top Team

Congratulations to the 6th Cobras and 5th Scorpion Squadrons for taking top honors in the first round of the Young Astronauts Long Duration Mission Program at Renaissance Academy.  Thank you, Telos Discovery Space Center for giving them a free reward mission onboard the Starship Everest at Canyon Grove Academy.  The cadets had a great time.  Their flight director was Nathan King (see the first story above).  The TDSC staff complimented me on how well behaved they were and on their professionalism in operating the Everest.  

Meet a Few of Farpoint's Outstanding Staff and Volunteers 

Sebastian, Chris, Jensen, Dylan, Affan, and Spencer in the Voyager's Control Room

\One of the perks of working at a space center is rubbing shoulders with some of Utah's best students. Such is the case at Farpoint.  You're looking at the staff of one of our private missions last week. Sebastian is a former 6th grader of mine. He's in the 7th grade at Renaissance and one of our top volunteers in addition to being pretty good at soccer and futsal.  He was my top math student last year.  Chris is a senior at Lone Peak and works as my computer guru for Farpoint's young coders club.  Jensen is a junior at UCAS in Orem and a former Renaissance student. He is on the fast track to becoming a flight director.  Then there is Dylan. Dylan is a fast learner and a top volunteer. Sharp, dependable, and talented are words I can use to describe him.  Affan has a great sense of humor, brilliant, and dedicated to our mission. He comes in every Tuesday after school.  Affan is a freshman at Skyridge High School and a former Renaissance Academy student.  Last in the row is Spencer our most senior staff.  He loves the space center and currently works on Farpoint staff and volunteers at TDSC and hopefully Lions Gate in the near future.

   

Meet Farpoint's Top Middle School Team for Round One In this Year's Long Duration Mission

The Middle School Cobra Squadron under the Command of Captian Parker Takes Top Team for the First LDM Round

Congratulations to the Junior High School Cobra Squadron from Renaissance Academy for taking Top Team for the first round of missions in this year's Voyager Club.  Twenty-six squadrons of ten cadets each make up the Voyager and Young Astronaut Clubs at Farpoint.  Each squadron meets eight times during the school year. Each meeting is called a round.   

The Cobras excelled in most of the scored areas: Leadership, communication, ship operations, math and science grades, volunteering, stage presence, and curriculum.  They had no mission penalty points.  Squads can lose ten points if the Voyager takes damage during a mission. There is a 25 point deduction for causing loss of life on another ship or planet without cause as determined by a mandatory post-mission investigation.    

Meet Farpoint's 4th Grade Young Astronaut Lion Squadron

The 4th Grade Lions blasted off from Renaissance Academy on the USS Voyager last Thursday evening to start their mission into deep space.  Their seven month long mission will take them to New Earth to deal with the evil Chancellor Alexander and his National Front thugs.  Good Luck!

The Imaginarium

Mr. Williamson and the USS Vomitoria plus More Classic Pictures from the CMSEC's Voyager Era. Merry Christmas From the Space Center's Staff Home; A Happy Place for Those Who Gave Their All in the Line of Duty. Theater Imaginarium.

Mr. Williamson and the USS Vomitoria (USS Phoenix)

Hello Troops,

We start this Sunday post with a few of the recently discovered photos of the CMSEC taken during the Space Center's Voyager Era (1990-2012).  These photos were taken during one of our Friday night overnight camps a long time ago. I've been posted a few of these here and there, so let's get right down to business, shall we?

Wow, would you look at the example I'm setting for my staff in the photo above. That's me in rubber gloves cleaning up a healthy deposit of vomit in the USS Phoenix.  I never asked my staff to do something I wasn't willing to do, including the cleaning up of misplaced bodily fluids.  The absence of a smile shows I wasn't too happy about it but such things couldn't be helped.  

It would be nice to remember who was flying the Phoenix that overnight camp.  Could it have been  Casey Voeks.  Casey always did like a good scare.  On the other hand, it was most likely Megan. There is proof.

Megan, responsible for the Vomitorium?

My proof is the photo above. This was taken on the same roll of film as the others, proof that it was Megan flying the Phoenix that camp.  She looks guilty, wouldn't you agree?  Perhaps there's a shade of enjoyment in that face as she watches me suck up chunks with the shopvac.  Let's move on shall we? 

 

Sitting in the school's entrance are Hanne Paine, Bridger Maxwell, and Christine Stone.  The staff always found things to occupy their time while the Director was hard at work cleaning up vomit. From their attire, we can safely say that winter was upon us. 

Metta denying any responsibility for the vomit in the Phoenix

"We don't get vomit in the Magellan," Metta is saying in the photo above as she luxuriates in the Magellan's Discovery Room while I self righteously clean the vomit from the Phoenix's steel plating.

"I warned Megan not to run with the slime devil, but no one listens to me."  Metta's staff agreed. They had to, she was the one wearing Supervisor Blues.  

BJ Warner flying the Odyssey

BJ, the true professional he was, continued to flight direct the Odyssey while the vomit drama unfolded across the Briefing Room's entrance on his sister's ship Phoenix. What a cramped little control room; hardly room to stand.  The original Odyssey was a ship of nightmares.  You never knew what was going to break next.  But even with a bleak maintenance record, the Odyssey flew some of the best missions.  It was a favorite of many.   

Nicole VandenBos, Warren Nuila, and a volunteer hide from Metta in the Magellan Control Room

Knowing that Metta would be consumed by guilt at the thought of Mr. Williamson having to clean up gallons of puget regurgitated puke, the Magellan staff hid out in the simulator's control room hoping not to be found and sent to deal with the issue themselves. Warren looks sick just at the thought of it. 

Nicole, always efficient in her manner, was consulting the task clipboard to see who was on Happy Bucket duty that evening just in case the call came for a bucket brigade. 

Merry Christmas From the Space Center's Staff Home; A Happy Place for Those Who Gave Their All in the Line of Duty.   

Bradyn and Jacqueline Lystrup, Todd Rasband, BJ Warner, Emily and Skyler Paxman all so proud of their gingerbread houses.  Using their hands is good therapy, it is something they look forward to all year.   The Home's staff lets them wear their Star Trek uniforms on special occasions. The uniforms keep them calm and controllable -
much like security blankets for toddlers.

Yes, friends, it is a Happy Christmas to you all from our fallen friends living out the remainder of their confused days at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Staff Home.  I stopped by to visit six of the CMSEC's legends of the Voyager Era; once proud, strong, intelligent, and talented flight directors and staff; now exhausted, at times delirious, with strong leanings towards schizophrenia, shells of their former selves. 

An example of how distorted they see the world

I knew it was dangerous to let teens run simulations. I was warned that creating multiple personalities, as required for simulation work, could be harmful to those whose minds were still developing, but I succumbed to their pleas and hired them.  Now, look at the price paid.  Thankfully I was proactive in my planning and set aside funds to build the Staff Home where our dear fallen comrades receive in-house care 24 hours a day for as long as it takes to restore them to the point where they can be moved to the Transition Home. And then, perhaps in ten or twenty years, they can be moved back into the general population.

Please think of them this holiday season, and if you're in the Lehi area, stop by during visiting hours and share a drop of hot cocoa and an After Eight Mint with them. They are so appreciative of little kindnesses.  

Mr. Williamson

Imaginarium Theater
The Best Gifs of the Week Edited for a Gentler Audience. Perfect for those Holiday Gatherings.