The Christa McAuliffe Space Center Holds its Summer Honors Night. See Who Made the Grade and Which Ship Took the Coveted Top Ship Award. The Imaginarium.

     Last Thursday the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center held another Honor's Night to recognize the outstanding work performed by the Center's staff and volunteers.  The Troubadour was there to cover the star studded event.  

     Nathan Young Greeted me outside the Discovery Room sporting his old lanyard and volunteering card from the Center's Voyager Era (1990-2013).  Many of you kind readers are former staff and volunteers. You too have your lanyard bedazzled with your simulator pins, years of service pins, and your volunteering card.  My director's lanyard is home, safe and secure but sadly missing an Odyssey simulator pin.  Sadly, there are none to be hand.  Nathan has an Odyssey pin.  I need an Odyssey pin. Knowing he would never part with his Odyssey pin,  I ran several scenarios through my mind thinking of a way to separate his pin from his lanyard without his knowledge.  
     "Nathan, your pins need a good polish. I can do that for you. Why don't I take your lanyard home, polish those pins up a treat, and bring it back."  He looked confused. "It's the least I could do for someone who's given so much to the Space Center."  
     In the end, we parted company.  One of us no happier than when he arrived and one very much frustrated.  
   

     Some things never change.  Take a close look at the picture above.  What do you see?  If you noticed that the older senior staff, along with a few select senior volunteers, are gathered at the back of the room and the younger newer volunteers sit towards the front of the room, then you'd be correct.  The younglings turn around from time to time - watching and listening to the elders of the tribe.  Each face shows a longing for the day when an owl delivers their invitation to cross the River Styx into the Elysian Fields.   

         Honor's Night started at 7:00 P.M. sharp.  The room was full and alive with chatter, laughter, and the telling of tales both true and exaggerated.  

     Space Center Director James Porter was the Master of Ceremonies.  He took one final sip from his perch high on the instructional platform before calling the babble to attention. 

  

     Item number one:  Come to work and volunteer in uniform. No exceptions.  Volunteer Livy was his model for the right and wrong way to dress.

     Item number 2:  The Grumpy Pants.  Lindsey modeled the newest accessory to the Space Center's wardrobe department - the Grumpy Pants.  Apparently the stress of summer missions and camps stacked one upon the other was too much for some, resulting in paper thin patience ,which in turn led to increased grumpiness between the the staff and volunteers.  Mr. Porter's solution - the Grumpy pants.  
     The new rule at the Space Center. If you're exhibiting signs of grumpiness, you'll be invited to proceed to Mr. Porter's office to put on the grumpy pants.  They will be worn for 30 minutes minimum or until all signs of grumpiness disappear.   

     Item Three:  Welcome to Dug, the Space Center's new director of curriculum. Dug was a junior high science teacher in the Alpine District before retiring.  James Porter was one of his students back in the day.  Dug has been brought out of retirement to take this position.  He will be an outstanding addition to the CMSC staff and will contribute to the Center's mission to maintaining the honor of being the best field trip in the state of Utah.  

     Tabitha Long was introduced as the Space Center's new Outreach Director.  Tabitha has been a part of the Space Center family for several years.  Her primary duty is to oversee the Center's Departments and all other duties as assigned.  Yes, she will fly the odd Odyssey mission from time to time as well.   

     Lindsey (center) will be stepping down as head of the Acting Department.  Taking her place are Katie and Nathan.  Yes, she was doing the work of two people.  What an amazing person!  Katie and Nathan received their purple Acting Department shirts.

     JJ received his Galileo Pass and pin from Galileo Set Director Erin.

     Jon was happy to award Tyler his Phoenix pass and pin.  YES!  The Space Center has brought back staff and volunteer lanyards - the perfect place to put your honors.

     Mr. Porter gave out the Apprentice Starfighter patches for the 100 hour volunteers.

     Tyler and Zoe received their 500 volunteer hours Hitchhiker patch.

     Alexis and JJ received the 1000 volunteer hour Defender of the Universe patch.

     Those few, brave, dedicated souls who volunteer for 2000 hours are inducted into the Society of Time Lords.  I'm a member. Jon Parker is a member, and now Mason Perry is a member.  The Time Lord presentation started with a new video from the James Porter production studio. The video showed current Time Lords calling all other Time Lords from across the universe to attendance to welcome the new Time Lord.  

     Mason was pleased and chose to celebrate the occasion by wearing all his Time Lord time keeping devices which have been highlighted on The Troubadour over the past few years.  

     Of course those of us in the 'know' know Mason is a true Time Lord.  His true identity was exposed to the world in a few Troubadour posts.  He parks his Tardis in the Voyager's crew quarters when making visits to Earth.  If you ask nicely, he may give you a ride to visit your favorite time period in Earth's history.  He gave me my wish last year.  We did a grand European Middle Ages tour to study the effects of the Bubonic Plague on a widespread population in person.  

     And just when you thought Mason was honored enough, out came a blue supervisor shirt.  Mason is now the Space Center's newest Blue Shirt.  He couldn't be happier.  It has been a long time coming!

     Scott and Lissa both received their Journeyman 5 Years of Service patch.  Lissa was absent so word is that Scott took both patches to give himself a full 10 years of service!

     Scott received a pillowcase - bringing back another tradition from the Space Center's Voyager Era.
     Lindsey will be leaving the Center to attend USU in Logan and was awarded a blanket to keep her warm on those long northern Utah winter nights.

     JJ was given the much desired Lord of the Summer Votes trophy.  He got the most up votes from this summer's campers for his work, attitude, and friendliness.   

     Sam got the much smaller trophy.  This is the "He Who Would Have Had An Excellent Chance of Becoming Lord of the Votes if Had Managed to Attend a Few More Camps" trophy.  Sam had a busy summer in the real world and was missed by his co-workers at the Space Center.

     Wow, this trophy speaks for itself.  Nathan Young winning the Best Flight Director trophy for the 2018 summer camp season.  Congratulations Nathan!

     The Best Summer Story trophy went to the Odyssey's "Unto Dust" mission.  

     Finally, the grandest of all trophies.  The Top Simulator of the Summer based on camper surveys this summer went to the Odyssey.  Congratulations to the Odyssey flight directors:  Nathan. Tabitha, and Lindsey.


The Imaginarium

The Odyssey Has a New Set Director; A Familiar Face Returns. Space Center Staff Learn Thorium, an Open Source Simulator Controls. Thorium Workshop Open to Everyone on August 25. Learn More About it. A Home Ship Using Thorium. Imaginarium Theater

Natalie Anderson Receives the Odssey's Microphone from Nathan Young Making her the new Odyssey Set Director.

     Natalie Anderson was enjoying a quiet lunch of emerald greens on a bed of martian rye favored generously with chipped free range snog from the Valles Marineris when her databad buzzed. Across from her sat a gentleman - a new person of interest in her life.  It was their first date, booked at a table sporting a breathtaking view of Olympus Mons.  He was someone Natalie had met while attending the Martian Institute of Theoretical Physics.  A nerd of sorts, but with a sense of style.  Natalie glanced down at the screen. "Incoming James Porter.  Earth. Delay: 20.21 minutes"  

     "What does he want?" she mumbled to herself. "Will you excuse me?"  Natalie moved the beige napkin from her lap to the table top, stood, and walked out onto the terrace.  Three minutes later she returned to the table, brushed her gentleman friend's cheek with her hand, then spoke. "My reactivation clause with Starfleet is in effect.  The USS Odyssey needs me."  

     He stood confused. "Reactivation clause?  You've only been gone 8 months and you're going back. I thought you were done with space service?"

     She brushed an imaginary tear from beneath her eye as she whispered,  "Au revoir mon aurait pu être. Duty calls." She explained the last ship for Earth was leaving within the hour. Her lunch was finish. Standing, she pocketed the last roll in the basket, turned and said, "Be a dear and get the check," as she walked toward the lift and back to her old life.

On Thursday Natalie stood before a gathering of Space Center staff and volunteers to officially receive the Odyssey's microphone from Nathan Young. Nathan isn't retiring from Space Center service, just stepping back as other pressing matters, like school, require his attention.

The Odyssey's Blue Ribbon Staff
Tabitha, Natalie, and Nathan

     Once again, as always, the Odyssey is in good hands.  You can count on new missions, a clean and happy ship, and service with a smile when you fly the Starship Odyssey at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center.  

The Christa McAuliffe Space Center Staff Learn More About Thorium at Canyon Grove Academy's Discovery Space Center

       

     Thorium is open source software used to fly and flight direct an experiential starship simulator.  Alex Anderson is the Primus behind Thorium.  Telos Discover Space Center and the Lion's Gate Center use Thorium exclusively.  Canyon Grove's three simulators are primarily Thorium driven.  

The Voyager at the Farpoint Space Academy uses bits and bobs from many different sets of simulator software, including Thorium and Interstellar.  

     The Christa McAuliffe Space Center is preparing to make the switch to Thorium this Fall.  Switching to a new set of starship controls isn't easy. Think of everything that must be done.  Knowing the mountain that must be climbed to convert, Mr. Porter scheduled a training flight for his staff at Canyon Grove Discovery last Thursday.

    

The Dauntless was staffed mostly with Phoenix, Odyssey, and Galileo staff. 

Natalie Anderson was the Captain

Jon Parker, wearing his glasses on the end of his nose to mimic concentration, seemed perturbed with Nathan Young.
Jon is getting older, thus needing a wee bit more time to learn new things.
Nathan had lost patience with Jon's delay in following the captain's orders and took matters in hand by reaching over and carrying out a command on Jon's computer without so much as a howdy-do.

Lindsey's reaction to Nathan's bold move against Jon.
"Yes, Jon's old, but look at you Mr. Williamson. You're ancient but still able to find
your way around a starship," she said.  She encourage Nathan to leave Jon be.

Spencer Baird (a dual employee from Canyon Grove and Farpoint) acted as second chair to Bronson Todd in purple.
This was Bronson's first mission using Thorium. "It's the blind leading the blind," he expressed while searching the screen for a dial, or slider, or indicator, or panic button. He asked me not to
share his comment on the blog. Something I grunted to but didn't officially agree to.

Canyon Grove Director Maeson Busk (in red) flew several of the CMSC employees in the Valiant.
I'm seeing mostly a Magellan contingent with a stray here and there from the other simulators to occupy a seat.
Again for many, this was their first exposure to Thorium. Audrey carried Mr. Porter's saddlebag.  In it are the codes
to launch the planet's defenses in case of alien invasion.

Alex Anderson (center) sat outside the Everest control room taking Thorium feedback from the crews.  There were several "This didn't work, and that didn't do what it was suppose to do" but mostly the feedback was positive.  The CMSC staff seemed ready and willing to convert to Thorium.  

The Canyon Grove portion of the training ended with a generous lunch provided by the CMSC.
After lunch everyone moved to the CMSC to fly Thorium test missions in the Galileo, Odyssey, and Magellan.

 Thorium Developer Workshop: A Call for Attendees.  Come Learn Thorium, Starship Simulation Software and Be Cool!

When:  August 25, 2018 from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.  Lunch will be provided.
Where:  The Information Systems Lab on BYU Campus - TNRB W328.  
Why:  To build the starship simulator controls community, train new developers, and make awesome stuff.  
What:  Bring your own laptop, or use of the provided computers tow work on actual code for Thorium.  
The Purpose of the Workshop:
To encourage outside collaboration and development, the Thorium team invites you to a one-day workshop and hackathon. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn about how Thorium was developed, pick up some new skills, make some new friends, and give back to Thorium and the Space Center community.

To learn more about the workshop, to register, and figure out if this is right for you, please visit the workshop's website.  

A Home Based Simulator Powered by Thorium.  An Example of Software's Effectiveness.  

The Bridge of the UCS Addis Ababa, a Home Grown Thorium Powered Ship

Mr Williamson,

     I recently built my own 5-person simulator in my family's basement. It's pretty basic, and players have to bring their own laptop, but I'm still pretty excited about how the UCS Addis Ababa turned out.

     This isn't actually my first simulator, a couple of years ago, I build the UCS Mandela at my high school as a senior capstone project. Aside from some climate control issues, the Mandela ran splendidly. I haven't had a chance to test this one out with a full crew compliment yet but I hope it will go just as well. Now to get my college to let me build a sim...

     I posted the attached pictures on the online chat for the Thorium simulator software, and Alex recommended I send them over to you, so you could post them on Voyagers Log. Feel free to do so, if you feel they'd fit.

Regards,

Admiral Lilah Rosenfield,

Assistant Chief of Fleet Operations

Colonial Command

Imaginarium Theater
The Best Gifs From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience