Win a Real Meteorite from Reality's Edge. The New Space Center Construction Update and the Car That Won't Go Away. Watch the CMSC's new Video. Posts from the Past April 2003 Plus Pictures. Space News. Space Academy Anti-Fortuna Dance. Imaginarium Theater.

The Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy has a New Name:  Reality's Edge. Help Spread the Word by Liking Their Facebook Page. You Might Win a Real Meteorite! 

     Reality’s Edge Space Simulations (formerly Discovery Space Center at Canyon Grove Academy) is a Utah based Space Center and member of the Space EdVentures Network of Space Centers. Reality's Edge is giving away a real meteorite. Share and Follow their Instagram and Facebook page for a chance to win. The contest ends on the last day of April.

     Join your friends, family or coworkers in an immersive deep space mission, guided by a talented crew of actors inside Reality Edge's three different ships! For more information follow them on social media, or go to their webpage, realitysedge.org.

     Utah's Space EdVenture Centers: Reality's Edge, Renaissance Space Academy, Telos Discovery Space Center, Christa McAuliffe Space Center, and the Lion's Gate Center, offer experiences of a lifetime in their state of the art simulators. Book your private missions and summer camps now.   

Construction Update
Central Elementary School and the Christa McAuliffe Space Center.  Pleasant Grove, Utah

Construction continues on the new Central Elementary School and Christa McAuliffe Space Center.  One year from now the new school and space center will be open and the old school fondly held in the community's history.

The beginning of April. Day 1 of construction

First Days of Construction at the beginning of April
The playgrounds days were numbers by minutes. The heavy machinery was coming in.

Here we are on April 21, 2019. 
Roof photos from the Christa McAuliffe Space Center's Facebook Page

The Car that Won't Say Goodbye

     There is a car parked on the construction site. It was there before construction started and is still there now. The owner has been contacted but doesn't seem too concerned. Perhaps he or she is making a statement and is unhappy about the community's new school and Space Center.  Or perhaps the car isn't worth the bother and is destined for the Kidney Foundation.    

     The construction crews have been more than kind towards the squatter.  Notice the car still sits on a small section of the original lot's parking pavement, undisturbed.  Construction will continue around it until patience is lost and that large bulldozer in the background solves the problem once and for all.  

     I vote to bury the car right there where the new parking lot will be. What a story that will make when the new parking lot is dug up for another new school one hundred years or so in the future; and to everyone's surprise, a car is found.  We should put a time capsule in the glove compartment to make its discovery even more newsworthy. 

What is a Christa McAuliffe Space Center Experience

The Christa McAuliffe Space Center created a video to help people better understand what  a CMSC field trip or private program involves.  Even after nearly three decades people who've never been to a Space EdVenture Center still have trouble getting their heads around what we do.  This video helps. 




Historical Posts from the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's YahooGroup

The Voyager's Science / Defense Station
Summer Space Camps. July 2007

A Teacher's Thank you

April 12, 2003

     My class just went to the space center this afternoon, and they were typical, thick-headed, but well-behaved 11 and 12-year-olds. My goodness,but you and your staff show such incredible patience I can't help but thank you. I had 31 students, one of whom has a temper problem and can't read, and 5 of whom are ADHD. They all loved it. God bless 
you for developing this strange niche in our educational experience.  And the coordination involved still intimidates me and makes me feel like a very mediocre teacher.

Thank you for what you do.

A Young Summer Camper in the Galileo
July 2007

Space Center Journal. Event Horizon will be the Voyager's New Summer Story. The Hunt for Horace is Back! The New Galileo is Hinted at. New Isolinear Cabinets are Ready. Chris Alldredge is Back! Magellan Needs More Flight Directors.
The Staff Saves the Day with an Early School.  Customer Service is Number One at the CMSEC

April 13, 2003

Summer Missions

The Voyager story is all but written. Its working title is "Event Horizon". I'm still 
wrestling with the ending. The Galileo has one mission in development and one on the drawing board. Julie Collette has one mission that will be ready very soon. David Merrell
is assisting us with another one. This will be awesome for our Galileo fans. 

The Voyager's Sensors and Scanners Officer
July 2007 Summer Camps.

Two new missions! The Galileo hasn't had new missions for a few years. The Magellan will have a new mission finished by the end of this week. The Odyssey's new mission is written and in development. The Hunt for Horace is coming back in the Odyssey!

The Falcon's story is still in the re-write stage. Stacy Carrell has made an impressive start. We expect that story finished and in development within the week.  

Simulator News:

Lorraine Houston and Bill Schuler ran the Falcon this last weekend. Stacy is taking a bit of time off and will be back at the helm in two weeks. I want to congratulate Lorraine and Bill for doing an awesome job. The end of camp reviews were tremendous.

There is something brewing in the Galileo's direction. Something breathtakingly wonderful. I won't say anything now because the Galileo staff: Kyle Herring, Alex DeBirk, and Julie Collett will break the news in their own good time.

The Voyager's First Officer Training at the Command Station
July 2007

The Isolinear Chips compartments are getting ready to be officially activated. Matt Long is working on the programming and Dan Adams has been working on the cabinets. The Odyssey and Voyager compartments are in place. The Magellan's new two-computer desk will be finished this coming week. In addition to holding two new computer stations the Magellan's new desk will also house the Magellan's isoliner compartment. Once again a hearty thank you to Dr. Long (Matt's dad) at BYU and his students for their imagination and 
creativity. Theses new stations will add so much to the reality of the simulators. 

The Voyager needs to be recarpeted. I'm going to seek bids. If any of you know someone that carpets for a living and would like to give me a bid please send him or her my way. 

Who is that Masked Man?

Yes my friends, who was that strange man we saw roaming the halls of the Center Friday evening? Many of you recognized the face but couldn't put name to it. It was Chris Alldredge (Mr. A).  Mr. A is back volunteering at the Center after a two-year absence. Mr. A worked with Mr. Daymont on the creation of the original Magellan and ran it for a while when Mark was transferred to the Falcon project. Mr. A left the Center when he got a job at Apple computers and now works with PowerSchool. 

On the Magella Ready with the THX Controls
July 2007

Mr. A came to see me this week during one of the school missions. I filled him in on developments and asked him how things were going. He is working as a lead training and programmer for Powerschool. He gets to work out of his house; how would it be? He mentioned he missed the place. I told him about the new computer lab the school would be building in the new wing. I told him I wanted to close the Falcon and move it into the new lab. I asked him if he wanted to be on the new Falcon creation team. He said to let him think about it. Later that day he came back to the school and said that he would be honored to help out. I also talked him into becoming an assistant flight director for the Magellan working with Kyle Herring and Mark Daymont. He agreed to that as well. 

The back of the Odyssey. Summer Camps July 2007

The Magellan needs another one or two flight directors. Kyle Herring and Mark Daymont currently are the only two we have on staff that can run Magellan missions. Julie Collette has accepted an invitation from me to also train in Maggie along with Mr. A. My goal is to keep the Magellan running all day on Saturday with private missions. We can't do them during the week so Saturday is the day. Of course, Mark will only do 1 private mission and Kyle is very busy with "some other things I won't mention at this time watch for developments," so Julie and Mr. A will be it. 

The front section of the Odyssey.  Today's Odyssey Control Room sits right where the Captain's Chair sits.

Saturday: The Day from the Dark Side!

Wow, talk about royal blunders. Saturday morning started off very well. The kids from Sego Lily were well behaved during the night. I got a good night's rest and so did the chaperones. We fed them breakfast and started the trek from the lunchroom toward the ships when Bill and Lorraine noticed a school bus in the parking lot. Then we noticed kids in the bus. I stopped dead in my tracks. This couldn't be ++++++++ Junior High already here for their lesson and flight. It was. There were scheduled to arrive at 9:30 A.M. Mr. Fred Olsen was 
going to met them, bathroom them, and give them a Starlab show while we wrapped up the overnighter. Lorraine was going to teach them the Stazi classroom lesson after the Starlab, then lunch, and then into the simulators at 11:30 for a mission. 

The Odyssey with its Mood Lighting

I went out to talk to the teacher. I showed her the times we agreed to in the appt. book. What could she say? There it was in pencil and paper 9:30 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. not 8:00 A.M. All she could say was, "What do we do now? We've been up since 5:00 A.M. to get here." 

I called Mr. Olsen and he agreed to rush in and do something with them for a while while we all finished the overnight mission. Mr. A was a real trooper and stayed with them until Fred showed up. They watched a DVD on Black Holes. 

The Odyssey's Double Entrance: Through the turning door, then through the open hatchway.
Cool, Very Cool.

Customer Service Really is Number One at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center 

I want to make a point with this. What other place would take a group of 30 junior high students that arrived one and one half hours early and work with them making them feel at home? This is customer service at its best. What a great place and what a great staff that work here doing whatever it takes to take care of our patrons. 

Hey, all of you are getting an Internet pat on the back from me and a "Thank you" shouted across the lines. Enjoy your Spring Break.

Mr. Williamson

This Week's Space and Science News
From the Telos Discovery Space Center
A Space EdVentures Center

The Space Academy's Staff Perform Their "Spell for a Successful Mission" Dance to Keep Fortuna at Bay.

     Knowing how Fortuna, the Goddess of Fortune,  loves to torment the Voyager (past and present) the staff have come up with a new ritual to ensure our crews have a safe, pleasant, exciting, and Fortuna free mission.  

     And finally, the Space Academy's Supervisors are loved, adored, and worshipped by our young padawans. 

     The Force will be Strong in this little one once he finishes his training and demonstrates his superior will power by never ever sampling the Magic Medicine in the Voyager's doctor's bag (as the young initiants are prone to do).  

The young padawan enters a life of service and training and promises to serve the Voyager all the days of his life

Imaginarium Theater

The Best Videoettes From ARound the World Edited for a Gentler Audience

Private Missions on the Starship Voyager. Construction Update on the Christa McAuliffe Space Center and Central School Including a Few Historical Photos. Honor's Night at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center. Imaginarium Theater.

It's All Hands on Deck When the Renaissance Space Academy Runs a Private Voyager Mission

     
     The Starship Voyager at the Renaissance Space Academy in Lehi staged four private missions on Saturday.  And when it comes to our private programs, the Space Academy pulls out all the stops.  It's all hands on deck to provide the guests with the best experience possible.
     In the control room sat Bracken Funk and Logan Pederson. Combined, they have twenty years of flight experience from their time at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center and the Discovery Space Center.  Add former Space Center director Megan Warner into the mix and you have the absolute dream team of experience and talent. 

     

Caleb and Mr. Robinson with their freshly applied battle scars.
It looks so real we should provide the crews with barf bags for the extra squeamish.
Saturday's make up was for an adult mission.  The realism would be toned down for younger audiences.

     Mr. Robinson is our resident makeup artist, fully trained by his wife.  He brings experience to the missions. There isn't an adult crew he can't intimidate if needed with his teacher voice and vast knowledge of everything. He is Renaissance Academy's middle school history, debate, and Space Tech teacher.      I

     The Space Academy has a talented group of high school volunteers and staff.  Brad (left) goes to Skyridge. Alex (right) goes to Lone Peak.  Brad both volunteers and supervises missions. Alex volunteers on the missions and works on Academy staff helping me with the three coding classes we teach after school each week. 

 

      Sitting in the Voyager's Brig are four of our younger volunteers. Their job is to provide plenty of distractions when the mission calls for them.

The Starship Voyager's Deck 11

     The Voyager's bridge sits on deck 12 in the Farpoint Universe.  Next to the bridge sits "Deck 11".  Deck 11 offers exciting "away missions" from the bridge when necessary.  

The Engineering Access Point (EAP) Upper Level with its engine core and switch panels

Sick Bay Mid Level sits next to the EAP.

Sick Bay: USS Voyager.

The curved hallway leading to the double sized turning door adds a nice
futuristic touch to Deck 11.  The ship's Mid Level Brig sits on the opposite side of the door. From there
the ship's Bridge is just around the corner.

On the opposite side of the Deck 11 hallway and just outside the EAP sits another
darkroom door leading to another hallway. Go straight and around the corner and up a ramp and you'll be on the bridge.
Turn right and you find the Transit Pod.

The Voyager's Transit Pod. It doubles as a turbolift and a transport platform.

     Booking a private mission on the Starship Voyager is easy. Go to SpaceCampUtah.org for more information.

Mr. W.   

Construction Update on the New Christa McAuliffe Space Center and Central Elementary School With a Few Historical Photos

The Big Trees in the Churchyard are Gone

     I drove by the school on the 11th and noticed the large trees in what use to be the old church's front yard are gone.  This picture was taken looking across 400 East toward where the church use to sit.  You can see the path the sidewalk made to the building's front door.  

     The playground is a full construction zone from the north fence to the big toy on the south end of the property.  Apparently they dug up an old stove buried out there somewhere.

Summer Space Camp July 2008.
These three campers are on a 3 day overnight camp.  You can see the old church building behind the boy's head on the left.
The church closed the building in April 2007 and sold the land to the Alpine School District for a new Space Center

Picture Left:  Looking down the west side of the school. Notice the concrete steps leading into the building from the playground are gone.  Looking south you can see where the blacktop ends and the construction zone begins.

Spring 2002 on the playground.  Principal Dan Adams is counting down for the balloon launch.
The Captain of the USS Salt Lake City (Submarine) was visiting the school to officially open the Odyssey as a
submarine for our 4th grade program.  The back of the old church is visible

Central Elementary students use the blacktop as their playground along with the area around the big toy behind the trailers.  The USS Voyager addition to the building is still there, all sealed up and waiting for demolition in one years' time. 

The students are waiting for the signal to launch their balloons and wish the Captain and first officer of the
USS Salt Lake City good sailing.  Spring 2002

And finally looking west and southwest. Check back next week for your weekly construction update.
  

Going back 11 years Looking toward that same spot on the playground.
Summer Space Camp 2008.  Bracken Funk out on the playground at lunch putting together a touch football game
with the campers.

Honor's Night at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center.

     Honors Night was held at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center on Tuesday, April 9.  Mr. Porter welcomed both staff and volunteers.  The number one thing on everyone's mind was the new space center.  What would be the names of the two new ships?  What kind of ships would they be?  
     Mr. Porter started the meeting with a "Which is the Lie" survey. We voted for what we thought was the lie in each of the two columns. Each column represented one of the two new simulators in the new building.  

     Nothing was revealed that night.  Mr. Porter set a goal; the lies would be revealed once the CMSC's Facebook page reaches 5000 likes.  We've got some work to do to reach that goal.  Please "Like" the CMSC's Facebook page so we can learn the names of the new new simulators and discover their purpose in the soon to be fleet of six simulators at the new Space Center.

     Galileo Set Director Erin Williams awarded Mason Edmondston his Galileo pin.  As you'll soon see, Honor's Night was pretty much centered on Mason's achievements.  Mason has been a volunteer for many years, having started when he was just a young teen during my administration. 

     Mason was called up again to receive his Magellan pass from Magellan Set Director Connor Larsen. 

     Mr. Porter wasn't through honoring Mason.  Once again he was called up to be awarded his Space Center Blues.  Mason reached the Supervisor's level.  Congratulations Mason!  I'm sure flight director is next, but in what ship?

     Wherever Mason settles I'm hoping it will lead to a paycheck.  The poor kid only had sliced peaches for his supper.  And notice those two bullies laughing behind his back while luxuriating on gourmet soda and deluxe burgers.  Bad Josh. Bad Jon.  
     The idea was floated to pass the hat to see what we could collect from those assembled but Mason refused the offer. "The life of a dedicated space edventurer is never easy," he mused. 
     "No it ain't!" Jon added with a laugh as he shovelled the last of his burger into his mouth. A river of ketchup dripped down his shirt. "You see, sacrifices must be made," he added as he reached for a napkin.
     "If a hat must be passed around, let the money go to the new Space Center," Mason replied humbly.  And with that, both Jon and Josh were effectively put in their places.    

     This is Aaron K.  I've heard the staff say good things about Aaron. Some speak of his willingness to take on any assignment. Others say he's a pretty good actor.  
     Congratulations Aaron on earning your Apprentice Starfighter patch for 500 hours of volunteer service. 

     This is Katie.  Katie rightly deserve the title of "Defender of the Universe" for the time she puts in helping the CMSC reach its goals.  I expect Katie is one of those we can expect to see with a microphone in her hand in the near future. 

     Celebrating staff and volunteers who reach Journeyman status is one of the things Mr. Porter loves most about his job as CMSC director.  Tuesday night it was Josh Anderson's turn in the limelight even though it was a bit late in coming.  Josh actually hit his five year mark a few years back. 

     It's tough to get Josh to the Space Center on a weeknight to receive his honors.  He is a busy man.  But to his credit, Josh always has time to direct a mission when the need arises.  I've grown accustomed to seeing him on the Saturdays I stop by the Center to gather news.  He is pretty much regarded as the"go to man" when a flight director needs some time off.    

     Congratulations to everyone who was honored at Honor's Night.  I also want to mention how supportive the Space EdVenture family is with one another. I was present to cover the event for the blog, but also in my role as director of the Space Academy.  Also present was Sydney Brown, co-director of Reality's Edge at Canyon Grove Academy.  

     The Space EdVenture Centers celebrate each other's accomplishments as we work together to improve and provide the best experiential education to Utah's children.

Mr. W.  

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

Construction has Started on the New Space Center and Central School. Bookmark The Troubadour for Weekly Updates, Pictures, and Historical Photos of Central School Over the Ages. Volunteering the Core of the Experience. Space Tech Theatrical Makeup. Meet the First Canine Mascot and Volunteer

     Construction of the new Christa McAuliffe Space Center and Central Elementary School started Thursday, April 4, 2019.  The heavy machinery was on the playground before the keep out fencing went up. First to go were the big trees which lined the east side of the playground.  

Left: this empty lot is where the old LDS church sat until it was tore down around ten years ago. The district bought the lot as a site for a future Space Center.  Right: Down goes the first basketball standard.

     I took the picture above in March 1983.  My class of sixth graders were at recess.  Danny Turner and a friend were arguing (friendly) over a call in their baseball game.  You can see the back of the old church and the trees.  The basketball standards in the top picture sit right where Danny and his friend were wrestling. 

     I went back to the school for an update on Friday, April 5.  Construction fencing was up and the heavy machinery was at work removing trees, shrubs, and the lawn.  

March 1983

     The afternoon recess baseball game. Chad Mills is up to bat. Aaron Hilton is catching. The big CAT bulldozer in the photo above is sitting a bit behind the old baseball field backstop.  

     From May 1984. My 6th graders are in the race of their lives for the school's Field Day festivities.  Jody Carr was the fastest kid in the school. You can see the large gap between Jody and Chad Jacob who came in second.  This picture was taken years before the new addition was built on the north side of the school. 

     Central Elementary School's playground will be closed to the public for one year during construction.  The students will use the school's parking lot to play.  Parking will be limited to the streets and of course, just maybe, the Baptist Church will let the teachers park there during the school day.  
     The Troubadour will give you weekly updates on construction mixed with pictures from the school's history. Stay tuned; the countdown is running. One Year To Go!

Mr. Williamson

Volunteering: The Core of the Space EdVentures Experience

     From the moment I first envisioned the Space Center I knew I needed a strong volunteering program in place or the Center wouldn't survive.  The Center's first volunteers were members of my sixth grade class my great students from the 1990/91 school year. I taught half day and ran the Center half day for that first year.  
     Good volunteers continue to be staffing core of all Space EdVenture centers:  Christa McAuliffe Space Center, Reality's Edge, Space Academy, Telos Discovery Space Center, and the Lion's Gate Center.
     Mr. James Porter from the Christa McAuliffe Space Center recently talked with BYUradio host Rachel Wadham (Worlds Awaiting) about volunteering. You can listen to the interview through this link.

To Volunteer at any of the local Space EdVenture Centers please contact:
     
     •  The Christa McAuliffe Space Center:  https://spacecenter.alpineschools.org/volunteer
     •  The Space Academy (Renaissance Academy, Lehi):  Director@SpaceCampUtah.org
     •  Telos Discovery Space Center (Orem): ryananderson@telosu.com
     •  Reality's Edge (Canyon Grove Academy, Pleasant Grove).  
              Sydney.brown@canyongrove.com
     •  The Lion's Gate Center (Saratoga Springs). nrayking@gmail.com

Space Tech: The Space EdVenturing Class at Renaissance Space Academy Learns Theatrical Makeup.

     Renaissance Academy is home to the Space Academy.  The Space Academy offers a four level experiential learning program to RA's students:

•      Tier One:  InfiniD Missions.  All RA students fly InfiniD missions during the school day throughout the school year.
•      Tier Two:  Space Tech.  Students in the 6-8th grades may enroll in Space Tech, an elective course taught during the school day in the Voyager simulator and its classroom. Space Tech is taught by Mr. Robinson and Mr. Funk. 
•      Tier Three:  Young Astronauts / Voyagers.  Students who wish to take the experience further may join the after school Young Astronauts and Voyager Clubs.  Two hundred students are members this school year. 
•      Tier Four: Space Academy Leadership Training (SALT). Students wanting to go the full distance may also join the SALT program. Think of SALT as a Starfleet Junior ROTC program for students in the 4th - 8th grades.  

     Theatrical makeup is one of several units taught to the Space Tech students. Myles was the guinea pig last week. The task, how to create nearly believable injuries. I'm guessing Myles didn't follow the ship's standard protocols for purging the ship's jump engine from plasma overflow.  Wanting to shortcut the procedure, Myles didn't wear the required protective headgear. He learned his lesson the hard way.  

The Jump Ship Voyager has an Official Mascot. Think of Opie as our Staff and Volunteer Support Animal in Addition to his Duties as a Really Good Alien Detector 

      

The Staff with Opie on Saturday's 5 Hour Voyager Mission
Front: Megan Warner, Opie, Ethan, Ammon, and Dylan.
Back: Bracken Funk, Logan Pederson, Camden Robinson

     What a good dog.  Opie is the best and so say we all.  I met Opie on Saturday at the start of the Voyager's five hour private mission.  He's a big dog so at first sight you must conquer your fear and not run for your life.  Opie came right over and we made friends. 

     Camden Robinson is Opie's master. Mr. Robinson is Renaissance Academy's middle school history and debate teacher in addition to his duties with Bracken as the Space Tech class teacher. Camden is also on the Space Academy's staff.  He teaches special historical units as part of the Academy's after school programs. He'll soon be a flight director.

     Opie is quiet and isn't bothered by the simulator's loud noises.  He keeps the staff occupied during those long waits between scenes and goes out if needed to play any role required. 

     Three cheers for Opie, the first Space EdVenture's mascot and canine volunteer.    

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