Meet More of the Young Astronaut and Voyager Cadets Who Prepare for Their Future at Renaissance Academy's The Space Place. Learn More About this Outstanding Club. The Imaginarium Theater

 

Last Week's Young Astronaut Launches

The Space Place at Renaissance Academy is home to Utah's largest after school space club.  This year there are 170 cadets in grades 3 through 9 enrolled in the Academy's Young Astronaut and Voyager Club. In my last post, I introduced you to a few of the cadet squadrons. Today I will introduce you to a few more - the ones who launched the USS Voyager last week towards the edges of the galaxy.   

Meet the 4th Grade Dragon Squadron.  They successfully launched the Voyager on Tuesday. It was touch and go but they achieved excellent marks for their work and completed all tasks before the 30 minute deadline expired.  

You should see these younglings operate a complicated starship control system. Of course they need help from our older cadet volunteers, but their attention to detail and cooperative attitude comes out when they all work toward a common goal - one of the primary educational goals of the Young Astronaut Program.   

Pictured above is another of the Young Astronaut's finest squadrons, the 5th Grade Lions.  They are one tough team to beat and wanted the other 5th grade squadrons to know that from their pose.  

The 5th Lions have the highest launch point totals for their grade level.  The XO (first officer) was named MVP for the meeting for his attention to detail and outstanding leadership skills.  Many of these young men are younger siblings to veteran Voyager Club cadets who have graduated from the program.  They know what is expected and work hard to continue their family's legacy in Starfleet service. 

Last Week's Voyager Club Launches.

Pictured above is the Friday Middle School (grades 7 - 9) Tiger Squadron under the command of Captain Tavi and XO Jackson.  The Middle School Tigers have the launch record for quickest time to complete all launch tasks and get underway with a course set for The Fortress and final destination - unknown. They will receive their orders when they arrive at destination.

The Tigers completed a nearly flawless execution of tasks.  That is expected considering their ages and experience in Starfleet service.  Several of the cadets have been in the Voyager Club for several years. 

Aaron and Isaac make up the Defense Department.  There was an unfortunate phaser fire while docked with Outpost 14 that led to a squadron point loss (oops).  The Voyager is a place where you learn to pay close attention to details and learn to follow exact procedures to accomplish tasks.  Mistakes happen regularly and the cadets learn from them. 

Ammon and Lehman are the Tiger's Maintenance and Repair Department.  Above you see Ammon working in the Voyager's Engineering Bay in a different section of the simulator away from the bridge  and down a ship hallway  - through one of the revolving blast doors.  Ammon uses a walkie talkie (communicator) to received instructions from his partner on the bridge.  

Brian and Acacia are showing XO Jackson information from Brian's sensor screen.  Brian and Acacia are the Tiger's NavConn Department.  NavConn is responsible for navigation, thrusters, engine controls, ring deployment, and sensors.  

XO Jackson is patiently waiting for Cadet 2nd Class Enoch to open a communication line to Outpost 14.  Permission must be granted before the ship can depart.  Enoch and Fenix are the ship's Operations Department.  They control all communications inside and outside the ship.  They monitor the ship's engines and handle the ship's cargo and inventories.  

I am fortunate to work at Renaissance Academy. I teach math and history to 83 sixth graders during the school day and work with an outstanding Space Place team in the running of the Young Astronauts and Voyagers after school.  We work in a forward thinking charter school which values experiential education.  Renaissance Academy demonstrates that commitment by budgeting for a full time Space Place director - Bracken Funk. And let's not forget the Starship Voyager. They don't get any better than Voyager simulator with its multiple rooms and hallways.

Contact Bracken Funk for more information on how you can enroll your RA student in the space clubs and / or book the Voyager for private parties. 

Victor Williamson 

Imaginarium Theater

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The Space Center's 31st Birthday is Coming Up. See The Last Photos from the Ship That Started Them All, the USS Voyager. Meet Three of The Space Place's 19 Voyager Club and Young Astronaut Squadrons. Imaginarium Theater

Bradyn Lystrup was one of the last to walk through the Starship Voyager before the school and Space Center were demolished and the new Central School and Christa McAuliffe Space Center were built.  With his camera set to panoramic mode, he snapped a few of the last pictures of the ship.  I'm posting them today as we gear up for the Space Center's 31st Birthday coming up on November 8.  

The Voyager Bridge as seen from the top of the spiral stairs

The Voyager Bridge as seen from the front main viewer

The Crew Quarters, Sick Bay, and Galley

The Crew Quarters, Sick Bay, and Galley along with the stairway leading to 

decontamination 

Meet The Voyagers and Young Astronauts at Renaissance Academy, the Crews of the New Starship Voyager

Three of Renaissance Academy's Voyager and Young Astronaut Squadrons met last week: the Sixth Grade Dragon Squadron, the Sixth Grade Lion Squadron, and the Third Grade Tiger Squadron.  The sixth grade teams finished their bridge training earlier this month. This meeting was for launching from Outpost 14 and getting on their way toward the Tenarian Border for a very important rendezvous.   The 3rd grade Tiger Squadron met for the first time on Friday for their club introduction class and bridge operations training. 

The 2021-2022 Sixth Grade Dragon Squadron

The 2021-2022 Sixth Grade Lion Squadron

The 2021-2022 Third Grade Tiger Squadron

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See Utah County's Newest Starship Simulator Under Construction at American Heritage School in American Fork. It's a Beauty! Plus, This Week's Imaginarium Theater

On Monday, October 18 I stopped at American Heritage School (AHS) in American Fork to visit with Alex DeBirk.  Alex is the school's high school physics teacher, creativity lab director, and director of the school's space center.  In his spare time, Alex renovates homes, is an actor at Hale Center Theater in Sandy and his most important job is a husband and father.  He is a busy man.  

Alex worked at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in his high school days as a volunteer, supervisor, and flight director.  That's where he caught the Space EdVentures bug.  For some, it never leaves you.  

Alex designed the new Starship Voyager at Renaissance Academy. He worked there helping me with the Young Astronauts and Voyager Club until it was time to start his own program at American Heritage.  His Voyager Club at American Heritage got off to a good start in the 2019-2020 school year.  He had six squadrons who came to Renaissance Academy for their after school club meetings.  Then Covid hit and everything shut down.  

Last school year he was given the green light to create a space center at AHS.  With a cash input from the school and many many donations of money, time, and talent from the school's community the new center is moving rapidly towards an opening date in January.  

I knew the program would be awesome because that's what Alex does - awesome so I had to stop by and see it all for myself.  I took several pictures which are all posted here for our Space EdVenture fans so let's get started and see this new center under construction.  

American Heritage's Space Center and the Starships Discovery and Galileo   (both working names, the proper names haven't been decided) 

The Creativity Lab.  Room 1 

 

The American Heritage Space Center (AHSC) is located on the second floor of the new high school wing of the school under construction. Alex met me in the creativity lab (that's what I call it, I don't remember what its real name is).  It looks like a high school woodshop right?  This is where the magic happens.    

The first thing that caught my eye was this speaker.  Do you recognize it?  This was one of two speakers that sat on the first Starship Voyager's bridge when it opened in November 1990.  This speaker has seen a lot in its 31 years.  I'm happy it was rescued from the CMSC's demolition.   

Alex showed me his current project, the construction of two Discovery Bridge front control stations.  He and his high school students designed the desks and are building them right there onsite.  

The two desks look very Star Trek Next Generation, don't they?  

Alex showed me how they are building the rounded edges to the many pieces of bridge furniture.  

Building complicated pieces of furniture takes sophisticated equipment like this precision wood cutter.

The American Heritage Space Center's Classroom.  Room 2

Our next stop on the tour was Alex's proper classroom next to the Creativity Lab.  This is where he teaches his school day classes and, starting in January, where the school's 5th - 12th graders will all go during the school day for their Discovery Club (their Voyager Club) meetings. 

  

The classroom has 3D printers and other equipment which will be used by the students to create props and equipment for their space missions and starships.  The missions will be written with these pieces of equipment in mind. The missions give the students reasons to research, design and build the tools to successfully complete the mission objectives.  For example....... 

 

Alex's students needed phasers for their starship security teams.  They designed their own phasers and are in the process of 3D printing them.  These are not your typical store bought toy phasers.  The students designed their phasers to have cartridges which take a certain number of blast rounds.  Discovery security will be mindful of the number of rounds in each phasers and take care in how they fire those rounds.  I think it is genius.  Well done!  

The back of the classroom houses the Starship Discovery's Mission Control Area (under development).  The students built the computers.  

The entrance to the Starship Discovery is in the back of the classroom through this hallway....

....at the end of which is the turning door to the bridge.  

Starship Discovery.  Room 3

Go through the turning door, turn a corner and you're on the bridge of the Starship Discovery.

The ship's ceiling, sound, and lighting fixtures were being installed while I was there. 

The Discovery's Bridge has two small platforms at the back.  The platforms will have side lights. 

The Captain's Chair will be in a small half circle alcove at the top of a ramp leading to the top of the bridge.  It's that cool lit area in the photo.  

This amazing light feature illuminates the alcove directly over the captain's head.  The captain will be the brightest person on the bridge (whether he or she truly is or not will be a question answered during the many missions this ship will fly over many decades).   

This is the bridge as the captain will see it from his chair.  An 85 inch main viewer will be mounted at the front of the bridge.  The entrance is on the right.  The sick bay and engineering rooms are accessed from the opening on the left.  

Alex pointed drew my attention to the sloping of the bridge walls towards the front main viewer.  You can see Alex's imagination in this design, after all, he has a master degree in engineering!  

Looking out onto the bridge from the sick bay.  Alex is considering how the sick bay will be furnished. Will it have a three of four tiered bunk bed for its patients.  

The hallway to the Discovery's Shuttlebay is to the Captain's left at the back of the Bridge.  There is a short hallway leading to another revolving door.  Alex is looking in through the unused emergency exit door from the bridge. 

The Shuttlebay.  Room 4

The American Heritage Space Center's last room is the shuttlebay.  Do you recognize the ship?  Yes, you're looking at the new home of the Starship Galileo from the Christa McAuliffe Space Center. American Heritage purchased the Galileo from the CMSC and will use it as either a stand alone starship or a Discovery shuttlecraft.  Because there is another Galileo at the new Christa McAuliffe Space Center, Alex will rename this ship to avoid confusion within the Space EdVentures Fleet.  Any suggestions?  

In a few months Utah County will open its sixth Space EdVenture Center:

1.  The Christa McAuliffe Space Center. James Porter Director. Starships Magellan, Cassini, Galileo, Phoenix, Odyssey, and Falcon.

2.  Telos Space Center. Dr. Ryan Anderson Director.  Starship Hyperion.

3.  Reality's Edge at Canyon Grove Academy. Bradyn Lystrup Director.  Starships Pathfinder and Everest. 

4.  The Space Place at Renaissance Academy.  Bracken Funk Director.  Starships Voyager and Titan.

5.  The Lion's Gate Center at Lakeview Academy.  Nathan    King Director.  Starships Leo, Apollo, and Artemis.

6.  American Heritage Space Center. Alex DeBirk Director.  Starships Discovery and ???.  

I'm excited to work with Alex on this new project.  He has asked me to write a few of the Center's opening missions.  The first one is nearly complete.  Stay tuned to The Troubadour for more news on all the Space Centers.

Victor

Imaginarium Theater

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