Another Space Center Wedding: Jordan Smith and Brylee Perry. May They Live Long and Prosper. Meet MORE Young Astronauts at The Space Place. Pictures of Never to be Forgotten Staff and Volunteers

 

Brylee and Jordan

     Their story together as man and wife began on a dark and stormy night.....

     Not a very good beginning to their life together right?  Well, not to worry. Even though it was stormy and cold outside it was warm and cozy inside the reception for Brylee and Jordan.  I found the couple preparing to move into place for the reception. I have a standing policy to arrive at receptions at the exact starting time for logical reasons; 1) no line so you can go right up to the couple to pay your respects and offer sincere congratulations and 2) get to the good refreshments before they're picked over by the hoard of younglings soon to arrive (LDS receptions in particular).  

     If my memory is correct, Jordan and Brylee are the fifth or maybe the sixth Space Center wedding.  Remember Jordan's older brother James, a former flight director, married Christine, an Odyssey Set Director, several years ago. Space Center romances were something I expected when I started the program way back when which is why I kept a close eye on anything that looked suspicious.  And yet, couples who are meant to be always find a way to meet.

     Brylee works at the Space Center as both a Galileo Flight Director and planetarium presenter.  Jordan was the Phoenix Set Director until several months ago when he took a programming job planetside.  

     A Space Center wedding always brings out the staff and volunteers and last night's was no exception.  Huddled together throughout the venue I found current and former staff catching up on life in general.  How many in this large scrum parked in the very center of the hall can you recognize?  Shall I help?  Left to right... Natalie, Nathan, Matt, Matt and Tabitha's baby, Tabitha (Matt and Tabitha are another Space Center couple) Silver (Brylee's brother) Jon, Maeson, Sydney, Scott, Orion, and Lindsey.  It boggles one's mind to think of how many missions they've either directed or staffed over the last decade or two!   

        

     Blocking the free flow of guests isn't a good thing so the group found their way to the refreshment table, loaded up, and hijacked a table to continue their discussions.  

     Isn't it great to see how life long friendships are made at the Space Center? Honestly, volunteering at the Space Center is the best thing a young teen could do with their spare time - which is how all of these find folks got their start. 

     The Troubadour wishes both Jordan and Brylee long life and prosperity as they venture forth into a life together. And if younglings to happen to arrive, then remember the clause in your Space Center contracts committing you to start them as volunteers upon reaching the age of 13. The traditions must be passed on to future generations until interstellar travel is real and our goal of building a space faring civilization has been fulfilled.

Mr. Williamson

Meet Last Week's Young Astronauts.  Yes, It is Another New Crop.  And Yes, They Keep Coming and Coming. Remember There are Over 200 of Them at The Space Place.

Say "Hello" to the 3rd Grade Lion Squadron. High School student Mark is their captain. Mark is a former Young Astronaut at The Space Place and a member of the staff

And a "Hello" to the 4th Grade Phoenix squadron. They did a great job especially being a couple crew short.  Our Young Astronaut on the left end proves that space travel can be dangerous 

And another "Hello" to the 4th Grade Tiger Squadron.

They meet Friday afternoons from 12:45 P.M. to 2:45 P.M.

They had a new member of the club as captain. He did a 

smashing job!

Meet the Great Staff and Volunteers from the Past.  October 2004

 

Stacy Carroll, Metta Smith and Richard Orcutt in the Magellan at the end of a mission. The Space Center pins on their collars signified how many years they worked. The other pin you see on Stacy's collar indicated her rank.  Are these old uniforms still being used today?

In the Magellan Control Room, Bridger Maxwell is standing. Scott Slaugh is the blue shirt and Jessica is the volunteer in black.

Mr. Williamson looking all high and mighty in the cafeteria.

It's Saturday morning and the campers have just finished eating breakfast on the overnight camp.  The staff are finishing up the grub.  Scott Slaugh, Taylor Herring, and Spencer Robinson are behind me.

Josh Babb (Green shirt) and Bridger Maxwell in the Discovery Room.  Bridger is showing off his newly found muscles 

after helping put the sleeping cots away.

Bridger Maxwell

Scott Slaugh

The staff are putting away the cots from the overnight

mission. Taylor Herring is holding the cot. Bradyn Bodily is in the black shirt at the back. 

The staff slept in the Galileo from time to time.

Lorraine Houston was our overnight camp chaperone 

for over 20 years!

It's nearly midnight and the staff are just finishing off 

cake and ice cream before heading off to bed on the

overnight camp.

And finally, Josh Babb in the Magellan Control Room.

Imaginarium Theater

The Best Videos from Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience

Meet More Young Astronauts. Say Hello to More of the Awesome Staff of Yesteryear. See Pictures of the First Starship Phoenix Under Construction. This Week's Imaginarium Theater

 Meet Last Week's Young Astronauts

Introducing more Young Astronaut squadrons at The Space Place at Renaissance Academy.  Here are the squadrons who launched aboard the USS Voyager last week.  It was a short week because of Fall Vacation. 

The 4th Grade Lion Squadron

The 4th Grade Dragon Squadron

The 3rd Grade Cobra Squadron

     The 3rd Cobra Captain is not a 3rd grader in case you're wondering.  His name is Jackson. Jackson is a member of The Space Place staff.  3rd Grade squadrons are always commanded by a member of staff. This makes it easier for the crew to focus on running the complicated ship and provides a good example of leadership for the younglings to follow.  

Meet More of Yesterday's Outstanding Space Center Staff

     Today I have more pictures of yesterday's outstanding Space Center staff.  These photos from from September / October of 2004.  

Metta was the Magellan's star supervisor.  Nothing got past her and everyone she trained did a great job!

Why who is this guy sitting in the Voyager's Flight Director chair.  Yes, it is me. I must be flying or about to fly because I've got my walkie talkie in pocket.  

Another picture of Dustin Robison and one of the Voyager's alien props.

Josh Babb training the left wing officers on a Voyager mission

Dustin and Megan Warner in the Voyager Control Room.

Megan is at IIFX and Dustin is manning the video station.

David Kyle Herring was never a fan of having his picture taken.

Kendall Duclos at an Honor's Night

Construction Pictures of the Original USS Phoenix.  2004

The staff bunks were removed exposing the classroom's

exterior wall.  The Phoenix would be build in this corner of the Briefing Room

The framing is in place.

The wall of the Phoenix showing the emergency

exit (left) and the main entrance (right)

Standing where the Phoenix Captain's Chair would soon

go looking out toward my desk in the Briefing Room.

Looking at the Phoenix from the school's hallway

Looking toward the Voyager's entrance from the 

interior of the Phoenix.

Imaginarium Theater

The Best Videos From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience

Meet the Staff and Volunteers from the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's Second Decade 2000 - 2010 (Continued). Meet More Young Astronauts at The Space Place. The Imaginarium Theater.

Hello Space Center Fans,

     This is the continuation of the series I started last week. I'm going through all my photos and posting the ones containing pictures of the staff and volunteers who worked at the Space Center during its second decade of operation (2000-2010).  These are the greats, whose dedicated work kept the Space Center growing and prospering.  These are the true believers in the Space Center's mission of "Creating A Space Faring Civilization One Student at a Time."   

Josh Webb (green) and Scott Slaugh (red)

Josh was a Voyager Supervisor Extraordinaire.  Scott was a young, student, hypercard programmer who played a major role in the simulator's operational controls.  

Josh Webb sleeping on the job. You have to give him a break,

We'd just finished a grueling 27 hours of work (Friday field trips, Friday private missions, Friday overnight camp)

Josh, fully awake now, is back to work cleaning the Voyager's black plastic computer screen covers at the end of an overnight camp.  We had to get the ship ready for the 

11:30 A.M. Saturday private missions.

Stephen Porter is looking bored at the Voyager's IIFX station.

Behind him are two young volunteers waiting their turn to 

go on the bridge to shake up the campers.

I sure wish I remembered the name of this Volunteer (playing the Voyager's ship's doctor).  He's standing with the ship's security in the crew quarters.

There are a few staff and volunteers you may recognize in this early photo from 2002 - 2004.  On the far left you have James Porter in the blue shirt. James is the current director of the Space Center.  David Merrell is next to James in the green shirt at the table. I also see Randy Jepperson in this photo. Dustin Robison there in a black shirt. And the guy in green with this back to the camera is the great Stephen Porter.

It is about 11:30 P.M. on a Friday night. We just got the campers to bed and we've gathered in the Briefing Room to celebrate a staff birthday.  That's the Odyssey's outer wall in the back.  The far wall behind James held the staff bunks. That area was turned into the Phoenix a few years later.

That's Dustin Robison at the Voyager's IIFX station.  Josh Babb is sitting in the Voyager's Flight Director chair (2004)  That huge white computer between them controlled the Voyager's isoliner chip station on the Bridge.

I guess Josh isn't happy with Dustin's work. They're standing on the Voyager's Bridge.

Meet More Young Astronauts from The Space Place at Renaissance Academy, They Keep Coming and Coming and Coming....

     Yes, there are more Young Astronauts you've not been introduced to.  In fact, there are 207 Young Astronauts and Voyagers at Renaissance Academy, divided into squadrons of 7 - 10 members. The squadrons meets after school from 3:30 - 5:30 P.M. Monday - Thursday and 12:45 - 2:45 P.M. on Fridays (our school's early out day). We're spending the months of September and October brining them in for their first meetings and missions aboard the Starship Voyager.  Here are last week's squadrons

Say Hello to the 4th Grade Monday Cobra Squadron

Say Hello to the 5th Grade Tuesday Dragon Squadron

Say Hello to the 5th Grade Wednesday Lion Squadron

Say Hello to the 4th Grade Thursday Scorpion Squadron

Say Hello to the 5th Grade Friday Tiger Squadron

Imaginarium Theater

The Best Videos From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience