InfinD Announces Two New InfiniD Lab Schools. Provo Peaks Elementary and Sunset Elementary. Jennifer Remy Named Teacher of the Year from the Utah Air Force Association. The Imaginarium.

From InfiniD's Website

     InfiniD is pleased to welcome Provo Peaks Elementary (Sim42) in Provo, Utah and Sunset Elementary (Sim43) in Sunset, Utah into the growing community of schools using InfiniD Lab starship simulators. Provo Peaks is part of the Provo School District. Sunset Elementary is a part of the Davis School District.  Both ships have SIM numbers which reference their place in the simulator family of ships since the beginning of the movement. Click on the link at the top of the blog's right side bar to see all 45 ships flying the Voyager Inspired flag.

Provo Peaks Elementary

     InfiniD Labs basically morph a school's computer lab into a futuristic starship simulator. Provo Peak's  simulator will be used to enhance the school's elementary curriculum.  Jennifer Remy will oversee the program. 

Jennifer teaching the Apollo 13 simulation at the CMSEC

     Many of you old timers will remember Jennifer from her work at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center. Jennifer worked with me on the Voyager and was our summer camp instructor for several years. Jennifer recently was named the 2016 Secondary Teacher of the Year from the Utah Air Force Association.  This is the write up on the Provo District's website.  

Jennifer Remy

     Provo High Science teacher and District STEM coordinator, Jennifer Remy, was selected to receive the Chapter 236 Secondary Teacher of the Year Award from the Utah Air Force Association!Each year, the Utah Air Force Association presents an educator who has gone the extra mile to increase student interest in math, science and technology an award for displaying excellence in education. 

     Jennifer’s deep love for aerospace and space technology exploration engages her students daily. Many students enjoy hearing about Jennifer’s work with the Christa McAuliffe space simulation lab and stories about visiting the Kennedy Space Center. Her expertise and passion for this subject has not only entertained, but enlightened the minds of her students.For the past year or so, Jennifer has requested extra funding to provide her students with the experience of building and engineering rockets! This enables her students to work with their hands and minds to make the calculations and build the designs they can then fly. After the designs are flown, data is collected and designs revised; helping her students to understand the iterative process of engineering. Jennifer’s commitment to STEM education has been impactful on her students and the district. We want to thank her for her excellent work congratulate her on her award! 

Sunset Elementary School, Sunset, Utah

  

     Sunset Elementary's InfiniD Lab will be used to enhance the school's curriculum for grades 4 and 6.  

    These two new InfiniD labs bring the total number of Utah starship simulators inspired by the experiential education method developed on the USS Voyager thirty four years ago to 21. 

Utah's Starship Simulators

Four Simulators: The Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center, Pleasant Grove.

              Odyssey. Magellan. Phoenix. Galileo

Three Simulators: Lakeview Academy, Saratoga Springs.

              Leo, Apollo, Artemis

Two Simulators: Canyon Grove Academy, Pleasant Grove

              Everest, Pathfinder

Two Simulators: Merit Academy, Springville

             Excalibur, KatinaOne Simulator: Renaissance Academy, Lehi 

             USS Voyager

InfiniD's Mobile Simulator Titan

iWorlds Mobile Simulator Valiant

InfiniD Lab: Edgemont Elementary, Provo 

InfiniD Lab: Elk Ridge School, South Jordan 

InfiniD Lab: Early Light Academy, South Jordan 
InfiniD Lab: Holt Elementary School, Clearfield.
InfiniD Lab: Vae View Elementary School, Layton

InfiniD Lab: Provo Peaks Elementary, Provo
InfiniD Lab: Sunset Elementary, Sunset

 This video introduces you to the InfiniD Lab

     This video shows you an InfiniD Lab in action!

     

Visit InfiniD's website to learn how an InfiniD Lab can change education at your school.   

The Imaginarium

Programming the True Christmas Spirit on the New USS Voyager. Devin Sudwicks Great Flight Director and Ship Whisperer. Space News. The Imaginarium

True Christmas Spirit as Programmed by Connor

Connor's Christmas Outfit worn on the last day of school before the break

   

     Connor has the true Christmas spirit. He is the absolute opposite of my preferred state of BahHumbug.  
     Who is this poster child of all things Christmas?  Connor is a senior at an undisclosed high school in Utah County. We keep a few things about Connor secret because of his enormously high IQ and his matrix ability to read and write computer code. There are a dozen or so governments worldwide prepare to go to extraordinary lengths to apprehend him for their own purposes. North Korea may have made an attempt to kidnap him at a local McDonalds right before Thanksgiving. Connor was in a long queue to order a BigMac with cheese when two oriental men in black suits shoved their way in line. One stood in front of him and one behind.  Sensing something wasn't quite right, and recognizing the distinct order of kimchi on their breath, Connor dropped to the floor feigning an epileptic fit.  The two agents made their escape mumbling something about how disappointed the Dear Leader would be in their failure to convince the Dear Programmer to return with them and live in a perpetual state of happiness in their communist paradise.

He was a hit at his school

     In his spare time, when he's not programming his own project called Skynet, Connor is a volunteer and programmer at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.  He also drops by the USS Voyager at Renaissance from time to time to help debug a glitch or two in the ship's own system or install a set of lights in the briefing room. 

New Lighting scheme in the Voyager's Briefing Room

The Briefing Room lights set to match Connor's Christmas mood

   

Connor also tweaked the Voyager's Bridge Lights with his Christmas Spirit

Connor, Isaac, and Andrew basked in the lights and spirit of Christmas in Space.

 

     Thanks Connor for teaching us all how to celebrate Christmas by giving of your time and talent to help us create the space center magic for thousands of children. 

Mr. Williamson

Devin Sudwicks Tackles the New USS Voyager Proving His Talent as Both a Flight Director and Ship Whisperer

     Devin Sudwicks is a well known Space Center flight director who accepted the challenge to come and fly the new USS Voyager to both prove his skills and fearlessness. He knew the Voyager wasn't an easy nut to crack. He knew the ship's reputation to have its way with the brotherhood of flight directors. His kind arrive excited to fly the new Voyager and leave with their confidence in ruins and egos shattered.  

Devin Flying the new USS Voyager While Fortuna is Kept at Bay by two Awesome IIFX Assistants, Maeson and Jensen

Isaac checking on Maeson and Jensen's efforts to thwart Fortuna's scheming ways. 

Maeson and Jensen celebrating. They just intercepted a certain Goddess of Fortune's imp from crashing the Mercury system. Flight disaster averted.  Devin's mission continued. His confidence undiminished.

     I blame Fortuna - the Goddess of Fortune; the bane of my existence during my tenure as CMSEC director. For the last four years I was off her radar. Not so anymore. We are square in her sights with the Voyager poised to open the first week of January.

     Watch this short clip of Devin demonstrating his flight director abilities and his unique skills as a ship whisperer.   

   

     When all was said and done and the mission put to bed, Devin sent an email with several suggestions and comments. His insights were spot on and useful as we continue to prepare to open the Voyager next week.  He even offered to come fly whenever he wasn't needed at the Space Center.  Devin has his priorities right. We'll be happy to have his help whenever he has a spare hour or two.

Mr. W. 

Space News 
By Mark Daymont
From his blog: spacerubble.blogspot.org

Expedition 50 Celebrates Christmas in Space

Merry Christmas from the crew of Expedition 50 on board the International Space Station. Hope Santa has boosters to reach that high up in orbit.

The crew of the ISS is celebrating Christmas with light duties today, and getting some precious personal time. They'll be working on spacesuits tomorrow, in preparation for an upcoming EVA.

Japan's HTV-6 robotic cargo supply spacecraft is grappled by the CanadArm robotic arm under control of astronauts in the station.

Earlier this month, on December 13, the ISS received a new arrival in the form of a Japanese cargo spacecraft, operated by remote control, carrying supplies and experiments to the Expedition 50 crew. The HTV-6 blasted off from Tanegashima, and island off Japan, on December 9 and arrived on the 13th. One of the experiments on board is the KITE - Kounatori Integrated Tether Experiment - an electrodynamic tether which will eventually be developed to help remove space debris in the future.

About 8,000 pounds of equipment, fuel, batteries, supplies and hardware were brought to the station.

The HTV-6 was docked to the station's Harmony module, and is currently one of 4 vehicles docked to the station.

Currently occupied Docking Ports.

This is the sixth spacecraft of the current HTV design from Japan. There are planned to be three more launches of the current design. Engineers are designing the next generation HTV, designated HTV-X, which will use a service module for propulsion and allow for more cargo to be delivered. That launch is expected in 2021.

The Imaginarium