The USS Voyager
Hello Space Fans!
The following are posts from the Space Center's first blog, our YahooGroup called "SpaceEdVentures". I stopped posting to this blog the day The Troubadour came online in 2008.
The YahooGroup contains the earliest history of the Space Center movement. Sadly there is no written history covering the Space Center's first decade from 1990 to February 2000. Those stories reside in the memories of the Center's first staff, volunteers and campers.
Take a second and look at the posts' summary, you may find something interesting.
Enjoy,
Mr. Williamson
We will start with the best post of July, 2000. Take a moment to read. You'll see how little things have really changed.
July 31, 2000
Summary: Thoughts on becoming a valuable staff member and volunteer. Changing from the Star Trek universe. People mentioned in this post: Dave Wall, Mr. Daymont, Josh Webb, Ryan Davis, Shayne Skaggs, Stephen Porter,
Hello Voyagers!
I have a few spare minutes today so I thought I'd write a general note to all and discuss a few topics which have come up.
1. A change in Universes. All of our simulators will be changing into a new universe we can copyright. We will use as much of Star Trek as we can without getting into copyright problems. All of the simulators will make this change after the flight directors have
had a chance to discuss the universe and make changes to the model so their needs are met.
2. We are looking for anyone that can generate special effects for this Universe. Someone out there knows how to or knows someone that can create realistic special effects at a decent price we can afford. Dave Wall and a friend have been working on effects for the new Odyssey story and they are very good. We need them for all other simulators as well.
3. Volunteers. Please do not stand around staring at the students as they arrive. Imagine coming into Disneyland and having all the staff standing around staring at you as you walk through! If you don't have a loading station then please stay in the briefing room or
the cafeteria and wait for the program to start. If you really want to be helpful stand by the door and help the kids with their stuff as they come in. That would make an excellent impression on the guests and their parents (Not to mention great vote fishing)
4. STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS PLEASE SHOWER AND BRUSH YOUR TEETH BEFORE YOU COME TO THE CENTER FOR A MISSION. PLEASE BE SURE YOUR HAIR IS CLEAN AND SO ARE YOUR CLOTHES. IF YOUR T-SHIRT IS WEARING THIN THEN
PLEASE DISCUSS THIS WITH ME SO WE CAN GET YOU A NEW ONE.
5. Props and Costumes: Please hang up all costume and put away your props in their proper places after each use. If you don't know where a prop or costume piece goes then please put them in the plastic bins located in the Voyager.
6. Props. As you shop around keep your eye out for any props you think might fit at the Center. You would be surprised what you find in a toy store that would fit our needs. Email the information to me and I'll check it out. We are especially in need of Doctor's props
for the sick bay.
7. Volunteers and Staff. Please stow all your personal belongings on the stage and not the faculty room. That faculty room is messed up enough with all the construction.
And now a few words about the Simulators.
1. Each simulator is to be cleaned before guests arrive. Yes, that means between rotations on the longer camps. All guests are entitled to a clean ship with everything in working order. You all know I am a fanatic on appearance. I want the keyboards flush up to the edge of the desks. I want chairs pushed in. I want mouse pads aligned with the keyboards. I want tape players set out properly not just tossed on the desks. I want clean carpets. I want the beds made. I want the bathroom clean. I want the pencils sharpened. We are after perfection my friends. I know there are those that say you can't get perfection but I say in some things you can and having a ship ready for guests is an area of perfection we can obtain!
2. As you move around the sims and the school always look for things out of place or that need to be picked up. There was a piece of trash on the gym floor that was noticeable to everyone on one of the camps. I usually stop to pick them up but I thought I'd watch
if anyone one else would. No one did. Our flight directors walked right by it many times so did our staff and volunteers. Friends, I stop and pick up trash - You stop and pick up trash. No one is too good to stop and pick up trash on the floors.
3. Who takes orders from who?
This is the pecking order at the Space Center so you all know.
1. Mr. Adams
2. Me. I am the Director of the Space Center. I take orders from Mr. Adams our principal.
3. Mr. Daymont. Mr. Daymont is the Assistant Director of of the Center. He takes orders from me and Dan.
4. Flight Directors and Teachers. The Flight Directors and Teachers are next in line. They take orders from Mr. Adams, Me, and Mr. Daymont.
5. Blue Shirts. The Blue shirts are our senior staff. The Blue Shirts that have the most seniority are:
1. Josh Webb
2. Ryan Davis
3. Shayne Skaggs
4. Stephen Porter
The Blue Shirts take orders from Me, then Mr. Daymont, Then the Flight Director of the ship they are working in.
6. The Volunteers. Volunteers, who do you take orders from? There are too many blue shirts and they don't all have the authority to tell you what to do. You follow this chain of command.
1. Orders from Me
2. Orders from Mr. Daymont
3. Orders from your flight director.
4. Orders from the highest senior Blue Shirt working in the simulator you are assigned to.
I hope this clears up any question concerning this matter.
4. Flight Directors may ban you from working in their simulator and I will back them up if they feel your performance is not up to par. What do we do with Staff or Volunteers whose performances are not up to standard?
1. Discuss the problem and tell them they are not allowed to work with that flight director until the issue is resolved.
2. Retrain if necessary.
3. Approach the Flight Director again and see if the person can retry the station.
What if a person is banned more than once? They are taken off the working list.
5. How does a volunteer get a blue shirt?
1. Easy answer - be the right person at the right place at the right time. That my friends is how life works.
6. What is the Right Person?
1. Well, a little tougher to answer. My personal experience may help answer this one. My life as an employee has always been successful no matter what I did because of the following:
A. I always found out who had the power to make my life better or worse and made sure that person knew me or at least knew of me by reputation.
B. That meant I had to stand out of the crowd of other workers. My work had to be slightly better than the work of those around me.
C. I didn't ever make enemies!!! Try never to make an enemy of anyone where you work. You never know where that person is going. They may be promoted before you and if they are your enemy you are sunk.
D. Find a way to become indispensable. I always looked around for ways to make my bosses lives easier and then did those things. Soon my bosses grew to rely on me to do those extra jobs. They needed me to do those things. Then when I needed a raise or promotion they were in my corner. Some of our other egroups members may want to comment on what they have done in the past to succeed in their careers. These things of course come into play after you get the education necessary to do the job right. Never let anything stand in the way of your education (and because of my religious beliefs I include missionary work in that category because it teaches self discipline and offers one the chance to serve God and your fellow man in a selfless way)
Well, my friends this post is long enough and my extra time is short. time to get down to the Center and get ready for the overnight mission.
Thank you all for your devoted work. I consider you all friends and co-workers. We learn from each other. Yes, you can't believe what I learn from everyone at the Center. Each day is an adventure for me because working at the Center offer challenges and rewards.
All the Best,
Mr. Williamson
July 10, 2000
Summary: A report on our second 48 hour camp of the 2000 summer season. This contains the first record of the Discovery Room's construction. Mentioned in this post: Matt Long. Bryce Redd, Stephen Porter, Chris Alldredge "Mr. A", David Merrell.
Hello Voyagers!
48 Hour Camp 2 went very well. It was our first camp with local kids
so it got off to a quiet start. The ships were in working
order. We are always holding our breath and crossing our fingers
because Allan is in the mission home and no longer able to save
the day.
Some of the Highlights of the camp:
1. Matt Long starting training to become the Falcon's 2nd chair.
2. Bryce Redd complete all his station pass off's ! Good job Bryce.
3. Stephen changed his Grand PooPah voice. VERY GOOD! We all like
it.
4. Construction continued for the new Magellan Briefing Room. They
began cutting through the wall into the Magellan during
the Magellan's last rotation. Mr. A had to deal with a flight and
the sound of a cement cutter slicing away through the wall
into his simulator. HE DID IT. Flexible is the name of the game
around here.
5. Right in the middle of the last rotation the Odyssey's TV
connection device broke. The kids could no longer see the tactical
screen. David Merrell earned his pay that day.
The air conditioning is still off in the cafeteria......... One day
we hope.
Well, today starts another busy week. Privates today with an
overnighter. Wednesday a 48 hour camp. Next week we call
"Hell Week" pardon the language. Next week we have a Day Camp Monday
to Wednesday and a 48 Hour Camp from Thursday to
Saturday evening.
All the Best.
Mr. Williamson
July 20, 2000
Summary: A more detailed report on the Discovery Room's construction. Details of Central School's summer remodeling. Dave Wall working on his Pathfinder simulator in Salt Lake City. People mentioned: Dan Adams and Dave Wall.
Hello Troops,
Dan Adams, principal of the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center
and Central Elementary School has begun remodeling a classroom
adjacent to the Magellan Simulator to become the Magellan's
briefing room and the school's new science education room. The
Science Center will be equipped with a transition hallway and new
entrance into the Magellan set and Magellan control room. The Center
will also have a video projector, experiment tables, several computer
monitors mounted near the ceiling connected to the internet, a space
images display, and a large virtual saltwater fish tank. The room
will be used for all science instruction at Central Elementary School
and the main briefing and instruction room for all Magellan space and
sea programs. Construction is expected to be complete by the opening of
the new school year in September.
If its summer than you can expect remodeling at Central Elementary
School. Currently the school's restrooms are being retiled and
modernized. Several classrooms are having carpet replaced. The
floors will be waxed and walls and carpets cleaned for the upcoming
school year.
Dave Wall is currently working to finish the Pathfinder Simulator in
Salt Lake City.Current plans call for a grand opening in September.
Check back for further updates.
The Space Center's summer season is off and running. Each week
between 110 and 130 students attend "Space Camp". Four different
camps are offered: Day Camp,48 Hour Camp, Overnight Camp, and
Adventures in Astronomy. The campers participate in simulated
flights in our five space simulators and classes in space and science
in our class sessions. The reviews of the camps written by our campers
have been excellent. The last summer camp ends the last weekend of
September.
July 23, 2000
Summary: Wes Moss introduces himself as the newest volunteer at the Space Center.
Hello everybody. My name is Wesley Moss. I am new to
the group. I am looking forward to getting to know you all.
July 24, 2000
Summary: A report on our Hell Week for the summer season of 2000. Too hot in the cafeteria for the Galileo. The results from the camper survey. People mentioned: Stephen Porter, Kyle Herring, and Mr. Daymont. These were the days when we had 65 campers per camp. The Space Center was a very busy place!
Dear Voyagers!
I'm happy to report the staff survived Hell Week! For the most part
we are actually still speaking to each other! Many of you
egroup members may not understand why we called this last week "Hell
Week" so I will explain. Last week's camps consisted of
a 3 day Day Camp from Monday to Wednesday and a 48 hour camp from
Thursday to Saturday. Most of the staff and some of the
volunteers put in nearly 60 hours of work in last week. I think you
are getting the picture now.
The camps went very well for the most part. The air conditioning
problem in the cafeteria was not resolved to our great dismay.
The temperatures soared into the 80's in the cafeteria during meal
times and during the times the Falcon and Galileo were
operational. A special thanks to Stephen Porter, Kyle
Herring, and Mr. Daymont - and all those that staffed with them
for working in that difficult situation.
The flights went well - nothing to report about the simulators.
Construction on the Science Center is moving along rapidly. I'm
going to post some pictures of the Science Center so you can all
track its progress.
The student polling results for camp 484 are in.
The students were allowed to grade each rotation. The results are
below.
First Place: Voyager with a 1.098
Second Place: Odyssey with a 1.324
Third Place: Magellan with a 1.426
Fourth Place: Classroom with a 1.53
Fifth Place: Galileo with a 1.64
Sixth Place: Falcon with a 2.22
The scores follow letter grades: (A = 1; B = 2; C = 3; D = 4; F = 5)
As for which rotation made you think the most the results are as
follows:
40% of the 25 students that flew the Galileo said it made them think
the most
19% of the 40 students that flew the Odyssey said it made them think
the most
28% of the 65 students that flew the Voyager said it made them think
the most
28% of the 65 students that flew the Falcon said it made them think
the most
15% of the 65 students that flew the Magellan said it made them think
the most
There is a section on the questionnaire where students can write
suggestions for Space Center improvement: Here is a sampling of
the results:
"Funner Magellan Stations"
"More Simulator Time"
"Get Better Food"
"More Action"
"No Video Night"
"Some way to let crews finish without removing difficulty"
"Bring back Babylon 5 for the Magellan"
"Falcon the whole period - no Mars class"
"Sleeping should count as class hours"
"Falcon"
"Better Falcon Missions"
"Work on the Falcon"
"Get a better storyline on the Falcon, actually use computers, make
the simulators longer"
"At night fight bad guys in the halls. Get lazer tag suits and guns"
"Make more simulator time !!!!"
"Let me go for free"
"Less swiming - more simulators"
"Not stay up late at night"
"Make longer missions"
Not bad for 65 campers. The majority of the polls said the Camp was
perfect and not to change a thing.
There is also a section to tell us what they like about the Camps.
Some of their comments were:
"Fun"
"It was so Fun"
"The simulators" This was repeated by sooooo many of the campers.
"The Challenge"
"You meet new people"
"Making new friends and the simulators"
"I had never been on a space mission before! I liked them the best"
"The Voyager mission"
"Everything"
"Swimming and Odyssey"
"Everything! Such as good staff and fun!"
"The Galileo"
"The simulator experiences, Team members, and night missions"
"The Voyager cause it is very fun"
"Fun Exciting"
"The whole thing"
"The Magellan"
"It really makes you think hard under stress and gright so when your
succeed it gives you a cool feeling"
"Voyager"
"It's like it's real"
"Doing the missions on the simulators"
"Robots and simulators"
"Make longer camps"
All the Best My Friends!
Mr. Williamson
July 26, 2000
Summary: Bryce Redd is awarded Lord of the Votes! Bryce Redd - top of his volunteering class.
On Behalf of all the Staff and volunteers at the Center I want to congratulate Bryce Redd for getting the most votes on our last 48 hour camp. Bryce is now crowned Lord of the Votes. He took in $19.50 in votes from the flight.
I also want to announce that Bryce just passed the 500 point mark!!!!!! Bryce is the first one in the Volunteer Class of 2000 to achieve that level.
Another First! Bryce is the first in the Class of 2000 to pass off all of his stations.
I think it important that we all recognize excellence here at the Space Center. Bryce's hard work has made the summer space camps a joy to many a student. I also receive many positive comments about Bryce and his excellent work. Of course the same is true
about many of the staff and volunteers but this post is dedicated to Bryce and his accomplishments.
Once again, on behalf of the flight directors, teachers, and staff - a big "EXCELLENT JOB BRYCE!" is shouted from the decks of the Voyager, Magellan, Falcon, Galileo, and Odyssey.
May you live long and prosper.
Mr. Williamson
Sunday's Theater Imaginarium
The best gifs of the week, assiduously edited for gentler audiences, minors, and the terminally offended