Matt Ricks is the Space Center's Historian. He recently brought back "Dry Dock". These are pod casts where he does in depth interviews with people who've played major roles in the creation of the Christa McAuliffe Space Center. Today you have the pleasure of hearing from Stan Harward. Stan was the principal of Central Elementary School when the Space Center was built back in 1990.
The Space Center has a mysterious side because whenever there is a need, someone always shows up to help. That mystery was evident before the Space Center was built. I had a dream of creating the Space Center but couldn't do it on my own. I had the district to convince and needed companies to donate. But first, none of it would have been possible unless Central School's principal was on board. Stan was the right principal in place at the right time. I doubt any other principal in the District would have supported my crazy, insane idea of building space ship simulators in a school, but Stan 100% supported the idea.
Together we hit the road, visiting the District office many times getting necessary permissions and driving up and down I15 talking to companies seeking (actually begging) for donations. Together we got the job done and the Space Center became a reality.
Matt sat down with Stan a few weeks ago and recorded the conversation. It is presented here on Dry Dock. Please take some time to hear Stan's recollections of those challenging times and what became of them.
The Voyager Club Learns About the Search for Life on mars
The Space Center's Voyager Club meet on Saturday, February 1. The Voyager Club has two missions 1) to create a spacefaring civilization and 2) provide volunteers to Utah County's Space EdVenture Centers. The club's monthly meetings are held at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center at Central Elementary School in Pleasant Grove.
It was a snowy morning and the roads were troublesome. Regardless of the situation, we had good attendance. Thank you to the Voyagers and their parents who weathered the roads to attend. I want to give a special Thank You to Jason Trump for tackling the Point of the Mountain to give our lesson of the month. Jason is on the club's educational team and in his spare time is the Director of Education at Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City :)
We started with bingo. It was the weirdest bingo game I've ever called. The same person won three games! With 25 players, that is quite an achievement. Many accused me of fixing the game. I assured them that it would take prizes far more valuable than a bag of Doritos or a package of Red Vines to throw a bingo game. That calmed the doubting Voyagers and the games proceeded.
The topic of the day's lesson was the search for life on Mars. Jason accompanied the power point with a hands on activity. The cadets were presented with what appeared to be common rocks, the kind you'd walk by everyday and take no notice. On his signal, the cadets uncovered their "rocks" and examined them closely looking for any signs the rocks could be the result of ancient life on Earth.
The cadets were divided into investigation teams. Each team examined one specimen. The examination concluded with a presentation to the rest of the group. The presentation required answers to the the following: 1) I notice..... 2) I think.....3) I wonder.... The funniest discovery was fossilized dinosaur dung. Who would have thought that 65 million years ago, a dinosaur took a dump and a portion of that ended up on a table in an elementary school handled by a group of humans millions of years later?
The meeting ended with our famous raffle. Jason, as usual, provides a nice selection of space related items from sticker to posters. I provide other prizes of some value (thank you Amazon Vine). Cadets use their Voyager Club / Space Center Rank / ID badges a raffle tickets.
The Space Center Prepares to Launch a New App "SpaceEdVentures". Web Development Students Needed
The following was taken from the Space Center's Facebook page. The Space EdVentures app allows visitors and campers to track their visits and missions to the Space Center. The visits translate to points, which in turn gives the visitor a rank. Help is needed to finish the project. Please read on...
News from the Lion's Gate Center at Lakeview Academy, Saratoga Springs.
The Lion's Gate Space Center Staff and Volunteers Visit the Space Center
Early in January, the Lion's Gate Space Center at Lakeview Academy hosted the Voyager Club at their center. The meeting had two parts; the monthly regular meeting and a 2.5 hour mission in the Apollo and Artemis simulators. You can read more about that on The Troubadour. A few weeks ago it was the Space Center's turn to host them.
Lindsey Hatch was their flight director in the Odyssey and reported they all had a blast. "I'd love to fly for them again!" she said.
The Lion's Gate Space Center is Open Again for Private Bookings and Introduces a New Mission
The first new mission of 2025 is here! Unseen is a mission full of mystery and intrigue with you in the detective role. Book your spot today and be the among the first to experience it for yourself!
The Lion's Gate Space Center created the following video for Lakeview Academy's Open House. It does an excellent job presenting what a school based space center does for the school's students.
The Imaginairum.
The Week's Best Videos From Around the World Edited for a Gentler Audience