There is one fact of life as constant as the rising sun: A little sugar a day keeps the blues away.
While our missions run on imagination and high-tech simulations, did you know that sugar plays the most vital role of all? It is the literal grease that keeps the Space Center’s wheels turning. Sugar is what keeps our staff and volunteers smiling even when a station glitches, the AC dies in the control room, or—heaven forbid—a cadet loses their lunch on the Bridge.
The Strategic Reserves
The lobby desk serves as our primary Sugar Dispenser, but the true magic happens in the Space Center Office. There lies the Sugar Vault, a high-security chamber overflowing with confectionery delights.
Sugar is the ultimate "Mission Accomplished" reward. It’s dispensed to our volunteers at the end of every shift as a tribute to their hard work (provided they’ve been productive and eaten their vegetables). We keep the vault stocked because we know the universal truth: kids love sugar, teens love sugar, and adults love sugar.
Heck, let’s face it—I love sugar.
The Black-Shirted Mass
If you’ve never been at the Space Center during a busy shift change, especially when all the simulators have flown a mission and end at the same time, you’ve missed a spectacle reminiscent of the crowd you'll see at the concession stand at a theater. A sea of black-shirted volunteers gathered around the one lobby staff member, each barking out their order for sugar or credits. Our youngest volunteers quickly learn the first rule of survival: Get out of the way of the veterans and wait your turn.
A Toast to the Sweet Life
Today, let’s take a moment to celebrate an unsung hero of our daily operations. It’s never mentioned in the brochures, but it’s the special lubricant that keeps our volunteering gears turning; the life-sustaining dispensing of glucose from the Lobby’s Candy Rx.
A massive thank you to our incredible volunteers for their tireless work on behalf of the students of Utah... and to the sugar that makes it all possible!
— Mr. Williamson
From Volunteer to Staff: Celebrating Our Newest Supervisor
The Space Center is unique in many ways, but perhaps our greatest challenge is the technical skill required to operate our simulators. We can’t simply hire someone off the street and have them flight-ready in a few days.
Operating a starship requires a highly trained staff. That is why we maintain an In-House Training Academy. We take talented volunteers and put them through months of coursework, on-the-job observations, and evaluations. Only after they have mastered the systems are they cleared to lead our guests out into the unknown.
Announcing Our Newest Graduate
Under the leadership of Tabitha Ricks, Director of the Internship Training Program, we are proud to announce our newest Level 1 graduate: Benson.
Yesterday, Benson successfully passed his final evaluation to become a Magellan 2.5-hour Supervisor. If he is on the bridge of your next Magellan mission, you can rest assured you’re in expert hands.
Earning the Royal Blues
Congratulations, Benson! By completing this portion of your internship, you join the ranks of the hundreds who have gone before you over the last 35 years. You have officially earned your Royal Blues (the supervisor staff shirt).
Thank you for your incredible dedication to the Space Center’s mission. We’ll see you on the Bridge!
— The Space Center Team
From The Troubadour's Archives. March 2008 and 2009.
Log Entries from the Past: Stories That Shaped the Center
This Section of the weekly Troubadour post reminds us that we are standing on the shoulders of giants:
The Space Center is often defined by its blinking lights, sprawling simulators, and high-stakes missions, but the true heartbeat of this place has always been human. For over 35 years, our "Starships" haven't just been powered by electricity or imagination; they have been fueled by the dedication of thousands of volunteers and staff.
From the early pioneers who staffed those first missions to the newest graduates like Benson earning their Royal Blues, our history is a mosaic of service. These aren't just names in a logbook; they are the architects of the magic we experience every day.
Here are more of those stories....
A New Look for the Odyssey
March 2008
Hello Troops,
Andrew H. is one of our volunteers. He is working on a new 'look' for the Odyssey simulator. Of course, the real Odyssey sits behind a wall in a room at the Space Center, but in the fantasy world of our stories, it needs an exterior look. This is how it would look in space if it were real. Andrew finished a model of his new Odyssey. I thought I'd post it here for all to see and comment on.
Mr. Williamson
The Head Cranker
There are times I get chuckles just watching a crew in action on the Voyager. Last week, I was running the Voyager mission for a sixth-grade class. There were two boys working at Damage Control. It just so happens that the camera above the first officer always points to Damage Control and Left Wing. The camera's direction gave me a perfect view of "the head cranker".
There are many intense moments in "Intolerance". It is easy for a crew member to become distracted. Once distracted, it can take several minutes to refocus a kid back to his job. I'm used to seeing kids abandon their jobs and watch the action unfold around them. This was not the case with one of the boys at Damage Control. Several times during the mission, the officer working on the right computer would stop working and look around, following the excitement of the mission. This was normal. I didn't pay attention. Suddenly, the boy on the left computer reached up with both hands to remedy the situation. One hand was placed on the back of the other boy's head, and the other on his chin. Then, "CRANK," the boy turned his head back to his computer. I read his lips. "Get to work!"
In seventeen years, I've never seen a kid take the situation into their hands like that. The rest of the mission was a joy to watch. Every time the right boy became distracted, the left boy would reach up and crank his head back to his computer with the same words, "Get to Work!" I'm guessing it happened over 20 times during the mission. I was amazed that the boy on the right didn't punch the kid out, but he calmly went back to work for a few minutes before looking around again. Then...Crank........
Towards the end of the mission, the right boy had worked out a system where he could take super-fast glances without getting caught by the boy on the left. He adapted to the situation. I was amused. It was awesome to watch.
Mr. Williamson
A Camper's Email
Odyssey's Ghost Ship Was Awesome!
An Email from a Camper About the Odyssey Mission "Ghost Ship"
I received this email from Andrew, a camper who did a five-hour Odyssey mission on Saturday. Aleta Clegg was the Flight Director. It is always good to get feedback on your performance (both good and bad). I thought I'd share this email with everyone as a public thanks to the Odyssey team for their hard work.
Regards,
Mr. Williamson
And Now Andrew's Email:
Ok, I just went on a 5-hour Odyssey mission with my friends today, and it was AWESOME! Tell your Odyssey staff that it was a job well done! I think Mrs. Clegg or someone was our flight director... anyway, it was a way awesome mission. We did Ghost Ship, and to tell you the truth, I never did find out what the Ghost Ship was exactly... I think our first officer somehow changed the outcome of the mission by shooting a doctor that came onboard... and those Paklids trading us that spoon that we never really used! It was way awesome. Sorry if this is sounding weird; you can probably ask Mrs. Clegg (I think that's her name) about the mission; it was way cool.
Anyway, I am just rambling now. I definitely plan to come back soon, probably in the summer! The Space Simulator is awesome!!!!
-Andrew-
Imaginairum Theater
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