Alex Anderson Presents at the Space Center's Voyager Club. From the Archives: The Vomiting Student, Alex, the Space Center's Casanova, and the Overnight Camp Satisfaction Scores. Enjoy this Week's Imaginarium Theater.

Alex Anderson Presenting to the Space Center's Voyager Club

February 28, 2026

     Alex Anderson was the presenter at the February Voyager Club meeting held at the Space Center on Saturday, February 28. His topic was the art and science of the perfect simulator's tactical screen.

Alex (Voyager Club's Vice President) Introducing New Members:  Ed, Thomas, and Zane

     The meeting started at 8:00 A.M. with Bingo.  Andrew A was blessed with a couple of wins and took home the most sugar.  The meeting itself started at 8:30 A.M.  The first item of business was the introduction of new members.  

Kyle and Levi Presented Receiving 2 Years of Service Pins

      Years of Service Pins were the next item of club business.  Alex presented Kyle and Levi with their 2-year pins, which they proudly attached to their lanyards. 

Eden Received a 3 Years of Service Pin
 

     Our final presentation went to Eden.  She received a 3 Year Pin.  

     The Space Center is lucky to have dedicated, committed volunteers.  Kyle, Levi, and Eden are examples of the quality of our volunteers.  

      Alex took the remaining time to teach the Voyagers about the purpose of tactical screens in our space simulations.  

Alex is showing examples of effective tactical screens from the Space Center's Voyager simulator circa 2005.  

     Several aspects of a good tactical were discussed:  Size, Content, Artistic component, etc.  That discussion led into the second half of his presentation, the new 3D tactical screen being implemented into Thorium Nova.  Nova is Alex Anderson's new simulator software under development.  He gave the audience a potential completion date of 5 years.  

The Voyagers were Impressed with Thorium Nova's Tactical Capabilities

      Thorium Nova's devotion to "real time and real space" was what impressed me the most.  It is being developed in a gaming-universe style, where the crew is truly in control of the simulator. 

     Alex started at the Space Center years ago as a young junior high student.  He was a fantastic volunteer, supervisor, and flight director.  He is still one of the Space Center's most devoted supporters. He created Thorium, the software used in nearly all local starships, at no charge to the space centers that use it.  

      On a side note, as I was searching The Troubadour's archives for today's post, I came across this fun short story about Alex and the fainting woman from 2009.  

That Alex, what a Casanova!   

  

Alex Anderson and His Effect on Women. (March 1, 2009)

I've been impressed with Alex A's talent both as a programmer and as a Flight Director. This weekend, I was a witness to another undiscovered talent: Alex A's effect on females.

     I returned from running an errand in Orem and found a woman wearing a Phoenix uniform sitting in the Briefing Room. A man was standing beside her, also in uniform. Of course, I guessed they were part of the Phoenix crew. Alex was their Flight Director. They were on a five-hour mission. The woman didn't look well. The man was beside her as if offering additional support.
     "I'm feeling better," I heard her say. I turned around to ask about the circumstances and found the Phoenix Control Room empty. The crew was on a break. A few moments later, Alex appeared.
     "We had a woman faint on the bridge," he said innocently. "I was in the middle of the mission, and she just fainted. It was the craziest thing."
      I looked at him in amazement.  "Alex, are you telling me that this woman, not girl, a WOMAN, fainted during one of your missions? What effect do you have on women anyway? Was it your voice? Was it your inflection? Perhaps it was a combination of the music and your voice. I've heard such a thing was possible, but never in my 18 years as a Flight Director have I brought on lightheadedness in a woman. I've caused multiple cases of vomiting, but never fainting. What a Casanova. You stud!"
     It was dark, so I couldn't see the multiple shades of red parading across Alex's face, but he did laugh. I told him this was something I had to write about in this week's Troubadour Post.
     "Why do you think I told you?" he responded. With that, he disappeared into the Phoenix's Control Room.
     I noticed a moment later, his Engineer character suddenly had a very suave voice. I mentioned to his second chair, Dave Daymont, to keep an eye on him and not let him get carried away.

Have a Great Week, Troops!

Mr. Williamson

From the Archives. March 1, 2008

Overnight Camper Satisfaction Scores

 

Barratt Elementary Students on the Magellan 

The Overnight Camp. Feb. 29-March 1, 2008

Hello Troops:
Here are the results from the student survey taken by the campers at
the end of the Overnight Camp of February 29 - March 1, 2008. This camp was sponsored by the 6th-grade students of Barratt Elementary. There were 45 campers. A special note, this is the second week the Phoenix achieved a perfect score! Very rare indeed. Great job, Phoenix crew!

Our Flight Directors were:

Voyager: Bryson Lystrup (Shadows: 11 campers)
Phoenix: Dave Daymont (Supernova: 6 campers)
Odyssey: Stacy Carroll (Outlaws: 8 campers)
Galileo: Taylor T. (Scorpion Relay: 5 campers)
Magellan: Brittney V. (Red Storm Rising: 15 campers)
_________________

The first question: Think about your story in the simulators. Were
they fun? Did it have good characters? Did it challenge your brain, or way too easy to solve?

Here are their choices:

A = 1
B = 2
C = 3
D = 4
F = 5

Here are the results. Remember, a 1 is a perfect score.

Voyager story's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.00)

Galileo story's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.20)

Magellan story's quality score: 1.13 (Last camp's score: 1.07)

Odyssey story's quality score: 1.14 (Last camp's score: 1.50)

Phoenix story's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.00)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE VOYAGER, GALILEO, AND PHOENIX FOR TAKING TOP STORY HONORS.

__________________

The next question: How would you grade the simulators'staff? Think
about friendliness, helpfulness, and acting.

Voyager staff's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.00)

Galileo staff's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.20)

Magellan staff's quality score: 1.07 (Last camp's score: 1.13)

Odyssey staff's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.13)

Phoenix staff's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.00)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE VOYAGER, PHOENIX, GALILEO, AND ODYSSEY FOR TAKING TOP STAFF HONORS.
____________________

The next question: How much did you enjoy your job in the simulators?
Choices: (1 = Great; 2 = Good; 3 = OK; 4 = Not So Good; 5 = Bad)

Voyager job's quality score: 1.09 (Last camp's score: 1.10)

Galileo's job quality score: 1.20 (Last camp's score: 1.00)

Magellan's job quality score: 1.07 (Last camp's score: 1.13)

Odyssey job's quality score: 1.29 (Last camp's score: 1.38)

Phoenix job's quality score: 1.00 (Last camp's score: 1.00)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PHOENIX FOR TAKING TOP JOB HONORS.

____________________

The next question: Did you feel that doing your job made a difference in the
mission?

The Camper's choices were: Yes(1) Maybe (2) No (3)

Voyager making a difference quality score: 1.09  (Last camp's score: 1.10)

Galileo making a difference quality score: 1.00  (Last camp's score: 1.20)

Magellan making a difference quality score: 1.00  (Last camp's score: 1.20)

Odyssey making a difference quality score: 1.14  (Last camp's score: 1.13)

Phoenix making a difference quality score: 1.00  (Last camp's score: 1.00)

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GALILEO, MAGALLAN, AND PHOENIX FOR TAKING TOP HONORS IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
_____________________

The final question: Would you like to come back to the
Space Center again for another mission?

The Camper'schoices were: Yes (1), Maybe (2), No (3)

Yes: 100% (45 students)
Maybe: 0% (0 students)
No: 0% (0 students)

The Director'sTrophy: Overall Scores averaged:

Voyager: 1.04   LAST WEEK'S SCORE: 1.06
Magellan: 1.05   LAST WEEK'S SCORE: 1.11
Odyssey: 1.11   LAST WEEK'S SCORE: 1.25
Galileo: 1.04   LAST WEEK'S SCORE: 1.12
Phoenix: 1.00.  LAST WEEK'S SCORE: 1.00

Overall Average: 1.05 Last Week: 1.11

The PHOENIX is awarded the Director'sTrophy! Super Job, Dave Daymont and his staff: Rachel H. and Hanne P.

SATISFACTION SCORES:

Our Satisfaction Scores for the Overnight Camp. Campers were asked the following question at the end of their survey.

1. How would you rate your overall experience for this overnight camp?

Their choices follow:

10 = The funnest thing I've ever done in my life.
9
8
7
6
5 = As Good as watching my Favorite Movie for the first time.
4
3
2
1 = The Most Horrible, Boring time I've ever had.

The students are asked to rate the overall camp experience on that
scale. They are given verbal instructions on the rating system to
ensure comprehension.

Here are the results for today's overnight camp.

Voyager: This Week: 9.18   Last Week: 9.60
Galileo: This Week: 9.20   Last Week: 9.80
Phoenix: This Week: 10   Last Week: 10
Magellan: This Week: 9.87   Last Week: 9.67
Odyssey: This Week: 9.43.  Last Week: 10

The MAGELLAN takes the Prize for Best Satisfaction Score!

Overall Ranking by all campers for this Overnight Camp:
This Week's All Ship Average: 9.54 out of a perfect 10.
Last Week'sAll Ship Average: 9.81 out of a perfect 10

Thanks, everyone, for Another Great Overnight Camp!

Thanks for all you do to support the Space Center,

Mr. Williamson

From the Archives. March 1, 2009

Vomit and Other Tales

The week got off to a semi-fluid start on Monday. I was in my Flight Director's chair, my Bridge speech was finished, and my 'Tex' character was in full voice. I was introducing the Left Wing Power Officer to the rest of the Bridge Crew, explaining his strange habit of screaming whenever the engine temperatures reached 90, when I saw Lorraine spring to her feet.  Something had caught her attention. Her quick sprint toward the Record's office meant someone was in trouble. Not knowing the facts, I continued my introductions. I was explaining the reasons for the engineer's smile (he sits higher than everyone else—you’ve heard the speech a thousand times) when it dawned on me what was happening.

VOMIT.  It had all the signs of a gastric explosion on my Bridge. My first instinct was to dive under my counter and pretend nothing had happened, but after 18 years, I’ve learned you cannot wish it away. Both eye and nose testify to its presence. I had to choose: stop the mission for hazard control, or let Lorraine and Metta deal with it while I forged ahead at full warp.

Lorraine burst through the Control Room door, confirming that we had a vomiteer on the bridge.  “GIVE HER THE HAPPY BUCKET!” I said to the staff in a voice of controlled panic. 

“She has a trash can,” Lorraine said.  The situation was under control. Lorraine is a wonderful mom with an intimate knowledge of these situations. I’m told all mothers do; it comes with the training. 

"How much are we dealing with?" I asked, envisioning something the size of a pond on the bridge carpet.

“There isn’t much,” Lorraine noted. “She caught most of it in her hands.”

(Doesn't that leave you with a wonderful mental picture :)

My thanks to Lorraine and Metta for their help with our Monday morning explosion. I also want to thank the girl’s mother for feeding her a light breakfast—the remains of which were very easy to clean up. The rest of the day went well. How could it not? If you start with a gastric explosion, the only way to go is up!"

Imginarium Theater

The Week's Best Videos From Around the World, Edited for a Gentler Audience

From the Space Center's Historical Archives. The Odyssey's New Pin and Fortuna Strikes Again. The Week Where Everything Went Wrong!

February 21, 2009

The Odyssey's New Pin Unveiled.  

Hello Troops,
This is the new pin, designed by Dave Daymont with input from several other staff who happened to be passing by the computer when he unveiled it to the universe. It arrived just in time for Honor's Night, held last Thursday. The package came from China. I got its tracking number from the Internet and had a semi-enjoyable time watching it make the hop, skip, and jump from China to Hong Kong to Alaska to Seattle to Salt Lake, and finally to Pleasant Grove. All in two days (and they say faster-than-light-speed travel is impossible. NASA isn't consulting the right people. I say bring UPS on board. They'll show you how to get things delivered quickly. If NASA can get a probe to Mars in less than a year's time, UPS should be able to do it in a week. Remember, Brown, can do it!)

Odyssey's Set Director is Emily Perry. She has a team of flight directors that does an excellent job keeping the Space Center's busiest simulator in tip-top shape.

The Odyssey pin is available for sale in our small gift corner located in the Discover Room. Buy a pin and make Emily and her staff smile. Buy two pins, and you get a handshake and a two-minute audience. Three pins and you've made friends for life!

Mr. Williamson

February 27, 2010

Fortuna and the Fates. One of Those "Everything That Can Go Wrong Has Gone Wrong!" Weeks

Hello Troops,
I’ve got an unusual request to send out to our faithful blog readers. Don’t think I’ve lost my timid grasp on reality, and don’t think I’ve converted to the dark arts when I ask this one thing....... how do I break the spell of three black cat crossings?

A black cat darted in front of me two weeks ago on my walk to work. It ran into the road, stopped, and watched me pass before going on its way. I thought nothing of it, except to remember a passing black cat meant bad luck. Not being of the suspicious kind, and not having a pinch of salt to toss over my shoulder to break the feline curse, I lodged the uneasiness into my brain’s X File and changed musical selections on my iPod.

Later that afternoon, the same black cat appeared in the road on my walk home. It darted right in front of me. The whole thing was repeated the next day, bringing the total to four black cat encounters. I felt and smelt a change in the air. The morning’s cool was scented with the smell of stale bread.

The Fates on Olympus High were bored, and the Space Center was their remedy. Don't you hate being the Fates' cure for boredom? I know we aren't the only ones they like to pester.

“OK, Fortuna, let's see if we can work this out,” I said in sincerity. “Our small string of good luck shouldn’t have caught your eye. Look at everyone else who's had a long trail of success lately. The stock market has gone up. Play with them. Look at the Olympics! Many of those athletes are blessed with good luck. Wouldn’t they be better amusement for your scheming than a collection of unremarkable mortals in Pleasant Grove, Utah, with a few space ship simulators? Hardly worthy of your time, is it?”

The smell became more acidic. I knew we’d had our chips. The Fates, like the fictional Death Eaters, were swarming. The trumpets from Olympus High were sounding the alert to gather the Gods. Fortuna was entertaining, and this was a show not to be missed.

That Tuesday, I woke with a high fever and strep throat. The first card was played. I went to work, called my doctor, and pushed through the day, rationing my swallowing.

The field trip arrived. We were one flight director short. An alarm clock failed to ring, or so we were told. I had a Galileo crew and no one to take the mission. A second card was played. Bracken Funk, a mere mortal with superhuman characteristics, was there to help on the Voyager. He’d had his gall bladder removed three days earlier and was living on a pain killers. I told him he would have to jump in and fly the Galileo. He jumped to his feet and went into action, clutching his side all the while.

I struggled through my crew's training, then started the mission. Partway through Midnight Rescue, just as the crew beamed the repairman off the satellite, the Voyager’s main projector bulb blew out. The large Tactical Screen went black. I heard the third card hit the table. Fortuna was proud of what she’d accomplished in just a few short hours. I ordered the spare projector pulled from storage. It was quickly mounted, and the mission progressed. The crew was unaware of any problem. I told them, using the cover of my Tex character, that the intruder blew out the Tactical screen with his phaser. It fit perfectly into the story.

At the end of the mission, the principal entered the control room.
“Two things,” she said irately. “One, I found this card out on the carpet.” She tossed the fourth card onto the bench beside me. “Clever,” I thought. The Fates used the principal to do their dirty work.  “Secondly, I’m assuming this is yours,” she said producing one of the Magellan’s Star War’s Blasters. She politely chewed me out for leaving it out so one of the school’s students could find it. She reminded me of the school’s ban on all types of weapons. Normally, that isn’t a problem. Our phaser looks like a phaser, not any kind of real weapon, but the Magellan's phasers are dark and could be mistaken for something sort of real, and I mean sort of with a stretch of the imagination. I apologised and promised it wouldn’t happen again.

A day later, my Lincoln Battlestar’s “Service Engine Soon” light came on, and the engine started doing funny things. Mrs. Houston’s son, Matt, came to pick it up to work on it.

And now, we fast-forward to today. For a reason unknown to any of us, Fortuna and the Fates lost interest in us for a couple of days. Things at the Center were fairly normal until this afternoon.

The phone rang at 1:00 P.M. It was a dad wanting to confirm his son’s 2:30 P.M. mission in the Voyager. I told him the Voyager already had a 2:30 P.M. mission booked by another group. That’s when it all hit the fan. Of course, according to them, it was our fault the reservation was wrong. I had a mother fit to be tied, and a crying boy heard loudly and clearly over the phone. I was sure she’d written the time incorrectly in her planner, but arguing the point was pointless. I went to Bracken, my miracle worker, and asked if he would be gracious enough to stay this evening and run a special mission just for their group. He said yes. I looked down and found the Jack of Hearts in my planning book. I took the card, ripped it into dozens of pieces, and tossed them into the trash. I know you’re thinking that was a bold and foolish thing to do, but it was done, the Fates be damned.

At 3:00 P.M., the ships were well into their afternoon missions. In the school's front door appeared another group. The mother apologized for being 30 minutes late. They’d driven down from Bountiful for a birthday party and had gotten lost in American Fork. I told her she didn’t have a reservation. We already had a group in the Odyssey. I checked the reservation book. She wasn’t there. Her son explained he emailed a reservation on February 3rd. He admitted he hadn't gotten a confirmation. I showed them an email I sent telling him the Odyssey wasn’t available. He said he didn’t get the email. There was nothing I could do for this group. They left very disappointed. Many of the boys were angry, since their Saturday had been ruined by all the travel time from Bountiful to Pleasant Grove and back. It was Fortuna’s sixth card.
“Well played, well played,” I mumbled to myself as the group left.

The seventh card struck halfway through the Voyager’s 2:30 P.M. mission. The left Security Computer failed during the mission. It was a frantic rush to get that computer swapped out with a spare during the few minutes between the Saturday afternoon mission and the special mission Bracken was running for the upset earlier group. We got the computer in place, shielded by a sheet of black plastic, when it became apparent it wasn’t seeing the network. After several minutes, we realized I’d not plugged the Ethernet cord into the computer. We took the desk apart, connected the Ethernet cable, and put it back together while the crew trained for their mission.

Fortuna’s final card for the day hit the school instead of the Space Center. At 5:30 P.M., Roger, the school’s custodian, showed me that the compressor in the school’s large walk-in refrigerator was bad. The fridge temperature was 55 degrees! All the food for next week’s school lunches would spoil. We spent an hour on possible solutions, finally settling on moving as much of the food into the school's side-by-side refrigerators. They are at the school as I type, working on other solutions.

I’d had enough of Fortuna’s cards. I drove home. The phone was ringing as I walked into the kitchen. It was Bracken.
“This is Bracken. The Voyager’s sound system just died in mid-mission. What do I do now?”
I sat in my chair. “So, this is how we are playing this out,” I mumbled. I told Bracken to swap mics and cables with another ship. He did. The sound system was resurrected.
It is now 8:00 P.M. on Saturday night. We are done for the week. I’m waiting to hear from Bracken on the day’s final report.

I’m hoping the Fates and Fortuna will take next week and realize we are all such small fish in the grand scheme of things and leave us alone. Someone else - perhaps even you - deserves their attention. I wish them on you. In fact, as I close this post, I’m going to leave my laptop open to my email contacts page. Perhaps your name will tickle their fancy. Beware of black cats and be cautious if the smell around you reminds you of moldy bread. If so, don’t call me! Pass it forward, my friend. Pass it forward.

Simply,
Mr. Williamson

P.S. I must thank the following for going above and beyond the call of duty this week and saving everyone’s bacon.

Bracken Funk. What can I say. He’s a trooper, working right out of surgery. An inspiration to everyone at the Center.

Alex Anderson. Great Set Director and all-around member of the Indispensable Club.

Jon Parker. Another member of our illustrious Indispensable Club. He is always willing to stay and do whatever needs to be done to keep the Center up and running, AND he always finds time to keep my water bottle full of ice-cold water. Thanks, Jon.

Imaginarium Theater

The Week's Best Videos From Around the World, Edited for a Gentler Audience

The Global Game Jam Event at the Space Center. KPop Laser Show Premiers at the Space Center's Planetarium. News from Mission.io. The Competitions Begins and Winning Schools Nationwide. Imaginarium Theater

The Global Game Jam at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center  

by Dave Stevens

     For the 3^rd year in a row, the Space Center hosted a site for the annual Global Game Jam. We started with a kickoff on Friday, Jan 30th.  Ten teams had 48 hours to create games around the year's theme.  The Space Center was represented by me and Orion B. on one team, and Kyle S, with support from Victoria, on another.   

     The Central Elementary faculty room was used for most of the day on Saturday to work on the games.  Thank you to the Space Center and Central Elementary School for supporting the Game Jam! 

     The event concluded on Sunday evening at the Space Center's planetarium with a final presentation where all teams showed their work, including a game that incorporated a device that could produce fragrances to add scent to match video game content!  

     To see the games created, visit https://globalgamejam.org/group/31112/games.  Many of them are playable from a browser. 

Here are the games that were created

https://globalgamejam.org/group/31112/games 

Two specifically were done by CMSC staff/volunteers:

https://globalgamejam.org/games/2026/lumens-lab-break-6

[ Orion and I] 

https://globalgamejam.org/games/2026/machine-masquerade-4

[Kyle S, Victoria provided support] 

KPop Laser Hunters Premieres at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center in Pleasant Grove!

The opening weekend was nearly sold out, with over 400 Huntrix fans having reserved their tickets.

Come see a show that is only available here in Pleasant Grove, Utah. Our amazing laser light show is the family-friendly and affordable activity you don't want to miss.

Tickets are $7 and can be reserved at spacecenterutah.org/laser

Mission.io News. Teachers, Mission.io is launching this Year's League Competition. Get Your Class Involved!

Last Year's Winning Schools

Our friends at Mission.io are excited to announce the return of the annual League Competition, launching THIS MARCH! Last year's reigning champions at Silver Summit, Canyon Crest, and Manilla set the bar high in 2025.

. Will your class claim the #1 spot this year?

Mission.io News. Tampa Day School in Florida Takes Top Score in Nationwide Teamwork and Problems Solving

Big congratulations to these Tampa Day School enrichment students for taking 1st place in the nation on the Mission.io leaderboard! UHA! Way to go, Hawks!

This Class is the #1 Highest Scoring Class in the Nation

They earned the top score in a nationwide teamwork and problem-solving challenge against hundreds of other classrooms. Students launched together on a Mission tied to what they’ve been learning and worked as a class to solve a real problem, and the way they handled the challenge placed them at the very top.

Mission.io is incredibly proud of how these students worked together and represented TampaDaySchool so well. Congratulations!

Imaginairum Theater

The Week's Best Videos From Around the World, Edited for a Gentler Audience

Today, a Few Stories on How the Space Center has Affected Lives. Letters from Teachers on their Field Trip Experiences to the Space Center. Imaginarium Theater

The Bridge of the Starship Voyager, 2001

"The Space Center Made a Huge Difference in My Life." My Saturday Conversation with a Local Banker

     Yesterday, I stopped at my bank's local branch to have a document notarized. I wore my Space Center jacket. The banker walked up to me, told me he was ready to help, and noticed my jacket. "I want you to know that the Space Center was one of my best memories growing up. It made a difference in my life," he said. That began a short conversation about the many reasons, but in the end, it was how it sparked his imagination and made him feel he could do difficult things and succeed. The seriousness in his face as he spoke struck me. He really wanted me to understand what he was saying.
     After the document was notarized, the conversation ended with a strong handshake and a heartfelt "thank you". I left the bank and drove to the Space Center to put in a few hours on the Center's volunteering program. I sat down in the staff room, turned on my computer, and felt a renewed desire to make the Space Center the best it can be for this generation of young people and the many who will follow.


Mr. Williamson

My Memories of my First Mission at the Space Center Way Back When, and What it Means to Me Today

Bracken Funk
Director, The Space Place at Renaissance Academy

Teacher, Renaissance Academy

Bracken with an Odyssey Crew in the first Odyssey Simulator back in the Day

I remember the first time I walked through the doors of the Space Center as a kid. It was for an overnight camp. I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting into, but I knew what it was supposed to be. It was an experience unlike any other, I knew that. All of the 6th graders had been talking about it for quite some time. I waited in anticipation outside the front doors. It was early October, not too bad as far as weather goes; a soft breeze grazed our already excitement-induced neck hairs as we waited, something similar to how Charlie felt outside of the chocolate factory, I'm sure, for the front doors to be opened, and for us to be allowed in.

I stepped through the front doors, and though I knew, consciously, that those were the doors to a school, my imagination took over once inside. I'd always been a Star Trek fan, and because of that, this experience to me was even more exciting than I thought it would be- the hallways of the school became a Federation Starbase. To me, it was real. I suppose I've always been that way, though. Even through the 8th grade, I would play on my trampoline with my lightsaber, yelling at the invisible foe, most of the time playing all of the lead roles in my imaginary play, including the foe. I think I can just create my surroundings the way I want them to be and block out what I don't want to see or hear very well. But that school, the minute I walked through the front doors, really did transform me, and that was just my first visit.

For my first mission, I was put in charge of the Magellan and served as the Chief of Security. I remember well imagining where my security officers were going, and I remember imagining Monty, our chief engineer, as this jovial, fat Aussie, who was a brilliant mind, but not so coordinated. He seemed willing to help, but too busy with engineering problems to get into our business. I felt like I knew him before I left.

I came back many times as a young lad. I came because I loved the idea of being a Federation officer. I came because I loved knowing that I was something bigger than myself while I was there. I came because the staff were fun to be around. In my overzealosity (yes, a newly invented Bracken word- it actually came about while I was flying Greenpeace speaking as the John Talbot impersonator), I was quite annoying, but I had good intentions.

But still, to this day, as a teacher at Renaissance and the director of The Space Place, I can still, in my imagination, walk through those front doors at that old Central Elementary School and still see that Federation Starbase. Those first starships (1990 to 2020) are still real in my memory. I experience that same magic when I walk onto the new Voyager bridge here at Renaissance. I don't know why, but the wonder the Space Center put in a child's mind way back then has grown up with him.

For those of us who work or volunteer at one of the local space centers, remember the magic you felt on your first mission.  Remember those feelings and do your best to pass that magic and wonder on to those who visit today because it is YOU who creates it.  

Bracken Funk

Emails from Two Teachers on Their Visits to the Space Center

A Phoenix Crew, 2007

Mr. Williamson,

Thank you very much for the great experience my students from Emerson had last night. Everything about it was perfect for them and they couldn't stop talking about it. I'm sure you find that a lot, but I was just hoping that all of the students would get into it. It was so fun to look around and see all of them very busy and engaged and having a great time. The last time I came to your space center was about 15 years ago, and even though it was about the same idea, this was much better. All of your employees were also very good and helpful.

A great learning experience!

Thanks again,

Margaret A.

Imaginarium Theater

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