Become a Trillionaire, Mine an Asteroid - The Voyager Club's September Meeting. The Sandwich Club Returns. The Imaginairum

 

The Voyager Club's September Meeting: Cookies, Asteroids, and the Road to a Spacefaring Civilization

Saturday’s Voyager Club meeting was out of this world—literally and figuratively. If you’ve never been to a Voyager Club gathering, picture a room full of future starship captains, mad scientists, and cookie miners, all united under one bold mission: “Creating a Space Faring Civilization.” 

The Voyager Club, based at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center, welcomes students (grade 7 and up) and adults who want to boldly go where no volunteer has gone before. Members don’t just talk space—they live it. Club members volunteer in the Center’s six starship simulators, acting in high-stakes, Star Trek–style missions set 300 years in the future. Whether it’s a 2.5-hour mission or a 5-hour galactic marathon, Voyager members help create the magic that keeps crews of visitors coming back for more.

This month’s meeting featured Jason Trump, Director of Education at the Clark Planetarium and Voyager Club instructor as the presenter. Jason led a fascinating—and delicious—lesson on asteroid mining. Fun fact: a single small asteroid could contain enough precious metals to supply Earth for the next two centuries. (So yes, the next time you see a chunk of space rock, you might be looking at the universe’s bling.)

But here’s the twist: mining an asteroid is hard. To prove the point, Jason handed out chocolate chip cookies. The challenge? “Mine” the chocolate chips in two ways:

1. Earth mining: Cookie flat on a paper plate.

2. Space mining: Cookie held up with tongs (aka “zero-gravity” mode).

It turns out chocolate-chip mining in space is no easy task—cookies crumble, chips escape orbit, and gravity (or lack thereof) is not your friend. But the laughs were as plentiful as the crumbs, and everyone came away with a deeper appreciation for how tricky—and expensive—real asteroid mining will be.

As if cookies weren’t enough excitement, Dave Stevens did a presentation about a brand-new internship program the club will offer to its high school members. Members are invited to learn basic animation in Unity and help create interactive experiences for the Space Center’s Starbase Williamson set. Translation: you get to design awesome digital magic that visitors will actually use in the Starbase. How’s that for a résumé booster?

Into addition to the two presentations, club members started the meeting with the traditional game of high stakes bingo and ended the meeting with a raffle for some nice prizes:  gift cards, a Utah Gold Buck, t-shirts, a phone stand, planetarium tickets, and a high class selfie stick / tripod. 

New club members were introduced by club president Eavie and vice president Alex.  

The Voyager Club continues to prove that learning about space can be thrilling, hands-on, and yes—downright tasty. If you’re in grade 7 or older and dream of helping humanity reach the stars (or just want an excuse to eat cookies in the name of science), the Voyager Club is your launchpad.

Next stop: the future. 🚀

Alex and Crystal Anderson Host the Return of The Order of the Sandwich (Sandwich Club). It Has Been A Long Time in Coming! 

The last official meeting of the Sandwich Club was way back in April 2016 at Renaissance Academy, home of The Space Place. Ever since that fateful day, I’ve intended to host another gathering. The spirit was willing—but the energy? Not so much. Year after year, I kept putting it off, despite repeated bouts of pouting and pleading from current and former Space Center staff members. For a while, it looked like the Club was destined to become nothing more than a quirky footnote in Space Center history. Then, something wonderful happened. Alex Anderson stepped forward to “prime the pump” and bring the tradition back to life. 

On Saturday, September 27, Alex convened the Order of the Sandwich at his home in Orem, officially calling the Club back into session at 11:00 A.M. Over the next three hours, current and former Space Center crew members arrived in waves, filling Alex’s living room with laughter, stories, and the unmistakable "Jimmy John's Free Smells". Alex and Crystal went all out with Jimmy John’s sandwiches. (In the past, Sandwich Club meetings were fueled by Walmart subs, so clearly Alex was raising the stakes to attract a more refined crowd. Well played, sir.)

I, of course, managed to arrive fashionably late—thanks to my own lack of attention to detail. I thought the event was happening Saturday evening instead of morning. Thankfully, Alex saved the day with a text that read something like, “Get on the ball and get here!” Crisis averted.

The goal of the day was simple: have fun, reconnect, and rekindle old friendships. “Don’t worry about getting wild,” Alex assured us. “I’ve already warned the neighbors about potential disturbances in the fabric of space and time when this many Space Center alumni gather in one place.”

On behalf of everyone who attended—and those who couldn’t make it—a huge thank you to Alex and Crystal for hosting the triumphant return of the Sandwich Club. Alex got the ball rolling, so the only question now is: Who’s catching the pass to host the next gathering?

 the pass and host the next gathering? 

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

The Voyager and Young Astronatus Clubs at The Space Place at Renaissance Academy Blasts Off for Another School Year. Mission.io Highlighted at Utah's Stem Festival. Lions Gate Space Center and Saratoga Springsopoly. The Imaginairum Theater

The Voyager Club at The Space Place at Renaissance Academy Kicks off the New School Year

The Voyager Club at The Space Place at Renaissance Academy is off to a great start for the 2025-2026 school year with the Middle School Squadrons.  Over the last two weeks, the 6th - 9th grade squadrons were briefed on this year's LDM mission (Long Duration Mission: A mission that starts in September and ends in May), selected their ship positions, trained, and launched on their 8 month adventure.  The Young Astronaut Squadrons (grades 3 - 5) follow the middle school.

There are nearly 200 members in both clubs. They are divided into squadrons ranging in size from 8 to 12 members.  The meetings alternate between flight and education / flight.  Flight meetings put the cadets in the Voyager simulator for the entire two hours of meeting time. Education / Flight meetings have the squadrons split their meeting between the mission continuation in the Voyager and a one hour class session. Students do team building exercises, leadership training, and discuss current space news and astronomy in the class session.

Lindsey Matus is new to The Space Places's staff this year.  Lindsey will be the instructional coach for the Young Astronauts Club and will work with the exclusively.  I will do the same for the Voyager Club squadrons. In addition to her classroom work, Lindsey will train to supervise and flight direct the Starship Voyager simulator for club missions. 

Voyager Club members at The Space Place may also volunteer in the Voyager.  Some do volunteering only, while others will both volunteer and participate in a squadron and fly the LDM mission.  

Bracken Funk is the Director of The Space Place at Renaissance.  In addition to his work with the Voyager Simulator and the clubs, Bracken is one of the school's two PE teachers. He does 6th - 9th grade PE. He also teaches two periods of Space Tech classes to the 7th - 8th grade classes during the school day for school credit.  Space Tech is where students learn the science and tech which operates all aspects of the Voyager simulator. 

Mission.io was at Utah's Stem Festival in Sandy, Utah Last Week

We took our sixth grade classes to the Stem Festival in Sandy last week and turned them loose in the convention hall packed with displays showcasing companies, schools, and organizations who had booths set up to teach students how they use the STEM fields in their work.  

I was happy to see our Mission.io friends demonstrating their curriculum and missions in a booth near the entrance. Their booth was sponsored by US Synthetic, a Utah company that makes synthetic diamonds.  The booth was manned by Skyler Carr and Brooks Heder.  Both Skyler and Brooks got their start in this business as volunteers at the Space Center in Pleasant Grove way back in the day.  You can read more about the company is an early blog post.  

   

 

Mission.io is doing well as a company. Their goal is to take the gospel of simulations based experiential education to the world, one classroom at a time.  Is your school using Mission.io curriculum?  If not, give Skyler or Brooks a call and arrange a demonstration for your school on this unique approach to preparing students for the world of tomorrow.  

Lions Gate Space Center at Lakeview Academy Featured on Saratoga Springsopoly!

Way to go Lions Gate Space Center making a name for yourselves in your home community!

That's Jonathan, a member of the LGSC's staff, holding the game and peering off into the distance envisioning where the LGSC is today, and with publicity like this, where it is going in the future.  

Awesome :)

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

Jon Parker Steps Down as the Space Center's Assistant Director. Lindsey Matus Joins The Space Place's Education Staff. Mission.io Surpasses One Million Students! Emmie C., Graduates from The Space Center's Internship Program. The Space Center Offers Year Round Space Camps. Imaginarium Theater

Jon Parker, the Man, the Legend

Jon Parker's presence has been a permanent fixture at the Space Center for many many many years, but as they say.... All Good Things Must Come to an End. And so sadly The Troubadour announces that Jon has stepped down as the Space Center's Assistant Director.

Jon graduated from UVU with a degree in education in December 2023. This school year he was offered the CTE teaching position at Timpanogos High School, a job he was hoping to get. Being a fairly new teacher, Jon soon realized he couldn't do both jobs effectively and still have time for some kind of a personal life. Something had to go.

Now the good news, Jon may be stepping down as Asst. Director, but he isn't leaving the Space Center completely. His ethereal presence will continue to be felt in the halls and simulators on the occasional weekend when he flys a Cassini mission or works a lobby shift.

Jon begun his journey with the Space Center twenty years ago. During those two decades, Jon set the example of what a great Space Center volunteer and staff member should be. Thank you Jon for your dedication in every position you held, and for your selfless commitment to the Space Center's mission of creating a space faring civilization.

Lindsey Matus Joins The Space Place's Education Staff

Lindsey Showing Up for Work (Left) Lindsey with Husband Juan (Right)

      Lindsey Matus recently join the educational staff at The Space Place at Renaissance Academy in Lehi.  Lindsey's exceptional talents in the simulators and in the classroom will keep her busy as she goes between her work in the Odyssey at The Space Center in Pleasant Grove and The Space Place.

       In addition to her work for The Space Place, Lindsey is one of Renaissance Academy's new 4th grade teachers.  In fact, her classroom on the school's second floor is so close to the Starship Voyager on the first floor, that she can hear the explosions, music, and can almost make out what the aliens are saying.  Luckily for her, the starship flies after school only.  

       Lindsey will be working with the 3rd and 4th grade Young Astronauts and the 5th - 9th grade Voyager Club members in the classroom.  The school's 150 club members are divided into squadrons of 10 members each.  Each squadron meets monthly.  There are two parts to a club meeting, the classroom instruction and the simulator experience. The classroom is where Lindsey will teach problem solving and communication skills, in addition to lessons covering astronomy, physics, and cosmology.  

       As you can see in the photo above, Lindsey has NO problems getting into the spirit and fun of a simulator experience.  The Space Place is lucky to have someone with this level of experience on our staff.  Welcome to The Space Place, Lindsey! 

Mission.io Surpasses One Million Students! 

        

Students in the Denver Public Schools Doing a Mission.io mission

      I'm very excited to announce that our good friends at Mission.io reached a major milestone.  There are now nearly 1.2 million students doing Mission.io missions in schools across the country and in a few overseas locations.  

Skyler and Casey

       I was at Mission.io in Provo on Friday to do a recording as the InfiniD's ship computer and talked with Skyler for a few minutes on the company's success since it started over 10 years ago by Casey Voeks and Skyler Carr.  

      "Here is something else you should see," Austin Nielsen said.  "Look at this graphic at our nationwide locations."  Austin proudly showed me his computer screen.

      Each pin represents a Mission.io location. The pins could be one or many schools in that area running the missions. Congratulations Mission.io for taking the spirit of wonder and adventure, pioneered by the first simulator Voyager, to the world!  

Emmie C., Graduates from The Space Center's Internship Program and is Appointed to the Galileo as the Simulator's Newest Flight Director 

By Tabitha Ricks

CMSC Staff Development Lead

      We welcome our newest Galileo Flight Director to the dark, sunless abode of the simulators! 

      Emmie's pass has been a long time in coming. Emmie started volunteering in the fall of 2021 and has countless volunteering hours in the books. Not only does Emmie hit all the essentials of a mission when she flies, but also brings characters to life and looks out for her volunteers to give them the best learning opportunities as well. She has a lot of grit and a wonderful work ethic! 

      Be sure to give Emmie a salute the next time you rub shoulders with her or find her waiting for your group in the Space Center's lobby.

         

Brylee Perry Welcomes Emmie to the Galileo and Presents her Navy Blues

        

The Flight Director's Guild

   "I pledge to put into best practice the training and craftsmanship I received from those who trained me. I pledge to set an example of professionalism to my staff, volunteers, and crew. I promise to lead and guide my crews by adhering to the missions' goals and objectives. I promise to honor the pioneering spirit of the first ship Voyager by continuing to learn and improve upon my craft. These things I will do until I lay my microphone down."  

The Space Center Offers Year Round Space Camps

     

     Let's face it, the most popular starship simulator program at the Space Center are the summer space camps. In the past, they began in June and ended around the last week of July.  Through the months of August to May, a private 5 hour mission in one of the six starships was longest program you could attend. That is about to change.  Starting this Fall the Space Center will offer the space camp experience to students ages 10 to 14 at various times of the year.  Check out the Space Center's website to learn more and book a camp for your young astronaut.  

Imaginarium Theater

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

Kyson Leaves the Space Center for an LDS Mission. Alex Anderson at the August Voyager Club Meeting. Matt Long Teaching the Space Center's Electrical Engineering Props Class. David Kyle Herring Reminisces About the Galileo II. Marissa Ohran Writes About a Field Trip Experience. Imaginarium Theater.

Kyson with his volunteers after completing his last mission on the Phoenix

 Kyson Miles Retires From the Space Center to go on an LDS Mission

     Another one of the Space Center's great flight directors has returned to Earth after having served several hears in space service. 

     Kyson started as a young volunteer in June 2019 and after five years of dedicated work and commitment, achieved one of his Space Center goals - to become a Phoenix Flight Director.  That promotion was given in December 2024.  

Kyson, on his promotion to Phoenix Flight Director

     I most often ran into Kyson on Saturdays when I'd arrive to do my Voyager Club business.  He was a regular lobby desk person. I'd walk in and immediately hear, "Mr. Williamson, how are you doing?"  Who could ever reply, "Rotten," to that kind of a friendly greeting :) Needless to say, his happy greeting was the proper way to start the day for the me, for the staff, for the volunteers, and our guests.

     After his mission, Kyson plans to go to university to study aeronautical engineering.  "I'm heading into space," he told me when I asked him about his future plans, so there is the chance Kyson may return to the flight director's chair upon his return to Utah. 

     All of us at the Space Center wish Kyson the very best and look forward to his return.

Alex Anderson, Creator of the Space Center's Thorium Software, Talks About Mission Writing at the Voyager Club's August Meeting

Alex, Making an Important Point, During the Voyager Club Meeting

Saturday, August 30, 2025

8:00 A.M.

The Voyager Club meeting started with Bingo!  The big winner this month was Simon, one of the Space Center's newest members of the Voyager Club and a new volunteer.  Simon kept winning and winning, much to the annoyance of those around him.  

Bingo with Eavie and Alex

8:30 A.M.

     The meeting was formally called to order by Eavie, president of the club.  Her first item of business was to introduce the membership to the club new vice president, Alex Jensen.  

Eavie Introducing Alex, the Voyager Club's New Vice President

     There were lots of cheers and applause at the announcement.  It appears Alex is a popular and well respected volunteer; someone the volunteers like to work with.  Eavie made a good choice in selecting Alex as her VP.

The Voyager Club's Newest Members

     The Voyager Club's newest members were brought up to the front and introduced to the membership. Six new members over the last month!  We are pretty please about that - and they are all top notch young men who are excited to get started in the simulators.  Could a future supervisor, flight director, or perhaps even a future Space Center Director be in this group?  You never know......

      Eavie turned the time over to me for announcements.  I covered several topics with the limit of hours being number one on my list.  

1.  We need to limit the number of volunteering hours to two 2.5 hours or one 5 hour mission per month for September and October, or until the number of private missions increase.  

2.  The start of the Blender Animation classes coming soon.

3.  The Stageworks Prop Building Electrical Engineering Workshop.

     Alex Anderson did a discussion workshop on writing missions for a Space Center simulations.  He discussed the do's and don'ts of successful simulator mission writing.  He opened the discussion to the floor for member comments.  

     

     The topic of using AI as a flight director was introduced as Alex talked about his new software project called Thorium Nova.  The question was, "Could AI be success as a flight director?"  To demonstrate the concept, Alex used Intolerance as his guide.  Could an AI play the part of the Pennou and do it successfully?

       Alex brought up a member of the club who was familiar with the Intolerance mission and asked him to play the part of the Pennou captain.  He stood with his back to the screen where the AI was working.  Alex fed the AI all the mission parameters complete with character outlines and ultimate goals.  The boy spoke and the AI responded as read by Alex.  

     How did the AI do?  I would give it a score of C- at best, but it was something Alex did on the spot in front of everyone.  Could it have real potential?  Yes, but I believe we are a few years away from having an AI smart enough to run a mission as long as a human FD were present to jump in as needed.   

     After the lesson we had our montly raffle drawing. Nearly $200 worth of prizes were given out.  The next Voyager Club meeting will be the last Saturday in September. Jason Trump from Clark Planetarium will be the speaker.  

StageWorks Electrical Engineering StageWorks Prop Building Class Has its First Meeting

     Matt Long's Space Center Props Building Class held its first meeting on Saturday, August 30 at Noon.  This is the second workshop. The first was held last school year. It covered prop design using 3D modeling.  

     This series of workshops will continue where the model building ended.  Students will learn the basic of electricity and then use that knowledge to wire props with light and sound.  

David Kyle Herring Reminisces About the Galileo II Starship From the Orginial Space Center

From his Facebook Page

Was about to power down for the night (guest room quarters tonight) when I stumbled across these old blueprints for the Galileo Mark VI shuttle.

Feels like a lifetime ago… back when I was a Fleet Admiral of Starfleet Engineering at the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center.

I spent countless hours “constructing starships,” building bulkheads, wiring up control panels, and prepping crews for missions to boldly go where no seventh-grader had gone before.

Sometimes I joke that “in my other life, I used to build starships.” But looking at these plans tonight, I’m starting to think maybe that wasn’t a joke after all. Warp drive might’ve been simulated, but the memories? 100% real.

Victor, I’ll be back on the bridge someday, I just need a little more time in reality.

A Message and Update to the Space Center's Staff and Volunteers from Marissa Ohran

By Marissa Ohran

Flight Director and Supervisor (Retired) 

I heard field trips started this week. I may have moved to the far away land of Georgia to do a post-bac program (it's like a miniature graduate program? a pre grad school program? The kind of program many people haven't even heard of. I basically get paid to do research for a short time, and I get to observe what grad school is like), but I am, at least for the time being, still somewhat aware of the happenings at my old stomping grounds. In the time leading up to my departure, I spent quite a bit of time reflecting on my time at the space center. From my very first space mission (almost 20 years ago!) to my very last. Some of those musings might find their way into another email if I happen to find the words, but in light of the new school year I wanted to share with you a particularly unique experience I had during this time last year (it's kind of long and rambly, sorry). 

It was the beginning of the fall semester, and field trip preparations were well underway. I was surprised when I received a message from Mr. Porter with a special request: a teacher had asked if it would be possible to fly a mission entirely in Spanish. The kids would all be put in the same ship, and an aid would be with them on the bridge to help translate. I had learned the language during an 18 month religious sabbatical away from the center, and I was fairly confident in my ability to fly the Galileo as I regularly did for field trips. Not being one to back down from a challenge, I said I would do it. The biggest challenge being that I needed to make sure I had the resources necessary to give the kids the best experience I could provide. 

I had 3 or 4 days to prep. My priority was to make sure they understood how to do what they needed to do and what their goals were, and that I was well equipped to provide assistance. If I'm remembering correctly, they didn't select a mission until I think the day before. So I first prioritized things that were not mission specific. I was often summoned to the various simulators to do hand training in Spanish, and at the time was working on a project to translate trainings into Spanish for use during the days I wasn't around. So it wasn't too difficult to write up instructions for each station in the days beforehand and then place the printed documents at the computers to minimize the need for hand training. There were still a handful of questions (there always are), but both the aid and I were able to help clarify things and training went smoothly. For the main computer I wrote up common phrases and had translations readily available in addition to practicing with them. In tackling the mission specific briefing and speaking roles, I ended up writing down (or at least practicing mentally) translations for multiple missions. I did as much as I could to get my brain in gear, and finally the day arrived. 

They had selected Midnight Rescue, and I found out that the aid had gone over the briefing with the kids beforehand, so I asked them some review questions and when I was satisfied they were ready, joined the teacher in the control room to get things started. I was both excited and nervous. In some ways it was just like other field trips I've flown in the Galileo. But it was also extremely different. In introducing the need to pay extra attention to language and vocabulary, I had to trust my flight director instincts to handle things I was pulling attention away from. I had to balance things a bit differently than I normally would, and I learned a few things about my capabilities. I had a translator pulled up in case I forgot or came across new vocabulary that needed translating (some of the vocabulary I used I had only learned that week), and I directed a large portion of my focus towards the storytelling. The aid was on the bridge and she translated things like sensors data or long range messages, anything that the timeline sent through that I didn't have time in the moment to write a translation for. (Now that I think of it I think I even translated a few damage reports beforehand) 

The kids were great. They were focused, and engaged, they asked for help when they needed it. They argued with the Interior Minister. They convinced the Klingons to help them. They got the briefcase and made it to the end of a successful mission. I honestly had so much fun flying for them. The teacher near the end commented to me how grateful she was that I was willing to give them the opportunity to experience a space mission in much the same way their classmates experienced theirs. In a language that they understood well enough to feel comfortable interacting. When I was learning Spanish, I often said (and I still feel this way) that I'm glad English is my first language, and not the one I'm learning, because English is a bit of a rollercoaster, and I think I would struggle with it if I didn't already speak it. I have a lot of admiration for anyone who attempts it. I myself was extremely grateful for the opportunity to fly for them, for a few reasons. I'm always excited for an opportunity to practice my language skills, and flying an entire mission in Spanish is one of those extremely rare opportunities. But even more than that, it reminded me why I was working at the space center in the first place, forced me to really think about why I was there, and look at how I was approaching work in my day to day. It can be really easy to fall into a monotonous routine when you're doing the same thing every day. 

The crews are different, but the timeline is the same, the flow and transitions are the same, the music might be the same if you're flying from a playlist. The script. The same. It gets easy to turn on autopilot and just go through the motions. Especially if you've been flying the same mission every day for a week. For this flight, there was only a little bit of room for autopilot, which was really more muscle memory and instinct of what to do next for the purposes of telling the story. The unique circumstances of this flight and the short amount of prep time forced me to look at and prioritize the most important things not just to make it happen, but to make it the best experience I was capable of providing. I became a space center volunteer because I wanted to create the magic I had experienced many times in elementary school and onward. Magic doesn't come from going through the motions. It comes from commitment to your craft, and giving your all. It comes from a conscious effort to do your very best, even if what you have to give changes from day to day. 

Witnessing firsthand the joy and excitement of a crew that I spent hours preparing to fly for was an excellent reminder of that concept. The preparation and time spent was all worth it. I flew a mission in Spanish. It wasn't perfect, some elements definitely fell by the wayside while I tried to keep up, some stalling was necessary so I could look up vocabulary, but I gave it my all and the kids' reactions told me everything I needed to know. We had an excellent time flying Midnight Rescue that day, and the knowledge that a one of a kind experience has been given to and shared by a crew is one of those things that kept me coming back excited to do it all again. It's the light in their eyes, the grins on their faces, the excited whispering because they know they're not supposed to be talking but they simply cannot believe what just happened to them. That's the magic of the space center. It was an honor and a privilege to be both a supervisor and a (field trip) flight director for so many years. I've had many experiences there that I won't forget, but I wanted to share this one because of what it meant and what it taught me. 

Maybe I'm just sentimental because I'm far away and going through withdrawals, I'm not normally much of a talker but here I've practically written a novel lol. The space center has touched a lot of lives, and I have many cherished memories from over the years that take place in that building (the old one and the new one). I guess what I'm trying to say, is thank you. 

Until next time,

Marissa 

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