Two New Starships and a Space Station Will Open in August 2026 at the Lion's Gate Space Center. Lindsey Hatch has Wed. The StageWorks Young Imagineers at Work. The Imaginairum Theater.

The Lion's Gate Space Center at Lakeview Academy Announces the Construction of Two New Starship Simulators and the First Space Station Simulator in the Space EdVentures System

     This is exciting news: two new starship simulators and the first space station in the Space EdVentures network of starships.  The Lion's Gate Center is expanding, and I can't wait to see the results.

     Lion's Gate Space Center is located at Lakeview Academy in Saratoga Springs. They serve the entire school's population and operate private group missions after school.  LGSC has two starships in operation, the Apollo and Artemis.  With the new simulators, they will be able to fly 104 people all at once!  The Troubadour will keep you updated on developments.  Please take a moment to read more about these new simulators.  I've taken the text and photos from the Lions Gate website.  

 

Lindsey Hatch has Married.

     Lindsey Hatch is now Lindsey Matus.  The couple married on March 22.  Congratulations to one of the Space Center's favorite personalities and flight directors.  On that occasion, Lindsey wrote on Facebook, "One of my favorite things about Juan is that he is the ultimate adventure buddy. Being MARRIED TO JUAN is starting out as our biggest adventure yet. Our elopement featured some of our favorite people, a backdrop fashioned from hammock straps and climbing ropes, approximately 200 high schoolers taking prom photos, and the park where it all started. I feel so incredibly grateful for family (old and new!) that banded together to make our day so special. Te amo Juan Matus!! I love doing life with you. And I love being Mrs. Matus (even if my students have a hard time pronouncing my name now hehe). Even though we’ve had a small change of plans, we are trusting in God’s plan right now. Please still come join us for all of our partying and festivities next month!! I promise the Kahoot alone will be worth the hype"

Lindsey had more good news recently. She was hired to teach at Renaissance Academy in Lehi next school year. That's the school I'm at (6th grade) and the home of The Space Place. She is excited to join us at RA and to help with the Voyager and Young Astronauts Club at The Space Place. Great things are happening to the great people at the Space Center.

The Space Center's Young Imagineers and Their New Props

     I did a short story on the Space Center's Young Imagineers recently. Here is an update.  Matt Long is their teacher, and he sent the photo above to me yesterday showing the latest creations from the young apprentices.  The junior and senior high students have been learning CAD over the last few months. Using the software, they designed their first props and are in the process of 3D printing them.  The CAD class will end soon. The next class will teach them basic electronics so they can add lights and sounds to their props. 

     The Space Center offers excellent opportunities to learn and serve through the Center's Voyager Club program. Thank you to our superb instructors for their dedicated time and effort in passing their expertise on to the next generation of Space Center enthusiasts. 

The Imaginarium Theater 

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

Spring Time Means Summer is Right Around the Corner. Time to Book your Summer Space Camps. What a Space Center Director Does to Get Ready for a Day in Space. Adults Love the Space Center. Imaginarium Theater.

     Spring has arrived, and with it comes thoughts of summer.  When you think of summer, you should think of SUMMER SPACE CAMP!  There are two options for a local summer space camp; The Christa McAuliffe Space Center in Pleasant Grove and The Space Place in Lehi.  Both centers have the Space EdVentures starship simulators. The CMSC has the Magellan, Cassini, Falcon, Phoenix, Odyssey, and Galileo. The Space Place has the Starship Voyager.

       I work at both space centers and can promise an excellent camp at either location.       

The Christa McAuliffe Space Center.  Pleasant Grove.  Camp Registration Link

The Space Place at Renaissance Academy.  Lehi.  Camp Registration Link

      

What Does a Space Center Director Do to Get Ready for a Day in Space?  

     Bracken Funk is the director of The Space Place at Renaissance Academy.  What does he do to get ready for a day in space?  Bracken will pop into my 6th-grade classroom and challenge our Voyager Club cadets in a semi-friendly game of speed.  He makes their day when he loses.  And regardless of what he may claim to be accurate, he never lets them win.  He gives it his best shot.  I sit at my desk with the first aid kit and defibrillator ready for emergencies.  

The Space Center's Simulators - Just for Kids?  I Don't Think So 

     "Oh, I did that as a kid."  That is what I hear all the time from people I talk to all over Utah County when the Space Center comes up.  "Do adults do it?" is usually the next thing I hear.  Of course, adults do it.  Sometimes, I see more high school and adult crews on my Space Center Saturdays than younger kids.  Take yesterday for example.  One of the many older crews came dressed in Astronaut flight suits.  In fact, the astronaut second on the left is an old Space Center volunteer from his days in junior high.  I immediately recognized him when I had them get together for a photo.  "Do you remember me, Mr. Williamson?" he asked.  I told him I did, but the name wasn't coming up in the memory bank. Sam was one of our good volunteers, and here he was with his buddies for a return trip down memory lane.  

         Another adult group was downstairs prepping to enter the Magellan.    

      The Space Center staff and volunteers love working with high schoolers and adults. It makes a nice change from the school field trips.  We especially like high school prom season. We had a prom group yesterday.  The Space Center provides an excellent day activity on prom days.  Go to SpaceCenter.AlpineSchools.org to book a mission for your older group. 

Imaginarium Theater. 

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

The StageWorks Imagineers at Work. Marvelous Things are Coming. Mission.io Visits Franklin Elementary School. Look at this Cool Lab. Lindsey Hatch After a Day of Teaching. Conner Larsen to Perform. iWorlds Promotional Videos Filmed at the Space Center. Imaginarium Theater.

Matt Long and the Space Center's StageWorks Imagineers at Work

     Matt Long is another one of the Space Center's outstanding adult volunteers. He is the Grand Master Craftsman of the Space Center's StageWorks Imagineers.  The imagineers range in age from 7th graders to adults. They meet twice a month in Central School's computer lab.  They are learning CAD programming and putting this learning to use by designing and 3D printing props for the Space Center. 

     I stopped by the "Imagineering Shop" (computer lab) for an update yesterday.  "I've got something to show you," Matt said as soon as he saw me in the doorway.  The recently printed Hypospray unit for the Space Center's doctor's kits sat on his desk.  One of the young Imagineers designed and printed it on their home 3D printer. In two months, the Imagineers start a new class on electrical works. During that class, they will learn how to create and install electrical components into their creations.   

Mission.IO (InfiniD) Visits Franklin Elementary School in Provo

By Skyler Carr

I try to spend at least one day a week in schools to see firsthand how our tech works and get honest feedback from teachers and students. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to visit my old neighborhood school, Franklin Elementary School, and it did not disappoint.

They’ve turned their resource room into a full-fledged space lab (seriously, check out this setup ), and the students absolutely crushed their mission. It was an incredible space with a fantastic team and a reminder of why I love getting out into schools as often as possible. Thank you, Franklin!

Lindsey Hatch, After a Day in the Educational Trenches Teaching her 5th Grade Classes.

     Do you see what a day of teaching does to a person?  Lindsey is an Odyssey Flight Director on weekends and works as a 5th-grade teacher during the week. She hobbled into the Space Center's Staff Room yesterday to prepare for a mission.  "Don't Ask!" she hissed at me after hearing my audible gasp.  "It's been a long, long week at school."  

    "Lindsey," I said sympathetically, "what can I do to help you?"  

    "Who are you to talk?" she replied. "You should look in the mirror sometimes after you've taught for a day. I've seen you come to the Space Center after a day of teaching.  Let's just say there isn't much difference between how road kill looks and how you look."  

     Having set me straight, she crept out of the room and toward the Odyssey.  "What happened to YOU?" I heard Mitch say just as the door closed.  Because this blog has young readers, I won't repeat her answer to his question, but it was loud enough to hear through a closed metal door.       

Conner Larsen to Perform a Master's Recital

     Conner is a master organist, teaches organ at BYU, and is an Odyssey Flight Director at the Space Center.  I've heard him play and can state, without any doubt, that no one I know can tickle the ivory better than Conner.  Use the link and watch remotely if you can't attend in person. 

     Congratulations Conner!

From the Archives.  March 2008.  Seventeen Years Ago, the Space Center Expanded to Salt Lake with the iWorlds Space Center

     Seventeen years ago, a company called iWorlds came to the Space Center to film two videos on the Space Center and its mission.  iWorlds created a private Space Center in Murry Utah that year.  Many of us helped in that endeavor.  Enjoy these two videos showing the old Space Center and its ships.  I especially like the second video.  It is my favorite. Do you agree?  

Mr.Williamson

The iWorlds Foundation aimed to make the Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center's experience available to children worldwide. This video, shot entirely at the Space Center, will let you see what the Space Center does and what teachers and students think about their experiences at the Center.

Imaginarium Theater

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

Simulations Take Many Forms in Education. Mission.io Presents at the Utah Coalition of Education Technology Conference. Volunteers Train for Staff Positions. Imaginairum Theater.

 

The Map as of Last Thursday

I started using my own simulations during my student teaching experience with Mr. Thompson during the 1982-1983 school year.  That was the year the spaceship simulations came to be, which led to where we are today with Utah Valley's Christa McAuliffe Space Center, The Space Place, The Lion's Gate Space Center, the Discovery Space Center at American Heritage School, and the Telos Discovery Space Center.  There is also the Mission.io program at Canyon Grove Academy and Mission.io itself.  Not to mention the simulators in the east, which are affiliated with Dream Flight Adventures.  But did you also know that I also ran a four-month-long history simulation covering World War I and the rise of fascism and communism? 

Those historical simulations ran from 1983 to 1990 and stopped when I became the Space Center's full-time director.  However, after retiring from the Alpine School District in 2013, I brought them back when I started teaching 6th grade at Renaissance Academy.  

If running a spaceship simulator for a 2.5 or 5-hour mission is difficult, try running a 4-month-long historical simulation of your own design for 94 sixth graders spread out over 4 classes.  That is what I'm doing this year.  

The German Class Discusses the War and Strategy (2024-2025)

I've never run this historical simulation for so many students simultaneously.  One class plays Germany, another Austria-Hungary, another France, and yet another Great Britain.  I have smaller subgroups of students playing Russia and the United States.  I've increased the difficulty of the simulation this year along with added modules to increase the cooperative and thinking aspects of the program.  It is proving to be the best simulation to date. The one downside is the amount of daily prep it takes to keep this running, involving updating the war map (above), reading and answering government letters - all handwritten by students (no emails in 1914)- and printing and antiforging the official simulation currency used by students to finance the war. The currency is earned by taxation. The students pay the taxes from the class money they earn for grades and citizenship.  It is all beautifully complicated yet rewarding for the students. 

As I said in 1983 and have kept saying for 42 years, learning through simulations should be the foundation of education.  The space centers run on that philosophy, which is one reason they've succeeded for so many years.  

Mr. Williamson 

Volunteers Train to Become Supervisors and Flight Directors      

Community involvement through volunteering opportunities is alive and well in the local space centers. Yesterday, I visited the Space Center's Starships Cassini and Magellan control rooms to see how our volunteer trainees were doing.  

I found Rachel sitting next to Hyrum in the Cassini. She had the Cassini's microphone in hand, ready to play her role in the "Midnight Rescue" mission.  Rachel is training to be a Cassini Flight Director.  

Jack was on the Magellan's bridge working as a Supervisor Trainee.  He wants to be both a supervisor and a flight director.  Rylan was in the Magellan's Control Room evaluating Jack with a clipboard for notes.  

Tabitha and Mitch have created a fantastic training program for our volunteers wanting to move into paid positions.  Mr. Porter, Space Center Director, has given across-the-board directives to improve the Center's training programs. These new directives have resulted in improvements in staffing and missions.  The Space Center is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the school district and our many patrons.    

Mission.io Presented at the UCET Conference

in Salt Lake 

UCET (Utah Coalition of Education Technology) is one of Skyler Carr's favorite yearly events. It is Utah's most significant education technology conference, and for Skyler, it always feels like a reunion when the leaders in the state's educational technology get together to share ideas. "Do you know everyone here?" Skyler was asked by an exhibitor next to the Mission.io booth

Besides the people, Skyler reported that this year's highlight was seeing so many sessions centered around Missions and the technology Mission.io has been developing. He and the Mission.io team got to premiere a brand new digital citizenship Mission recently created in partnership with Jordan School District. Skyler got to sit in on multiple sessions showing educators how to best use the technology in different settings (kindergarten, rural, etc; all were incredible). Skyler said that he was grateful for all the support he always gets from the UCET community!

Imaginairum Theater

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

The Galileo II Launches on Monday From the Discovery Space Center's SpaceDock. There is a New Team of Young Animators at the Space Center. Matt Long's Young Engineers are Designing Impressive New Props. Mission.io's League Competition has Started. The Imaginairum Theater.

The Galileo II Launches from SpaceDock on Monday

The Galileo II lives! Alex Debirk's students got lights, sound, a network, and controls all going. The ship needs some polish, but you could fly in it now. Alex and his students did a first test flight in it on February 27, and it was beautiful. The first actual flights are on Monday!

The Galileo II is the second of three Galileo starships.  

The Galileo I (Galileo Mark 5)was built by David Kyle Herring in 1999 and sat in Central Elementary School's cafeteria until the Galileo II was built to take its place.  Read more about the Galileo I by clicking on this link. 

The Galileo II (Galileo Mark 6) opened in 2009 and replaced the Galileo I.  This ship was the brainchild of David Kyle Herring and Alex DeBirk (and BYU Engineering school). Read more about the creation of the Galileo II by clicking on this link.  The Galileo II (Mark 6) was moved to American Heritage School four years ago and is the second simulator in the Discovery Space Center's fleet. 

The Galileo III is one of the six Christa McAuliffe Space Center's simulators.  The Galileo III is the first Galileo in the series without an exterior configuration.  

The Galileo II has taken a couple of years in space dock undergoing repairs and, according to the Discovery Space Center's Director, Alex Debirk, is ready to reopen on Monday.  Welcome back to the Fleet Galileo II.  

The Christa McAuliffe Space Center's StageWorks Department Training a New Crop of Animators

StageWorks is the Space Center's department responsible for designing and constructing props and computer animations used in the Center's six starship simulators.  Recently, a Blender software class was taught at the Center.  Voyager Club Explorers and Volunteers took the 4-week Saturday morning class.  Upon the class's completion, I decided to try a different approach to progressing our young Blender apprentices.  I put out a call for a small group of three Blenderites (those club members familiar with Blender), asking if they were willing to form a special class to move them quickly into Journeymen positions. Bryce, Bruce, and Jaxon accepted the challenge, having already proven they knew Blender well enough to move rapidly through the program.  

Jack is one of the Voyager Club's co-presidents at the Space Center and a Journeyman animator for StageWorks.  I asked Jack to lead and teach this small team.  Happily, he accepted.  Their first class was on Saturday from 10:30 A.M. to Noon.   

The team has been given the name "Alpha Animators".  Jack had them creating some pretty cool animation in Blender by the time the class ended (some of which I thought could be ship-worthy, but Jack disagreed, stating that they could do much better as the lessons progressed).

                    Jack is showing them one of his recent animations for a summer camp story

My plan is to keep the Alpha Animators together as a team with Jack as their Team Captain. Future animation needs will be given to the team as a whole. Jack will divide the work to the team based on their skills. This will take a load of Jack's back as he trains to become a Flight Director and Supervisor.

I plan to create a Beta Animators team as soon as Voyager Club members express an interest in using their Blender skills to create animations for the Space Center's simulations and I can find a Journeyman or Master Team Captain.   

Matt Long's StageWorks Engineering Class is Designing Some Pretty Impressive Props

The Alpha Animators class ended at Noon on Saturday, and following right behind them in the computer lab was the StageWorks Props Engineering class taught by Matt Long. Saturday was their fifth class in a series of classes scheduled to end in April.  They use CAD software to design props usable in the Space Center's simulators. 

Matt demonstrated his latest design on the screen.  He had a 3D-printed copy to show the cadet engineers.  

Matt is one of several fantastic adult volunteers at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center (and a dad of one of the young volunteers), using his time and talent to teach our Voyager Club's cadets usable and marketable skills. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Space Center and have been for 34 years, since the Space Center opened in 1990.  Volunteerism is what makes the Space Center a proper community-centered program.  

Mission.io League Mission is Live!  Voyager Clubs to Compete

     The 2025 Mission.io League Mission is here, and the Voyager Clubs will compete.  The Voyager Clubs at the Christa McAuliffe Space Center and The Space Place will match their skills and knowledge against the best students at Mission.io's participating schools.  Look for more information here on the Blog.  Voyager Explorers and Volunteers, keep an eye on the club's Google Classroom for updates and enrollment information.   

Imaginarium Theater

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