Voyager Club August Update: Record Attendance, Robot Internships, and a New Frontier. The Space Center, Always Improving, Always Evolving. The Imaginarium Theater

On Saturday morning, August 29th, the Space Center hosted another monthly gathering of Utah’s best and brightest young space enthusiasts and seasoned volunteers for our August Voyager Club meeting.

The Voyager Club serves as the Space Center's primary outreach program for teens and adults and forms the backbone of our dedicated volunteer force. These monthly gatherings give members a chance to build community while refining their skills. Our education faculty leads lessons on astronomy, cosmology, space history, science fiction, and the art of using immersive simulators to teach science and leadership skills.

Highlights from August's Meeting:

1. Early-Bird Bingo & Record Numbers: We kicked off the morning at 8:00 AM with our signature discount-prize Bingo. The prizes consist of anything I find on sale and special two-for-ones at the local Smith's grocery store (Smith's never lets me down).   The official club business started at 8:30 AM. Following back-to-back attendance records in July and August, we have officially outgrown standard classrooms. Starting next month, all Voyager Club meetings will be held in the Space Center Planetarium.

2. Growing Membership: Club President Eavie W. welcomed our newest members. With August's recruits, the club's official membership has reached 125 volunteers.

New Club Members

4. Service pins were presented after new members' introductions. Five members received their 1-year pin.  One volunteer received his two-year pin.   

One Year Pin Recipients

Two-Year Pin Recipient

3. Improv & Acting Workshops: Tyler Weight, Club Drama Instructor, announced three acting workshops scheduled for September and October, culminating in a special interactive acting event in late October.

4. A New Universe: Mitch Foote, the Space Center’s universe creator and imagineer, outlined how our simulators—specifically The Falcon and The Odyssey—are transitioning into our brand-new original lore as we move beyond our traditional Star Trek setting.

Mitch Presenting

5. AI & Robotics Internship: Spencer B. and his father, Jeremy, introduced Ollie, a custom 3D-printed AI robot designed to interact with visitors similar to the droids in Disney's Star Tours. High school members can now apply for credit-earning internships to help build additional units after school at Pleasant Grove High School.

Spencer and Ollie

6. Cross-Country Collaboration: Mike Donaho, director of Mobile Space Adventures in Austin, Texas, joined us to share how the Space Center inspired his program. We are partnering with Mike to run several Texas-designed simulation missions aboard the ships at American Heritage and Renaissance Academy this October, open to all active volunteers.

Mike Donaho from Mobile Space Adventures

7. Jason Trump, Club Astronomy Instructor and Director of Education at Clark Planetarium, along with guest speaker Dr. Paige Wheatley, delivered a presentation on exoplanet discovery using the newly launched Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as it travels toward Lagrange Point 2. This telescope, like the Hubble and the James Webb telescopes, will revolutionize our understanding of the universe and our place in it. 

Jason Trump

Dr. Paige Wheatley Exobiologist

8. Hands-on Workshop: Following our meeting raffle, Eavie W. led a hands-on workshop on applying theatrical special-effects makeup for simulator acting. 

Max and the beating he took at the makeup workshop

Get Involved

Whether you are looking to gain hands-on experience in theater, robotics, or STEM education, the Voyager Club offers a unique runway for junior and senior high school students, adults, and community members.

To join or learn more about upcoming meetings, visit
VoyagerClub.org.


Mr. Williamson

The Space Center, a Never-Complete Utah Treasure

Jack is finishing up a few last-minute wire details on Saturday.  You need to hide those dangling wires :)

The Space Center is a project that is never truly completed.  Just like Disneyland, things are always being improved over time.  Over the last month, the Space Center has installed all-new computers in the simulators and an entirely new special-effects lighting system throughout Starbase and the six simulators. 

James Porter, Space Center Director, Megan Warner, and many others, including Alpine District IT techs, have worked to prepare everything for the Center's reopening for the school-year field trip season.

This conversion won't be completed until the start of the new year due to delays in lighting deliveries, but what is installed is remarkable for the increased quality of our simulation programs. The public won't know that work will be ongoing because everything is being done behind the scenes and when the Center is closed.   

Imaginarium Theater

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