Working at the Space Center has many perks, chief among them the privilege of working alongside some of Utah's finest young people. The difficult part, however, is saying goodbye when life calls, and they return planetside to pursue higher education, careers, and new horizons.
Last week was one of those bittersweet days as we said goodbye to Nolan Welch. For well over a decade, Nolan has been a dedicated, talented, and deeply caring volunteer, supervisor, and flight director. He first walked through our doors back in the days of the old Space Center as a junior high volunteer, sticking with us all through high school. After a two-year break to serve an LDS mission, he immediately returned to the simulators and remained a fixture at the Center throughout his college years. Since then, he has married, graduated from the university, and decided to pursue a career in medicine.
Nolan with his last Space Center Crew
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| Nolan (left) started volunteering in June 2013. Here he is on one of his first assignments working a Phoenix mission. |
Nolan is now heading off to medical school in Texas. While his exact medical path is still ahead of him, wherever he lands, he will undoubtedly be the kind of doctor any of us would be lucky to have. I sincerely hope his journey eventually brings him back to Utah County—because here is one geriatric patient who will gladly sign up to be first on his chart!
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| Nolan receiving his 5 Year Volunteer patch from Mr. Porter at Honors Night |
Nolan, Receiving his Navy Blues (Flight Director) Shirt for Odyssey Set Director Natalie Anderson
Good luck in medical school, Nolan. Thank you for your incredible years of service to the Space Center, and for the care and dedication you showed to thousands of Utah students. Perhaps, when the time is right, and you return home, you'll hear the Space Center's siren song once more and step back into the control room to fly the occasional group through the galaxy.
Wouldn't that be something? A flight director who practices medicine on the side. :)
A Short Video Tribute to Nolan, Including the Last Minutes of his Final Flight in the Odyssey.
A Special Thank you to Jon Parker and Lindsey Matus for their photos and videos.
Orion Bowers Had His "Reactivation Clause" Briefly Enforced this Week. Watch Out, All You Former Volunteers and Flight Directors!
Orion Arrived at the Space Center Uniformed and Ready for Service. "Point me to the problem, and it will be fixed!" he said enthusiastically
Everyone who retires from space service to live planetside is well aware of the Reactivation Clause in their severance contract. Even so, it can be a shock to see a subspace transmission from Admiral Porter pop up while sitting at a desk in some drafty office building in downtown Somewhere, USA.
"Soldier, you are reactivated," are the first words they hear when they answer.
Most spring into action immediately, catching the next shuttle back to Pleasant Grove. Others need a bit of time to explain the sudden departure to their civilian employers. Just saying, "Starfleet has reactivated me; I need to return to space service for a day or two," can be difficult to grasp for those unfamiliar with the Space Center and our tireless mission to keep Earth and the Federation colonies safe in these troubled times.
Orion Bowers, despite having retired to prepare for his next grand adventure, received just such a call last week and sprang into action. His old starship, the Galileo, was in desperate need of new training videos—and the Admiralty determined that only Orion possessed the specific expertise and sheer presence to get the job done right.
Thank you, Orion, for answering the call, donning the uniform once more, and for your continued support of the Space Center. You are a lifelong friend, and the Federation is safer because of you.
Orion says "Hello" to his starship, the Galileo, after a long absence
Every year, the Pleasant Grove Fire Department hosts its annual Firemen’s Breakfast—a community-building fundraiser designed to raise money for local emergency services. And every year, Admiral Porter and select hearty breakfast eaters from the Space Center arrive with a single mission objective: All-You-Can-Eat.
This past Saturday, Admiral Porter assembled a crew of the Center's elite, hearty breakfast eaters and marched them into the fire hall. It was a gesture of support for the fire department. In reality, it was an economic disaster for the fire department.
The trouble began when the firemen realized how quickly the Space Center crew was clearing out the rations. Pancakes were vanishing by the dozen, syrup disappearing by the gallons.
By hour two, the Fire Chief was crunching numbers on a calculator in the back room. The grim reality quickly set in: the Space Center crew was eating so much that they were eating into the fundraiser's profits—actively driving the fire department into debt. This wasn't a breakfast anymore; it was an unsustainable siege on the city's pancake reserves.
The breaking point—the moment that forced the hand of Pleasant Grove’s finest—happened at the central table.
A sharp-eyed paramedic noticed something suspicious with Amberlynn. Upon closer inspection, they caught her in the act of stuffing fresh, hot pancakes into a giant Ziploc bag concealed beneath the table line.
That was too much. A breach of municipal breakfast etiquette had occurred.
With video evidence in hand, the firemen moved in. There were no sirens, but the order was clear: Step away from the griddle.
The Admiral and his team were politely, firmly, and legally "encouraged" out of the fire hall for the safety of the city's quarterly budget. Escorted by a couple of smiling firefighters, the crew was marched out of the firehall. "Go look at the fire trucks and don't come back in," the fire chief said to Admiral Porter. And with that, the Admiral and anyone associated with the Space Center have been barred from the premises until summer 2027.
(In all seriousness, a huge thank you to the Pleasant Grove Fire Department for a fantastic breakfast on Saturday! We left enough food for the rest of the town... mostly.)
Video of the 2026 Summer Season's First Officer Camp!
The Space Center's first Officers' Camp was held last week. 52 campers arrived at 8:30 A.M. for the 12-hour adventure. The first part of the camp consisted of the workshops and experiences: Team Building, Diplomacy, BattleSim, and the Planetarium. The afternoon and evening portion of the camp was a long mission in one of the Center's six simulators.
A great time was had by all: The Campers, The Staff, and of course, our Wonderful Volunteers.
Imaginarium Theater
The Week's Best Videos From Around the World, Edited for a Gentler Audience