The Space Center Sets a New Attendance Record! The Staff Room Door is a Magical Portal. The Imaginarium Theater

All Hands on Deck For the Space Center's Busiest Day in History (We Think)

     By all accounts, yesterday was the busiest day in the Space Center's history.  I knew something was up when I arrived at the Center Saturday afternoon. There wasn't a parking space to be had.  The lot was full up and so was the Center.  I entered the lobby ready to complain to Nolan that the parking lot was full and what was an elderly person like myself expected to do...... walk!?  I began to complain, then took one look at poor Nolan and realized my complaint would be adding fuel to the fire; I settled on "What is going on? The parking lot is full!"  

It was either cry or laugh to get through the busiest day. Nolan chose to laugh.

     "All 7 planetarium shows are sold out and we're flying most of the simulators all day," Nolan explained.  I stopped for a moment to do the math.
7 Planetarium Shows at 70 seats per show = 490 people.
10:00 A.M. Simulator missions = 30 people
12:45 P.M. Simulator missions = 41 people
3:45 P.M. Simulator missions = 14 people
6:30 P.M. Simulator missions = 19 people
      Approx Simulator Attendance = 104
Total Attendance for December 14, 2024 = 594!
That is amazing!  Nearly 600 people on one Saturday attending a Space Center program.  The planetarium's Christmas shows are the big attraction.

     In the photo at the top of the page you'll notice Scott was wearing his Red's for the event.  The red staff shirt signifies a trained EMT medic.  With these huge crowds, Scott felt it best to be ready just in case...... I think the person who needed his services the most was Julie. She was up in the Planetarium's Crows Nest managing the crowds and running the shows.  
I saw her briefly in the lobby between shows huddled in a corner taking oxygen from the Space Center's reserve tank kept in the office for emergencies.  Scott was standing by with the defibrillator.  Luckily, Julie pulled through and staggered back into the dark dome and into the hands of the holiday hoards waiting to be filled with the Christmas spirit through the digital magic of the planetarium.  

Julie today in her space dress and Julie back in 2010 as a young volunteer receiving her Odyssey pin from Emily Perry (now Paxman).

       Someone overheard Julie mumble something at the end of her shift. "Someone is going to get a candy cane through the heart if I hear another Christmas song or am wished a Merry Christmas today!"  

     Reinforcements arrived at the Lobby Desk during one shift change when everyone from the simulators and the planetarium emptied into the lobby at the same time.  Jon Parker consoled Nolan and assured him that all would be well and that he had done an outstanding job. Nolan was able to forcibly produce one last smile before vacating the lobby desk to Jon.  Marissa was there as well with mask in place to remove the smell of the holiday season.  Her favorite book is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".   Jack, a Space Center mentor, stood against the wall.  Jack feeds off chaos, and you can tell by his smile, that he was feasting that afternoon.  
       Well done to the Space Center's staff and volunteers for their outstanding performance on Saturday.  Now be warned, we've got one more Saturday before Christmas and a new record to break!  Hold onto your seats, it could be a bumpy ride.

The Staff Room Door is a Magical Time Portal

     The Staff Room door at the Space Center is a magical time portal for me. A few months ago I wrote about opening the Staff Room door and nearly running into Dave Wall, a Space Center staff member from the earliest days of the Space Center in the 1990's.  Yesterday I had another spooky encounter. I opened the door to leave and nearly knocked Bart Mills off his feet.  Bart and his family were at the Space Center for a planetarium show.  They were heading to the stairs when I opened the door.  "Mr. Williamson!" Bart exclaimed.  It took me a minute to gather my thoughts and recognize him. After all, I hadn't seen him since the mid 1990's and he had grown up.  With a little help from his two boys, the name came back to me. "Bart Mills!" I said as I forced the image of a 14 year old Bart out of my head and replace it with grown man Bart. 
      We spoke for several minutes about the new Space Center. He wondered if running missions had changed much since 1994.  I showed him the six control rooms in action and made the point that procedures hadn't changed much - only the technology.  Bart runs his own business these days and lives with his family in Nephi.  He is a member of the Juab School District School Board and wants to find a way to get his students involved in something like the Space Center.  

Imaginarium Theater. 
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