Tag Archives: NASA

On Attending This Year’s Official Star Trek Convention In Las Vegas

Earlier this month, I made a quick trip to the Official Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. I made the last-minute decision to go in mid-July which didn’t give me a lot of time to plan so I ended up making it a day trip. The plan would be for me to fly out from Seattle early Saturday August 3rd and then fly back home that evening. I normally don’t do things like this – especially solo travel to a big convention. My social anxiety normally kicks in. And it did a little bit. But I felt it was important to go this year due to the ongoing promotion from CBS for the new Star Trek: Picard series and the upcoming 3rd season of Star Trek: Discovery. I also wanted to stop by to see/meet several vendors who would be at the show who develop Star Trek products I collect. And finally, I wanted to meet some of the actors. With lots of encouragement – I didn’t let my social anxiety win. I went and had a ton of fun and I wanted to share some highlights!

Set Phasers to stun! Me on the vendor showroom floor at the ANOVOS booth.

The Convention Itself

The event was held at a small convention center at the Rio in Las Vegas. It was easy to get my bearings on where things were at as the area wasn’t that big. There were two large ballrooms: one for the main stage events and the other for the vendor expo. There were smaller rooms dedicated to smaller sessions, a place to grab a drink (“Quark’s Bar”), and a few rooms for exhibits and showcases. CBS had a room for the Jean-Luc Picard “The First Duty” exhibit and there was also a room for a Roddenberry VR exhibit. The hallways were decorated with artwork celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the very first theatrical Star Trek film from 1979) and places to take photos in staged sets such as Borg Alcoves, a Transporter Room, and a Terran Empire Agonizer Booth. There were a lot of people in a wide range of ages and a lot of amazing costumes. I saw young kids with their parents and retired couples – all dressed up together as their favorite Star Trek characters. It was very impressive. And even though there was a lot of people, it didn’t feel too overwhelming like big conferences tend to do for me. But maybe the Romulan Ale helped.

The First Duty: The Jean-Luc Picard Exhibit

CBS brought the same Jean-Luc Picard exhibit they had at SDCC to this convention and it was the very first thing I did when I got there. I literally went straight there. I really wanted to see this exhibit. It takes you through the career of Picard from his early years in Starfleet through his cadet years to commanding the Stargazer and then this his years as captain of the Enterprise. You get to see Picard’s various uniforms over his years of service, as well as mementos from his adventures such as the Ressikan flute from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Inner Light” and Kurlan naiskos given to Picard from Professor Galen in the episode “The Chase”.

Picard's uniform from Star Trek: The Next Generation below the Captain Picard Day banner.

There were also items on display that fill in some gaps on events that happened between the new Star Trek: Picard series and the last time we saw Picard in Star Trek: Nemesis. I plan to write another blog post on filling in these gaps. CBS is being really creative on filling in some history that happened which will play a part in the new Picard series.

Finally, the exhibit ends with a peek at Picard’s attire from romping around his family’s vineyard in La Barre, France after retiring from Starfleet and what we’ll see him wearing in Star Trek: Picard. And Chateau Picard wine.

What a retired Picard wears around his Chateau Picard winery.

The Star Trek: Picard Panel

Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan, and Jonathan Del Arco were on the panel to talk about the new series. We know Jonathan Frakes is returning at Riker (in addition to directing two episodes), Jeri Ryan is returning as Seven of Nine, and Jonathan Del Arco is coming back to the role of Hugh. There wasn’t a whole lot of new things talked about on the panel, most of it was things we already heard from SDCC the week before. They re-played the trailer which I had already watched a thousand times but loved seeing again. Everything around the new Picard show is surrounded by secrecy so that fans will be surprised and delighted when they watch the show. To illustrate how tight security was at protecting elements of the show, Jonathan Frakes was wearing a t-shirt that said “Don’t ask me, I signed an NDA!”

There were two things that struck me while watching the panel despite the lack of anything new. First – the chemistry between Jeri and Jonathan Del Arco is awesome. I really loved watching them go back and forth and I truly hope their characters interact in the new show with the same energy. I call them “Borg Besties”:

You guys are like Borg Besties and it’s glorious.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) August 4, 2019

Second – the highlight of the panel is Jonathan Frakes describing an interaction between him and Patrick Stewart after shooting a scene for the show that has all the feels:

“And Patrick says: ‘I think we have done it, Johnny.’ And I said: ‘I think so too.’ So, we walk and it is just the two of us. The entire company of 150 people have moved on to the next set, which is in another part. And he says ‘Is there anything better than spending the day with filmmakers who know what they are doing and be able to work with people you love?’”

Teaching with Trek – Engage with STEM

Bobak Ferdowsi, Brandon Rodriguez, Danielle Nuding, Lyle Tavernier, and Tracy Drain from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) did a session at the convention about how they got involved in STEM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. The scientists talked about ways to help students develop skills in the disciplines of STEM. And they took questions from the audience about working in STEM and offering advice to some of the young people there. I absolutely loved seeing this session. Seeing parents bringing their kids to this convention and then prioritizing sessions like this one really made me smile.

Bobak Ferdowsi, Brandon Rodriguez, Danielle Nuding, Lyle Tavernier, and Tracy Drain from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) discussing STEM.

Meeting Mary Chieffo

When I decided to go to this convention and make it a day trip, I knew I couldn’t do everything and see all the actors. To make the best out of the trip, I was very specific on who I wanted to see, and Mary Chieffo was at the very top of the list. In case you don’t know, Mary played the kickass Klingon Chancellor L’Rell (or “Mother”) on the last two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery. I believe that L’Rell is probably one of the best female Klingons we’ve ever seen on any Star Trek series or movie and its because Mary is such an amazing actress. She took how the writers wrote the character in the show and made L’Rell really stand out. It’s like what Andrew Robinson did with Garek on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I’ve been following Mary on Twitter ever since Season 1 of Discovery and she’s been great about engaging with fans including myself. Meeting her in person was wonderful! And yes – she’s very tall. I am looking forward to seeing her in other roles in other TV shows and movies.

I got to meet Mary Chieffo who played the kickass Klingon Chancellor L’Rell (or “Mother”) on the last two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.

BONUS: Meeting Anson Mount

Anson Mount as Captain Pike has been one of most favorite things about the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. Anson’s Pike represents exactly how a Starfleet captain should be and how they represent the values of Starfleet and the Federation. I think this quote from Captain Pike from the episode “Through the Valley of Shadows” summarizes exactly who Pike is:

“You are a Starfleet Captain. You believe in service, sacrifice, compassion, and love.”

In going to the convention for just the day, I didn’t anticipate getting to meet any of the other actors outside of Mary. But there was a small moment where the line for Anson wasn’t very long and my gut told me I’d regret it if I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. So I got in line. And… I got to meet him! I have Captain Pike’s autograph! In support of Anson, I also want to mention he does a podcast too that I think you should check out.

I also got to meet Anson Mount who played Captain Pike in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery.

The ANOVOS Booth

There were a handful of vendors I wanted to see at the convention and ANOVOS was #1. All my Starfleet uniforms come from them and I’m a big supporter of the company with lots of cool stuff on order – including a Star Trek: Discovery command uniform. Sadly, they did not have their Discovery uniforms on display at their booth. While at their booth, I did get to check out their Star Trek Nemesis Type II Hand Phaser as well as the Star Trek: Discovery Phaser and Phaser Rifle. I’ve got the Discovery Phaser on order. These props are incredibly accurate and include LED lights and working buttons.

ANOVOS's Type 2 Phaser as seen from Star Trek: Nemesis. And my red shoes.

ANOVOS's Phaser as seen from Star Trek: Discovery.

Special shout out to ANOVOS’s John Cooley who I finally got to meet in person at their booth. John’s been absolutely fantastic in talking about ANOVOS’s Star Trek products.

The Eaglemoss Booth

Eaglemoss produces a huge collection of miniature models of Star Trek starships from across all the Star Trek TV shows and movies. And I’ve collected nearly ever single starship they’ve released so far since early 2014. They announced new starships for their Discovery line and new starships from their main starships line at the convention. They had the new Klingon Raider from Discovery and the Scimitar from Star Trek: Nemesis on display which were incredibly detailed.

Eaglemoss had the new Klingon Raider from Discovery and the Scimitar from Star Trek: Nemesis on display

And they offered attendees the ability to purchase their new Akira Class U.S.S. Thunderchild model from their XL line. And I picked one up! The Akira Class starship design is one of my favorite starships design outside of the Enterprises and Discovery.

Shout out to Nils from Eaglemoss for taking the time to chat about starships.

Other Items of Note

I picked up a copy of the Backers Edition of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine documentary “What We Left Behind”. I was surprised that this didn’t have a heaver presence at the convention since it was very close to the release date. Instead, they had a small table in one of the far back corners of the vendors hall. I finished watching this though and HIGHLY recommend it for any Star Trek fan.
When I picked up my copy of the DS9 doc, I also met the actor Andy Bray who played Chekov in the fan-made Star Trek: New Voyages. New Voyages continues the adventures of the Original Series crew with all the classic set designs, visual effects, and costumes just as if the show wasn’t canceled in 1969. It also served as the precursor to the fan-made Star Trek: Continues series. Andy co-wrote a book with John Lin who played Sulu in New Voyages called “Making Fake Star Trek”. I picked up a copy which Andy signed.

I am so very glad I fought back my anxiety and pushed myself to attend this year’s Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. I had a ton of fun and I met some of the actors and vendors I’ve always wanted to meet. And I got to experience the Jean-Luc Picard exhibit too. Upon reflection, I think I should have at least stayed one night so I could have enjoyed things without needing to be mindful of the time and getting back to the airport for my flight home. There were evening activities I might have enjoyed. I am seriously considering going next year!

And special thanks to Holly Amos for letting me tag along at the convention for a little bit! She is awesome!

NOTE: All pictures taken from the convention were taken using the OnePlus 7 Pro.

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11

50 years ago today, Apollo 11 blasted off from Cape Kennedy carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon. 5 days later, Armstrong and Aldrin would successfully land their Lunar Module “Eagle” on to the lunar surface while astronaut Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit aboard the Command Module “Columbia”. And Neil Armstrong would become the first human to walk on the moon.

Even though Apollo 11 was an achievement to be celebrated by all of mankind, Apollo 11 marked the climax of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States beat the Russians to the moon and achieved the goal set forth by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 of successfully landing a man on the surface on the moon and returning them safely to Earth. While on the lunar surface, Armstrong and Aldrin spent nearly 2.5 hours outside the Lunar Module where they collected 47.5 pounds of moon rocks to bring back to Earth and taking lots and lots of photos among other experiments such as deployment of a solar wind composition experiment, seismic experiment package and a Laser Ranging Retroreflector. Upon returning to Earth, the Apollo 11 astronauts had to fill out a customs form to declare the moon rocks they brought back – marking the end of their historic mission after their Command Module splashed down in the Pacific.

I have pulled together a bunch of ways to celebrate Apollo 11 on the anniversary of the historic mission this week:

Apollo 11 Live Tweeting:

Spaceflight historian Amy Shira Teitel is live tweeting everything that happened during the Apollo 11 mission exactly when it happened 50 years ago. You should check her tweets out for all kinds of interesting facts and stories about what happened during the historic mission.

I'm bringing back my #Apollo11 LIVE TWEET! From July 16-24, my feed will be reliving the mission, from big mission events to tiny human moments, exactly when and as they happened (with a 50-year time delay) It's going to be a lot, but super fun! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/LjGGdLgBtY
— Amy Shira Teitel (@AmyShiraTeitel) June 21, 2019

Apollo 11 50th Anniversary NASA Events:

Be sure to check out all the events NASA is putting on this week to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Apollo 11!

LEGO Apollo 11 Lunar Lander (LEGO Shop):

The 1,087-piece LEGO set of the Apollo 11 Lunar Lander “Eagle” is one of the most amazing LEGO sets I have ever built. It’s highly detailed – including separate ascent and descent stages, gold-colored landing pads and panels, opening camera and laser hatches and a ladder, brick-built video camera and laser reflector. And as you build the Lunar Lander, you get little factoids about the spacecraft! Totally worth $99.

Additionally, if you’re up for an even BIGGER challenge – you can check out the LEGO Saturn V set. I’ve built this too and this set gives you a good idea of the scale of this rocket. The set includes details such as removable S-IC first rocket stage with main rocket engine details, removable S-II second rocket stage with rocket engine details, removable S-IVB third rocket stage with the Apollo spacecraft and rescue rocket at top of the whole spacecraft.

Apollo 11 (Amazon):

Director Todd Douglas Miller takes newly discovered 65mm footage and more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings along with interviews with astronauts and other NASA personnel to take you through the entire Apollo 11 mission from blast off to splash down. This movie is absolutely stunning in HD and if you have a good sound system, it’s even better. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants to get a genuine and authentic look at Apollo 11 with amazing visuals and audio.

Apollo Expeditions to the Moon (Amazon):

This is an official NASA publication re-released for the 50^th anniversary of Apollo 11. You get interviews with astronauts as well as colored and black and white diagrams of the technology used in the Apollo missions.

This is an official NASA publication re-released for the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with interviews with astronauts as well as colored and black and white diagrams of the technology used in the Apollo missions.

From the Earth to the Moon (Amazon)

This HBO 12-part mini-series aired in 1998 and was co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks. It tells the story of the Apollo missions starting with the Mercury and Gemini missions. They just released an updated Blu-ray version of the mini-series that has been re-mastered in HD. What I really love about this mini-series is that it highlights the stages and goals NASA needs to achieve in marching toward landing a man on the lunar surface. Getting to the moon took a lot of testing. Each Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo missions were meant to complete certain goals prior to Apollo 11 getting to the moon. I highly recommend this mini-series if you want a fantastic overall look at the space program of the 1960’s and early 1970’s.

This HBO 12-part mini-series aired in 1998 and was co-produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tom Hanks and tells the story of the Apollo missions starting with the Mercury and Gemini missions.

My copy of this just arrived today and this is what I’ll be watching for the rest of the week after work!

Apollo 11 Had a Hidden Hero – Software:

The Wall Street Journal has done an article today about the software behind Apollo 11. The computer behind Apollo 11 was the first digital general-purpose, multitasking, interactive portable computer and only had about 145K lines of code! I know this article is behind a paywall but its worth checking out – I promise!

Oh and by the way – if you’re a programmer, you can check out the original source code for the Apollo 11 Guidance Computer (AGC) here on GitHub!

The original source code for the Apollo 11 Guidance Computer as viewed in Visual Studio Code.

Download the code from GitHub and view it in Visual Studio Code!

Apollo 11 in Real Time:

Take a real-time journey through the first landing on the Moon with original historical mission material!

Destination Moon Exhibit at the Museum of Flight:

At the Museum of Flight here in Seattle, the Destination Moon exhibit showcases real artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission – including the actual Apollo 11 Command Module “Columbia”. I had a chance to visit the exhibit and was blown away from seeing the Command Module. In addition to the Command Module, the exhibit features all kinds of other artifacts including an actual moon rock, space suits, and tools. If you’re in the Seattle area – this is a must-see exhibit. It’ll be here until September.

The actual Apollo 11 Command Module as seen at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Have fun celebrating Apollo 11 this week!

NASA releases new book showcasing the beauty of Earth

I caught his news earlier this week and wanted to promote… NASA has released a new 168-page book featuring images captured by Earth-observing satellites to showcase the beauty of Planet Earth. You can order the book here from NASA’s store (although unfortunately it looks like its backordered). BUT you can *also* grab the free eBook version here! I’m going to be reading through the eBook version on my Surface Go while I travel to London today.

I caught this via fellow space nerd friend Richard Hay on Twitter.

Nerd Things

by Brandon LeBlanc