YEAR 44 ISSUE 6 | FAN FUSION | DRAGONFLY | TREK EXHIBIT | ODO’S NEW THREADS 08 07 04 10 06 05 OUR 44TH YEAR . ISSUE 6 . JULY / AUGUST 2019 CANAPT I Kim Smith EDITOR/DESIGNER David Matteson Special thanks to David Bluestein FIRST OFFICER Annette Sexton-Ruiz CLUB CONTACT Dave Williams and Debra Nickelson for the cover REC OFFICER Walt Bartlow EMAIL [email protected] photo, and to John Wheeler for COMM OFFICER Dianna Hopkins WEBSITE www.u-f-p.org the newsletter history info. the united federation of phoenix IN THIS ISSUE The United Federation of Phoenix (UFP) is the Southwest’s oldest Star 03 Captain’s Log from Dr. Kimberly Smith Trek and science fiction fan organization, continuously operating since 04 Subspace Chatter Turns 35 1975. The club meets bi-weekly at various locations around the Phoenix 05 Dragonfly Drone by Dave Williams metropolitan area. As a group we have picnics, go hiking, watch movies, 06 Star Trek The Exhibition by Kim Smith play games, take trips, and are active in the volunteer community. You are 07 Phoenix Fan Fusion by Lisa Fischer about to read “Subspace Chatter,” our official bi-monthly publication which 08 Odo’s New Threads by David Stipes highlights science fiction and fandom events, spotlights our members, and 10 Incoming Transmissions provides a resource for all things UFP. If you are in the area and would like 11 Official Club Briefing to attend one of our meetings, please email us at [email protected] 11 Summer/Fall UFP Club Calendar 2 | SubSpace chatter CAPTA IN'S log wet hot summer THE UFP’S POOL PARTY TRADITION Captain’s Log, stardate 201907.9. pool party exactly ten years other’s company while sharing In the stifling heat of Arizona ago. It was at that meeting that snacks and refreshments and summers, one of the best ways I met my future husband Dave our love of Star Trek. I hope to beat the heat is getting in Williams, and now we host our everyone enjoys the remainder of the pool! The UFP has a long own pool parties at our home. the hot summer here in AZ. Stay tradition of pool parties during On July 6th, 2019, the UFP cool, and live long and prosper! the summer months. I remember hosted our latest pool party at swimming at David Bluestein’s Annette’s. The Independence Dr. Kimberly Smith, UFP Captain home, Deb Nickelson’s home Day-themed gathering offered often with puppy dogs, and my welcome relief from the midday first ever meeting was at David sun as several of us enjoyed Acosta’s father’s home at a Annette’s lap pool and each SubSpace chatter | 3 he information on the true eginning late that summer the uch like my predecessor from t formation of the UFP is sketchy. B UFP newsletter was born, and M35 years ago I’d like to echo her It seems that in the latter half of Subspace Chatter has been produced sentiment that it’s ALL OF US who 1975, a group of four Arizona State steadily since. Now, in 2019, The make this work, and I am so proud University students got together United Federation of Phoenix stands to have collaborated with so many to discuss something they had in as one of the oldest continuously- talented members over the past common: a love for a canceled TV operating Star Trek clubs in North year to make Subspace Chatter series called Star Trek . Possibly America. Started by a handful of what it is. I think Deborah would be sparked by the run of Star Trek: The college students in 1975, the club and quite pleased with how far it has Animated Series in 1975 (the first the newsletter have gone through come. Thank you to all who have and only new Star Trek until The many changes, big and small. helped and to all those who want to Motion Picture debuted several years contribute in the future – knowing that later), they thought that there must tar Trek is all about the future and you are a part of something be others like them around the valley Swhat we can make of it. I expect longstanding and special that has and started to circulate flyers to that the future for Subspace Chatter been published for 35 years strong. advertise the formation of a new Star will be bright, and may change in Trek fan club. ways no one could have expected. - David Matteson, Editor ver the next nine years the o club grew exponentially. In the summer of 1984, member Deborah Lorshbough suggested that the UFP produce an official newsletter. The original pitch for this newsletter was lofty, and Deborah envisioned something much more than just a simple bulletin of club events. “It is vital to the newsletter’s success that the club members get involved. Any and all suggestions, ideas, movie reviews, artwork, cartoons, etc, would be deeply appreciated.” – She writes in a copy of the minutes from a meeting, dated June of 1984. 4 | Sub Space chatter d r agonfly Ex PLORINg A STRANgE NEW WORLD WITH A DRONE | BY DAVID A. WILLIAMS, PHD On June 27 NASA announced the winning mounted cameras to study Titan’s surface proposal for the fourth of its New Frontiers from multiple perspectives, as well as a class of medium-sized robotic planetary mass spectrometer and gamma-ray/neutron missions, and they chose Dragonfly! Dragonfly spectrometer to measure the composition of is the name of an 8-propeller drone that will surface materials when it lands. It will have fly through the atmosphere meteorology sensors to conduct atmospheric of Saturn’s planet- profiles and a seismic experiment to detect sized moon Titan. internal activity while landed. This $850 Advances in drone million mission will be built by the technology on Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns E a r t h o v e r Hopkins University in Maryland, the last 20 the same group that operated the years enable this mission, which will have a seven-year development phase. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2026, and will arrive at Saturn in 2034. It will be deployed in an aeroshell with a parachute to slow it down in Titan’s nitrogen and methane atmosphere. Once in the atmosphere the drone will separate and the rotors will spin. The drone should be New Horizons Pluto mission. capable of multiple flights, Dr. Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle is after landings to recharge its the Principal Investigator (chief battery using its radioisotope scientist) leading the mission, thermoelectric generator a colleague of the UFP’s Dr. (RTg) to generate electricity. The Dave Williams from NASA’s galileo drone will have front- and bottom- mission in the early 2000s. SubSpace chatter | 5 Ten years ago the UFP and meet them. Robert Picardo TNG sick bay, a simulator ride, volunteered at the traveling Star visited the exhibition on March several costumes and props, ship Trek Exhibition while it was at the 7th and many UFP members were models, alien character head AZ Science Center as docents. there to greet him. He was super pieces, and the saucer section of Over the course of six months in nice and talkative. The UFP gave the Enterprise D from the movie 2009 UFP members were actively Picardo an honorary membership Generations. Of great fun was the involved in the exhibit. plaque and a UFP t-shirt. We green screen photo where your We were invited to the VIP were able to take several fun image was placed on the TNG opening which included special photos with him. The highlights transporter pad. Afterwards Jim guests Michael and Denise of the exhibition were the TNG Strait said that this constituted Okuda, and David Stipes. Club bridge set, a TOS Captain’s chair, one of the most significant events members were allowed to mingle Quarks bar, TNG engine room, that the UFP ever participated in. 6 | SubSpace chatter MY FIRST TIME GOING TO ISCHER PHOENIX FANBY UFP FUSION MEMBER LISA F I have always wanted to go to a comic convention with a couple club members to show our support but hadn’t seized the opportunity to do so. Before for Dr. Dave and Annette’s panels, which both joining the UFP I would watch the TV show were so cool and informative! Walking around and The Big Bang Theory and would see the cast of seeing all the different fandom characters was friends go to so amazing. Some I figured out who they all the different were while others none of us knew, but conventions and that is what made it so fun. I am not sure wished I too had which costume I liked best as there was some buds to go so many good ones, but I do know the to a convention first one that got the “wow effect” was with. The cast of when we were outside and the one and the show made it only Darth Vader walked by me! What a look so fun and fantastic way I am not one to to start my go to big events firstPhoenix alone. Now that I have joined the UFP Fan Fusion the opportunity arose to go to Phoenix convention! The Fan Fusion, and wow, what an awesome experience with adventure! I asked my husband, sister all the different and her husband (whom all also joined panels, the crazy the UFP with me) to go to Phoenix Fan amount of cool Fusion with me, and thankfully stuff to buy and they were cool with going.