THE COLUMBIA COMLINK “To Sail beyond”
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 8 AUG 2010
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE USS COLUMBIA, A CORRESPONDANCE CHAPTER OF STARFLEET THE INTERNATIONAL FAN
THE MEDICAL REPORT SPACE SHUTTLES BY LT. ROBERT PAGE
PAST AND
PRESENT: PART 3 BY JASON SHRECK
MY DAY AS A VOLUNTEER BY ROBERT PAGE
BOOK REVIEW: BOODEYMENT BY RANDY DAVIS
CADET CORNER BY Cadet 4th Class Catherine McKean, "Kitty"
SHIPS ROSTER
Command Staff Commodore Jason Schreck
Commanding Officer
co@usscolumbia.net
Lt Commander Randy Davis
Executive Officer
xo@usscolumbia.net
Lieutenant Al Davies
Chief of Engineering
engineering.chief@usscolumbia.net
Marine Captain Steven McKean
Chief Science Officer
science.chief@usscolumbia.net
Lieutenant Teshie Marie
Chief of Security
security.chief@usscolubia.net
Lieutenant Robert Page
Chief Medical Officer
medical.chief@usscolumbia.net
Marine Captain Zeb Young
OIC 133rd MSG
msg.oic@usscolumbia.net
Lieutenant William Phillips
Chief of Operations
operations.cheif@usscolumbia.net
Command Department Commanding Officer
Commodore Jason Schreck
Executive Officer
Lt Commander Randy Davis
Administrative Officer
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Alan Steinberg
Command Intelligence Officer
Ensign Paul Mastovich
Command Officer
Ensign Rob Dorman
Intelligence Specialist
Ensign Art Crow
Administrative Officer
Ensign Alan Steinberg
Navigation
Ensign Karis Johns
Helmsman’s mate
Crewman Recruit George Leclair
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Engineering Department Chief of Engineering
Lieutenant Al Davies
Warp Drive Engineer
Commander Rodney Billings
Sensors Engineer*
Marine Captain Steven McKean
Transporter Engineer
Ensign Kevin Turner
Medical Department Chief Medical Officer
Lieutenant Robert Page
Xenopsychologist
Ensign Katie Jackson
Pharmacist’s Mate
Crewman Recruit Monica Beard
Life Science Assistant
Cadet Catherine McKean
Medical Doctor
Crewman Recruit Michelle Guillet
Operations Department Chief of Operations
Lieutenant Jeremy DeSpain
Shuttle Pilot*
Ensign Katie Jackson
Chief Hangar Deck Officer
Ensign Alexander Filip
Operations Management and Tactical Mate
Crewman Recruit Victor Szczerbinin
Science Department Chief Science Officer
Marine Captain Steven McKean
Asst Ch Science Officer (temporary detail)
Ensign Jozette Allen Lieutenant Al Davies
Engineering Physicist*
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Science Officer Astronomer
Lieutenant (JG) Kristy LaFata
Science Officer
Ensign Jozette Allen
Anthropology/Archaeology Junior Science Officer Astronomer/Planetary Sci Junior Science Officer Historian/Librarian Junior Science Officer Life Scientist Junior Science Technician Sr. Computer Programmer
Ensign Kathy Trevino Ensign Heath Row Ensign Bambi Robbins Crewman Recruit David Graham
Marine Complement (133rd MSG) Officer-in-Charge
Marine Captain Zeb Young
Deputy Officer-in-Charge*
Lt. Commander Randy Davis
Platoon Leader*
Marine Captain Steven McKean
Platoon Leader*
Lieutenant Jeremy DeSpain
Unit Medical Officer*
Lieutenant Robert Page
Aerospace Member*
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Alan Steinberg
Image Coming Soon MSG Intel. Specialist
2nd Lieutenant Paul McPherson
Security Department Chief of Security
Lieutenant Teshie Marie
Chief Master at Arms*
Lieutenant Jeremy DeSpain
Security officer
Ensign Ryan Pelkey
External security/Tactical
Crewman Recruit Brittany Vance
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Currently Unassigned Crew Members Ensign Cameron Lowe Ensign Nicholas LaFata Ensign Jessica Pehrson Crewman Recruit David Johnson Cadet John Callender
Reserve Crew Ensign Kirk Freeman
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Learn the Klingon Language http://www.kli.org/
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INTENTIALLY LEFT BLANK
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE! 8
Letter from the CO
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From the XO
10 book report: boogeymen 11
space shuttle past and present part 3
14 cadet corner 15 MEDICAL REPORT 18 MY DAY AS A VOLUNTEER 21 COLOR ME PAGES
What is SETI@home? SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/
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FROM THE COMMANDING OFFICER REAR ADMIRAL JASON SCHRECK
Well here it is August already soon we should be commissioned as a full STARFLEET chapter so keep October 23rd 2pm est. marked on your Callender. I have gone back to work following a long surgical recovery but am still keeping up with ships business to the best of my ability. We will be holding a promotion review in September to award promotions for the commissioning ceremony. If you have not worked on academy, courses now may be the time to do so to be promoted at the commissioning. We have come a long way since I put out feelers for launching a new ship and I would say this is the best crew i have ever worked with and this is my third STARFLEET chapter I have been part of. This group rocks and I am proud to be your CO. One piece of fleet business to cover. Elections for commander of STARFLEET are coming up and ballots will be sent out soon. I know most of our membership is new to fleet, but I recommend everyone learn about the candidates and vote as you see fit. This is your opportunity to make your voice heard on the fleet level and the new commander of STARFLEET will serve a 3 year term so this is an important election. A lot of members don’t bother voting so a few votes can be very important in these elections. Also please if you are not currently participating in our ongoing sim them please contact your department head about getting involved. We have a good story line going and the more participation we get the better, and remember these sims add to your promotion points as well. Well that's about it for this month. Look for my continuing series in the space shuttle fleet in this issue and as always if you have questions, problems or concerns email me and i';; see what i can do to help.
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FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE BY LTCMDR RANDY DAVIS
August marks my first complete year with STARFLEET and of course my renewal. It was on interesting year made more so by joining this crew. I have enjoyed this time and look forward to the next year. I would like to have done more with the Academy courses than I did but the Newsletter takes up most of my time. Star Trek Online has finally released the Excelsior Class Star Ship and I have included the pictures I took in game on the cover. I was able to name it Columbia NCC 92049 and remove the first 9 for our picture taking purposed with paint. October will mark our official launch as a full chapter and it is also Halloween for those who celebrate it. Halloween is a good time for recruitment, how, well if you have any type of uniform wear it on Halloween while giving out candy or better yet walk around and let people see you. We have a really hot spot for trick or treating area here where the entire community decorates their homes and streets just for the occasion. I plan on taking my youngest daughter there for here trick or treating and I will be dressed in a Star Trek uniform, I also will carry small business type cards with the chapter’s info and hand it out to anyone who even looks interested, “Hey look kids it’s a Star Trek guy.” If they know the uniform then they have watched the show and may be interested in a correspondence chapter. Couldn’t hurt. October 23rd 2pm est. will be our commissioning ceremony please try to be there, I will be taking the day off from work if need be, most of the time I am off work by 12:45 central. I am incredible excited about this day. Until next month may the wind be at your back and the road rise up to meet your feet. LtCmdr Randy Davis XO, USS COLUMBIA NCC 2049
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BOOK REVIEW: STAR TREK: BOOGEYMEN BY LTCMDR RANDY DAVIS
Eric Baldwin is the Federation's premier exologist, a specialist in all manner of alien life forms -- and one of Captain Picard's oldest, most trusted friends. But Baldwin's discoveries have made him enemies across the galaxy, and now he wants Picard to help him by erasing all traces of his existence. but Picard soon finds himself with little time to worry about Baldwin's problems. For the U.S.S. Enterprise has suddenly become a strange and dangerous place -- a ship where assassins lurk in every corner, and even old trusted friends are not what they seem. Threats all masterminded by the strangest race of aliens Picard and his crew have yet encountered...
A very interesting book I give it a 7 out of 10. Wesley Crusher develops a computer program to challenge his command ability on the holo deck. He even has data create a fiction race of aliens so there will be no predictability on his behalf; the new aliens are called BOOGEY MEN after his childhood nightmares. Troubles start when the program is so aggressive it takes over the Enterprise itself. A must read for Star Trek enthusiasts.
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SPACE SHUTTLES PAST AND PRESENT: PART 2 BY REAR ADMIRAL JASON SCHRECK
This month's article continues my series on the Space Shuttle fleet of the United States. This month I will cover OV-99 also known as the Challenger. In her short career she played a major role in the space program and with her tragic demise she made the shuttle program a safer place for future flights. The space shuttle Challenger began life as STS-099 or Structural Test Article 099. She was designed simply for testing the basic air frame of the orbiter under flight stresses. In order to prevent damage during structural testing, qualification tests were performed to a factor of safety of 1.2 times the design limit loads. The qualification tests were used to validate computational models, and compliance with the required 1.4 factor of safety was shown by analysis. NASA had planned to refit Enterprise to a flight vehicle but due to structural changes made in the final design of Columbia Enterprise became to expensive to convert and STA099 was determined to be a better alternative. The name Challenger was selected in honor of the HMS Challenger a pioneering global marine research expedition undertaken from 1872 through 1876, as well as the Apollo 17 lunar module. Challenger was considerably lighter than Columbia by 2,500 pounds allowing it to carry far heavier payloads than its sister orbiter Columbia. This owed greatly to its improved thermal protection system. Challenger made its first flight in 1983 on STS-6 and quickly became the workhorse of the fleet making 10 flights between 1983 and 1986. Challenger made 85% of the flights in this time period. Notable first for challenger included the first African American in space, first American woman in space, first space walk from a shuttle, first shuttle night launch and landing, first untethered space walk, and first mission to carry 2 women. Challenger along with Discovery was also modified to carry the Centaur upper stage for deploying deep space probes however the program was canceled after the loss of challenger and Centaur never flew on a shuttle. Challenger's flights included STS-6,7,8, 41B, 41C, 41G, 51B, 51F, 61A and 51L.. Despite so many successes Challenger is best remembered for the way her last flight ended. STS-51L was to be the third flight of 1986 the second of 16 scheduled for that year. This would be the 25th flight of the shuttle program and the 10th for Challenger. The flight was originaly scheduled for January 22md however delays in the flight of Columbia on STS-61C earlier in the month pushed the launch back to January 23, 24, and then 25th. The launch was postponed due to predicted bad weather at launch time to January 27th. The weather on the 25th however ended up being perfect launch weather. January 27th mechanical problems sealing the door again caused a 24 hour delay to Tuesday January 28th.
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Weather for the 28th was predicted to be unusually cold and engineers at Morton Thiokol the company who built the solid rocket boosters were concerned. Past launches in cold temperatures had show dangerous erosion in the rubber seals that sealed the booster joints. NASA however asked Thiokol to prove conclusively that launching on the 28th would cause a catastrophic failure of the booster. The engineers could not prove this conclusively based on the available data and signed off on the launch. Predicted launch temperature was going to be 31 degrees Fahrenheit. When pad crews arrived at the pad in the early hours of the 28th large ice cycles were found dangerously close to the vehicle. Launch was delayed till 11:38 AM. The crew was unaware of the concerns raised the night before boarded the orbiter that morning even commenting on the cold temperature. At 11:38 am EST Challenger lifted off of launch pad 39 B. At booster ignition black smoke was seen by a pad camera leaking from the right solid rocket booster. The rubber o-ring seal was already failing. The joint however sealed temporarily shortly thereafter. As challenger climbed into the morning sky she encountered unusual wins shear. As the flight control system struggled to compensate the debris sealing the joint was shaken lose and the booster began to leak like a blow torch against the external fuel tank. At 58 seconds into flight a large plume was captured on camera building around the aft end of the booster. By 60 seconds a noticeable drip in booster pressure was detected by computers on the ground. At 64 seconds the plume suddenly changed shape indicating the failure of the liquid hydrogen tank. At 66 seconds a drop in hydrogen fuel pressure was detected indicating a steady leak. At 68 seconds CAPCOM gave the call of Go at Throttle Up indicating the engines had been throttled back up to full power following passing through the sound barrier as would normally occur. This was followed by a conformation by Commander Scobee on the air to ground loop the last communication heard on the ground. At 72 seconds the right booster was severed from the lower tank and vehicle breakup began. The separation caused a lateral thrust off course prompting pilot Mike Smith to utter the last words recorded though not hear on the ground "Uh Oh". At 73 seconds the aft dome of the furl tank broke away igniting the liquid hydrogen instantly and driving the hydrogen tank into the upper liquid oxygen tank at the same time as the right booster impacted the upper tank. Challenger disappeared in a cloud of fire and debris shortly there after the last data was received from the orbiter. The breakup of the tank caused abnormal aerodynamic forces to tear the orbiter Challenger apart. The crew cabin was seen emerging intact from the debris seconds later. It is believed the crew was conscious and alive immediately following the breakup of the vehicle as air packs were recovered from the wreckage and they had been activated by the crew and partially used. It is unknown if the crew remained conscious until impact with the Atlantic 2 minutes later but the crew would have been killed instantly on impact. After an exhausting search and recovery, about 50% of the entire vehicle was recovered including crew remains for all 7 crew. With redesigns to the boosters and new emergency procedures for the crew Discovery returned to flight nearly 3 year later on STS-26. The remains of Challenger are now housed in an abandoned missile silo at Cape Canaveral Air force base and are not available for display or viewing.
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The Challenger accident put an end to the age of innocence for the shuttle program. Gone were plans to fly civilian astronauts, gone were commercial payloads, gone was the centaur upper stage program, gone were plans for a second launch sight at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The loss of school teacher Christa Mcaulife aboard challenger ended many dreams for the common man flying in space. The families of the challenger crew however decided not to allow the mission's educational mission to be in vein. the crew’s families established the Challenger Learning Centers For Space Science. These centers throughout the United States help to teach space science to a new generation of children and to keep the dream alive.
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CADET CORNER BY Cadet 4th Class Catherine McKean, "Kitty"
I went to the National Air and Space Museum with my dad (CSO McKean). There are so many cool displays. I saw some things that I learned about in the Cadet College of Space History. There are also many activities to try so kids have lots of fun. Some of the things are competing with others on knowing about the space program. I did okay because I knew some answers from the STARFLEET academy class.
This was in the gift shop. The television model of the Enterprise NCC-1701. It is almost a big as a car.
We also went to Space Center Houston. They train the astronauts and have mission control for the Shuttles and the ISS. There are many fun activities for kids here also. I tried to land the shuttle but crashed. Luckily it was just a game. ď Š
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MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
Star Trek and the Future of Family Medicine Stephen M. Petrany, MD The distinctive time frame of the Star Trek series and its focus on updating characters and storylines.
As the specialty of family medicine continues its efforts to redefine itself in the rapidly changing and increasingly technological health care environment, it is important to resist the temptation to focus disproportionately on self examination and maintain efforts to better understand how physicians are viewed by the very people we hope to serve. Our collective culture’s perception of medical doctors appears to be a complex amalgam of sometimes contradictory elements that are difficult to reconcile. Various attitude polls reveal an increasing level of dissatisfaction and loss of trust in our previously highly esteemed profession. Yet, most patients exclude their own personal physician from such criticism. A hint of insight regarding what is clearly a multifaceted public view of the profession may be gleaned from carefully studying the shifting cultural icons drawn by the mass media, particularly television and film. Within that effort, the long running popular Star Trek series offers a unique opportunity to observe such changes over what has been for physicians 4 tumultuous decades.
Essays and Commentaries With each reinvention sets it apart from other series of the era and makes it particularly interesting as a source of scrutiny. The original Star Trek first hit the airwaves in the 1960s during the height of the cold war, offering an image of the future in which humankind had overcome its divisions and united in a near utopian federation. Various versions of the series followed, and each adaptation included a physician as a character of major importance in the unfolding dramas. With every new edition, these physicians evolved through a succession of changes that reflected shifting cultural perceptions of the medical profession as we moved into the 21st century. The first of the Star Trek physicians is the most famous. Dr Leonard McCoy describes himself in an early episode as “a simple country doctor.” He is a deeply caring man who repeatedly demonstrates a willingness to place his patient’s life and interests ahead of his own, even if the patient belongs to a completely different
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species. Dr McCoy’s occasional crankiness cannot hide his caring spirit. We believe he is one of us and approachable. We even know him by his nickname, “Bones.” He is capable of handling advanced technologies, yet shines as an unflinching patient advocate. Dr McCoy is the man of heart that resists and balances the Vulcan Spock’s calculated logic. He is the ultimate space family doctor. The 1980s saw the arrival of The Next Generation series and a new type of television physician, the intelligent and independent woman. Dr Beverly Crusher is self-confident, beautiful, bright, thoughtful, and compassionate. Her character’s role as lead physician and mother illustrated the changing occupational demographics of physicians and challenged the cultural adage that professional women cannot have it or do it all. Dr Crusher begins a shifting image toward extraordinary competence, even infallibility. Not only is she a terrific doctor and mother, but she is also capable of taking command of the starship and its crew when the other officers are on away missions. She is in all respects a superwoman. Deep Space Nine followed as a space frontier adventure with complex political, social, and religious dynamics that introduced Dr Julian Bashir. He is a physician of uncommon passion and brilliance who is a tireless advocate for any and all odd life-forms encountered at the periphery of known explored space, whether they be friend or foe. Several seasons pass before his unusual intellectual capacity is revealed to be the result of illegal genetic engineering as a child. Not only does Dr Bashir expertly apply his amazing 24th century biological technologies—he is the product of those same technologies. He is the created superhuman who, despite regularly failing at affairs of his unenhanced heart, never fails at the complex medical challenges faced by his genetically manipulated brain.
The Star Trek universe was widened further with the arrival of Voyager. A group of former adversaries are forced to cooperate when they are transported to an uncharted distant part of the galaxy. In this version, the ship’s physician is a sophisticated computergenerated hologram that has no name. The “Doctor,” as he is called, is himself a form of highly advanced technology that is designed to imitate a human being. Indeed, he effectively mimics some distinctively human qualities, including compassion, self-assurance, integrity, and even a touch of arrogance. This physician cannot conceive of making a mistake since it is incompatible with his programming. In the “Doctor” we see the advent of the anti-McCoy—a physician with no name (no less a nickname) and with no actual heart, whose very existence depends on the calculated logic that defines a computer program. These physicians illustrate a rapidly morphing image of doctors who are becoming less human and more technological and infallible. They evolve from the old country doc, McCoy, to the extraordinarily proficient Dr Crusher, through the genetically enhanced Julian Bashir, and ultimately to the sophisticated computer program with no name. The perception conveyed here is that the medical profession will reach its zenith as unpredictable human emotions and imperfections are eradicated. Technological advancement offers the best future hope for successfully healing disease. The fifth Star Trek series, Enterprise, though the most recently created, harkens back to the early years of space exploration prior to the original program. This latest version of the television series includes a physician who is not human at all. Dr Phlox is a Denobulan, an alien species that requires only 6 nights of sleep each year, ideal for maximum availability for patient care. He is exceptionally considerate and thoughtful, excited by diversity and new cultures, and always projects a cheery disposition. He 16
manages a biological garden and zoo that often serve as sources of medicinal therapies for his patients. Thus, he is the prototype of the multicultural homeopathic physician of the future, comfortable with technology but knowledgeable regarding the more natural means of healing. Dr Phlox reflects the swelling backlash against failed technologies that presently lead so many to experiment with nontraditional or “natural” remedies. But the larger point here is that it takes an alien to bring back some balance between heart and technology to the profession.
believe in the sustained importance of family medicine. Yet, we still believe. In both our hearts and minds we trust that family medicine offers the antidote to the palpable sense of disaffection and the false promise of biotechnological infallibility suggested by the physicians of this and other contemporary television series. Perhaps family medicine can take some solace from the one consistent thread uniting all the imagined doctors of Star Trek. Despite the escalating technological focus seen with each subsequent version of the ships’ chief medical officers, a careful look at the various physicians of the Enterprise reveals all to be generalist doctors with broad healing skills, who take care of a wide variety of ailments in persons of all ages, sexes, and even species and who are uncompromising in their selfless commitment to their patients. Technologies change, but this fundamental image of the physician remains one that appears to continue to resonate with the public we wish to serve. Our specialty would be wise to remember this set of enduring characteristics and, just maybe, the discipline of family medicine will remain alive and well through to the 24th century and beyond.
These characters are the products of fertile imaginations and indeed are in all aspects fictitious. Yet, they represent an interesting mix of both the present perceptions and future hopes of their creators and their audience. A picture emerges of physicians who become more intellectual and calculating and less encumbered by human emotions and imperfections. They become less like the people they care for and less familiar, perhaps echoing the public’s loss of a sense of the intimacy of the doctor-patient relationship. These doctors literally come to embody the experience of personal alienation that patients feel within the present health care system. On the other hand, by using the extraordinary technologies of the day, the Star Trek physicians rarely fail in curing the most advanced and mysterious ailments. In this way they reflect the often unrealistic expectations of today’s patients regarding medicine’s ability to cure disease, an attitude that leads to mounting frustration for all involved. Family medicine began as a specialty during the days of “Bones” McCoy and is attempting to redefine itself during the days of Dr Phlox. In between, it has struggled on occasion to maintain its relevance in an increasingly impersonal and technological health care delivery system. The doctors of Star Trek give pause to those of us who
Correspondence: Address correspondence to Dr Petrany, Marshall University, Department of Family and Community Health, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, 1600 Medical Center Drive, Huntington, WV 25701. 304-691-1165. Fax: 304-691-1153. petrany@marshall.edu.
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My Day AS A VOLUNTEER A Day Just For Kids
EFMP Kids enjoy a ride during Mannheim’s Day Just For Kids, part of the German-American Volksfest July 8. German and American children alike came to do arts and crafts, ride the bumper cars and other rides for free, and enjoy one-on-one time with volunteers. The German police brought horses, the German firefighters brought their truck, and Army Community Service provided T-shirts and goodie bags for the kids.
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Here are a few picture of me with Joseph S. Garcia as Commander Riker and his wife as ENS Rho
ESPRIT DE CORPS PAGE
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Color ME!
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