There may be some words or phrases used at the Discovery Space Center that could be confusing. Refer to this list for basic definitions of those words. And remember: if you don't know what someone is talking about, the best thing to do is ask for clarification!
General Terms
Bridge: The actual set of the ship. This is where the crew is during the mission.
Control Room: The room that controls the computers, sounds, etc. for the mission. This is where the flight director is during the mission as well as the Second Chair Supervisor.
Interns: Interns apply to work through the Discovery Space Center. Many of them are ultimately learning how to become a supervisor. They are not paid.
Volunteers: Volunteers come to the Discovery Space Center from Farpoint Academy. They are used during the mission to help with training and play acting parts. They are not paid.
Second Chair (or 2FX): In the Atlantis and Columbia, the flight director and supervisor each have their own computer station. The supervisor's station is called Second Chair. At Second Chair, the supervisor is in charge of the Second Chair computer, lights, video, and managing the interns and volunteers. In basic terms, they are the Flight Director's assistant.
Bridge Officer (often shorted to "Bridge"): This is the supervisor who is on the bridge of the ship during the mission helping the crew with their jobs, answering questions, calling shots, and informing the Control Room of any problems.
Crew: The customers. During the mission, they remain on the bridge of the ship unless going on an away mission.
Staff: All Discovery Space Center staff.
Set Director: The Set Director is like the manager directly in charge of the ship. They are usually the head flight director of that ship. They are in charge of ship maintenance, scheduling of staff, and quality control.
Flight Director: The flight director is in charge of the mission. They directly interact with customers throughout the flight. They brief the crew about their mission, help facilitate training, speak over the microphone, control the main computer, and keep the story of the mission flowing.
Set Director: The Set Director is like the manager directly in charge of the ship. They are usually the head flight director of that ship. They are in charge of ship maintenance, scheduling of staff, and quality control.
Flight Director: The flight director is in charge of the mission. They directly interact with customers throughout the flight. They brief the crew about their mission, help facilitate training, speak over the microphone, control the main computer, and keep the story of the mission flowing.
Interns: Interns apply to work through the Discovery Space Center. Many of them are ultimately learning how to become a supervisor. They are not paid.
Volunteers: Volunteers come to the Discovery Space Center from Farpoint Academy. They are used during the mission to help with training and play acting parts. They are not paid.
Private Mission: A mission booked after school that lasts for 2.5 hours.
Overnighter (or Overnight Mission): Missions where the crew comes in the evening, flies for a couple hours, goes to bed, and finishes the mission the next morning. Mission length is 5 hours.
5 Hours: The missions run for overnighters, camps, and sometimes for privately booked 5-hour missions.
Day Flights: Field trip missions. Schools book flights and come for 2 hour missions and a class session.
Briefing: This is when the Flight Director helps the crew pick their jobs for the mission. They also tell the crew what their mission is going to be about and tells them their objectives they need to complete.
Loading: The term used to explain how the crew is brought onto the ship. Usually one of the supervisors helps the crew through the transporter, and the flight director is on the bridge showing the crew where to sit.
Loading: The term used to explain how the crew is brought onto the ship. Usually one of the supervisors helps the crew through the transporter, and the flight director is on the bridge showing the crew where to sit.
Training: Once the crew is on the ship, they have to learn how to do their jobs. Training is done both through audio training (headsets) and staff members hand training (staff personally explaining how to do their station).
Terms Used During the Mission
Main Computer: The artificial intelligence unit that talks to the crew during the mission. It is played by the Flight Director using a voice changer. The term is often shortened to "Computer."
Intruders: The "bad guys." Often armed with weapons, intruders are volunteers dressed up as the bad guy of the mission. Depending on the mission, they may come onto the bridge and shoot their weapons, or they may be part of an away mission.
Shot Calling: The bridge officer is the one who calls shots during a battle with intruders. If a crew member is "hit" by the weapon, they say, "Officer down." That officer is stunned for five minutes until they are either healed by a doctor or the bridge officer calls them up. They also tell the intruders when they are stunned by saying, "Intruder down."
Calling Up: When the bridge officer tells a crew member they are alive they call them up.
Teasers: There are times when we don't want the intruders to shoot all the crew members on the bridge. Instead, they do what are known as teasers where they shoot at the crew, but either end up escaping or getting caught.
Away Missions: There are points written into the story when the crew leaves the ship. These are called away missions, and they can be done in many locations in the building.
Second Stories: The mission story is known as the main story. The purpose of the flight is to get through the main story. However, in order to keep other crew members involved, second stories are created. For example, the main story might be that the crew is going to deliver supplies to a planet. However, while they are on the way, security is working on breaking up a fight in the mess hall. The communications officer is sending messages to ColCom informing them of the supplies that we have. The best second stories make sense in the mission and are somehow related to the main story.
Mission Time: The amount of time that the crew is actually flying their mission. It does not include briefing, loading, and training.