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UPDATE MARCH 2022: Clearly we spoke too soon. The Omicron wave delayed our re-opening plans again, although we have been able to proceed with the Ion Sci-Fi news blog and show in the meantime.

We have a cautious eye on developments so look out for details of post-lockdown activity at the ISDC Academy.

The COVID pandemic has not been easy on anyone and Endeavour’s mission hasn’t been immune. Our first attempt to open the simulator facility was overrun by the first lockdown. We used that period to establish the ISDC Academy including online training videos and remote simulator access. The simulator was physically expanded, adding new consoles to support more complex mission scenarios. To take advantage of that new screen space the torpedo system was also added to the simulator’s capabilities.

Coming out of that lockdown we prepared for our second attempt to open the facility – this time a fully-fledged launch of the Academy. And you guessed it, just a couple of weeks out from that, the second lockdown hit. During that time we’ve been working on developing new simulator capabilities including those featured here. The first engineering system – the Power Distribution Network (PDN) – is almost complete and will be added to the simulator soon.

We also designed and implemented the simulator’s live streaming capability, so that mission scenarios can be shared with members at home. This is also an important step towards integrating remote crew participation in mission scenarios.

Weekly Sci-Fi News Show

We've combined that broadcast capability with our ongoing interest in sci-fi, space and gaming news to produce Ion Sci-Fi, a weekly video news show supported by a regularly updated blog. 

Where are we now?

Despite the bumpy road so far, as lockdown restrictions ease we’re getting ready to welcome new members and crew to the mission. Online training is available at the Academy for helm, EMDAR and torpedo systems and once qualified you’ll be able to form crew teams and take part in mission scenarios in the simulator.

We still plan to have an open day to introduce the Academy to a wider audience as well as run in-person master classes and even a ‘space camp’ (for grown-ups) at the simulator.

In the meantime, we’ll be arranging private guided tours of the simulator by appointment for small groups. This is a great way for you and a some friends – your future crew – to learn about vessel systems, ask questions and get a feel for which crew role suits you best.