Cool Space Ride @ Epcot: COMING SOON
 

Hey I was watching the Travel Channel, and there was this thing on Disney Engineers. They were talking about some cool new ride that will have simulated waightlessness. Its going to be like a trip to a space station. I think thats really cool!

I dug-up this article,

Disney's mission: Space ride at Epcot, by Richard Verrier of The Sentinel Staff Published in The Orlando Sentinel on April 21, 2000. -

Walt Disney World's next big attraction, billed as a "one-of-a-kind astronaut experience," will lift off at Epcot in 2003, Disney said Thursday.

Executives from Disney and Compaq Computer Corp., sponsor of Mission: Space, gave the first glimpse of the proposed ride Thursday night, displaying the new logo and artist drawings of the attraction.

Set decades into the future, guests will be transported in time and place to an International Space Training Center, where they will encounter simulated challenges faced by real astronauts.

The attraction -- in the former Horizons Pavilion next to Test Track -- will feature a 5-minute ride that simulates space flight 20 to 30 years in the future.

"The idea is to give all the illusion and sensation of real space travel -- lifting off, leaving the confines of earth, feeling weightlessness and visiting another planet," Susan Bonds, the show's producer, said Thursday.

Disney would not release other details of the ride, saying it was still in development. Preliminary work has already begun on the $150 million to $200 million project.

"The combination of Disney magic and Compaq technology will create a truly one-of-a-kind guest experience," Walt Disney World President Al Weiss said. "Epcot is the perfect setting, continuing the park's dedication to the explorer in all of us with its unique attractions that inspire us to discover new worlds."

Disney consulted with former NASA scientists and astronauts, including Story Musgrave, to design Mission: Space. Musgrave calls the new attraction "a place where guests can imagine our future in space and their role in it, walking in the footsteps of heroes and building on the wealth of technology we've developed to date."

NASA has no formal relationship with the project but has agreed to allow Disney to depict its training methods. The agency sees the program as a potential way to promote its space program.

Guests, for example, might be able to communicate with astronauts in the future space station, Bonds said.

Compaq's sponsorship is part of a broad 10-year corporate alliance with Disney.

"With some of the most advanced technology ever produced, Mission: Space will provide guests with a rare glimpse into a world where the possibilities for computers and space flight are endless," Compaq CEO Michael Capellas said.

The Houston-based company also will sponsor a fireworks display for the 45th anniversary of Disneyland and continue to sponsor Disneyland's Innoventions Pavilion and the DisneyQuest interactive game centers.

Hey maybe they will have that up in time for Nationals next year

Edit

Better yet maybe it will be open during the team SOCIAL

i was in epcot a few weeks ago and they had a section closed off by test track and it looked like they already started biulding it.

Hey, I was watching the Travel Channel and also saw all that. Now I know what they are doing with that space next to Test Track. This is the first time that I knew what they were doing there. I hope that it is open during The Championship Event for us to use. :)

It would be cool if we were the first group of "Visitors" to the park that got to ride it. It would make sence, kinda.....


Hey you can alwasy hope! :D

Actually, I've noticed the construction for that ride for the past two years (I noticed it first in February 2001, they were breaking ground and starting to put in steel beams). It is not until today that I know what that construction was for. Hopefully it'll be open for Nats next year... I'm always looking for something new to do.

NICE 234 won't be attending nats this year and i have to say that i won't miss spending $10 on lunch a day and then 45 for a team party that had the party level of sleeping.

Hmm.. the only way you can simulate weightlessness is with a big drop. It's probably going to resemble one of those big drop rides you see at a amusement park. I have to say if there is any imax movie I recommend you see is one about the space station. It was amazing. Plus me and my mom were pointing out the little stuffed animals floating around the space station. It was also scary imagine watching in 3-d a liftoff of a Russian spacecraft from a short distance away. I was ducking because it felt so real.

Hey If anyone knows when that special is going to be on again. Please post it or somehow let me know

anyone got any vacation pics, that have it on them :confused:

Here is the "Official Site" click here

this was viewable at nationals. they ha a big red/orange/brown dome with a rollercoaster track going around it. Looked cool.

Mission: Space has been under construction for 2 years.

It's not scheduled to open until about one month past Nationals. Traditionally, however, all new attractions will 'soft open' as a limited trial to see how the public reacts, how the crew acts, and how the ride performs. That is entirely hit or miss. It may or may not be open for Nats., but it most definitely won't be available for the Team Social, I think.

It isn't, and it's not.

A big drop doesn't simulate weightlessness. It simulates 1 g. - freefall. To simulate weightlessness during a fall, the object must be accelerated downward. Some rides do this already. Namely, Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and S&S Power's Turbo Drop towers (1/2 of Dominator at Dorney Park, 2/4 of Power Tower at Cedar Point, Supreme Scream at Knott's Berry Farm).

Mission: Space isn't a drop tower. You can see pictures of the show building at www.wdwmagic.com . It's far too small to be a drop ride.

In fact, satellite photos taken of the construction site before the building was erected confirm that it's four centrifuge mechanisms.

How will the attraction work? Well, I can only share my best guest, knowing a teeny bit of physics, and how the Imagineers have worked in the past.

(It's Disney Imagineers, by the way, MattK. To call them anything else is a disservice to their wonderful craft. You have the Internet as an unlimited research tool. Use it, rather than relaying half-truths and malappropisms.)

The launch is easy. The centrifuge pod, which'll have on-board video will spin up, exerting positive force on riders. It'll happen quickly, and be sustained for a minute or more. I'm not entirely sure, honestly, if they'll simulate an *entire* launch sequence.

Weightlessness? Well, after spinning around in circles for a little while, each person will have some inertia, right? That inertia is going to make them want to continue moving in the same direction.

If the pod slows down at a rate that's commisserate with the inertia, it can approximate floating. It won't be true weightlessness, as you'll still be experiencing the 1g of gravity, but you will be floating, sort of 'laterally', if you can visualize it. It's not true weightlessness, of course, but a facsimile. Coupled with sensory deprivation, it could prove to be quite effective.

Dave needs to post, I know Dave knows all about this attraction!!!

DAVE, WHERE ARE YOU?!?!

Yes, Mr. Nasa, where are you? I want juicy details.

I will tell him to check this when I goto his house in a bit.

edit And MattK,you can edit posts and add information later, rather then just posting again.


Wetzel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Silly unplanned for/unthought of things cause mission failure.
Stoopidants.

I still say it has to be a drop-tower, even if it's underground. Freefall/weightlessness cannot be simulated in a virtual enviroment. It would also make sense for a ride sequence to be: take an elevator down "to the shuttle", shoot up as take-off, shoot down for weightlessness, rise up to simulate thrusters, and then you're at the space station. Get "beamed" back to Earth and then proceed to the gift shop.

Has anyone thought of that you might be leaning backwards, like your body resting on your back, and you could possible be pulled around in a cirlce.

I Promise it's not a drop tower.

Promise, promise, promise, promise.

Seriously. It's not. It's 4 centrifuges. I can't believe you people are going to make me find the photo.

www.wdwmagic.com , forgive me for leeching this:



This is a satellite photo that clearly shows four circles, each for a centrifuge. You can see the Mission: Space construction site between the yellow dome (The Wonders of Life Pavilion) and Test Track on the right.

- Begin Rant -

It would make perfect sense - IF you're talking about Six Flags over Anywhere. That's how Six Flags, Cedar Fair, etc., handle their theming.

Suit #1 - "Hey, our new S&S Combo tower shoots riders up and down."

Suit #2 - "Hey, the Space Shuttle goes up and down!!!!"

Suit #1 - ":eek: "

Opening Day: "Mommy, mommy, let's go ride Mission: Space"

At Disney, thankfully, they still do things a *little* bit differently. At least, on most occassions.

I can't say for sure that Mission: Space will live on in the tradition of other great, story driven Disney attractions, like Pirates of the Caribbean, or Haunted Mansion, or Spaceship Earth. I can say, though, the centrifuge pods will rotate around the center axis, and will also have at least one other axis of rotation - and they will contain a video screen. There exists, at least, the opportunity to tell a real, compelling story - and make it something much more than a thrill ride.

Did I mention yet that it's *not* a drop tower? Disney, as rich as they are, would just as soon dig a 200' deep hole as they would green-light a copy of DisneySea for Orlando. It ain't happenin'.

Sadly, they'd build up first.

- End Rant -

Matt, you finally have a point :) That works reasonably nicely, actually.

Let's see what Dave has to say about it, though.

maybe those are very very large holes for a ton of cement for foundations to support a big drop tower ;)

tusche (i can't spell and i'm not french)

Centrifuges can only provide modification of lateral forces. THERE IS NO WAY THEY CAN SIMULATE WEIGHTLESSNESS. I'll meet you halfway, however, and provide the possibility that while spinning one would also go some-what up and down to simulate weightlessness and thrusters. I'm sticking with the theory that it will end in a giftshop, however.

P.S. It's touche.

Well if the ride didn't end in a giftshop, it wouldn't be in disney:D

Better be a LOT of cement, seeing as how Disney is built on top of a swamp and is sinking every day!

How do you know those circles arent where the four planets are?? And maybe it is a ride like enterprise where it starts flat and then raises to the point where it is perpendicular to the ground and then starts spinning really fast. For all we know it could just be a threater attraction.

I wouldn't question the word of Super Disney Fan Michael! I;d put my money with him!

And how do you explain the ring of concrete in this picture???

i miss the natl's i wish it was april all over again. my first year in florida with 522 was cool, eventfull, and in a way historical for my team. since this year was the first year we actually did superb we wouldve enjoyed going to the finals but our coaches not to be mean were acting like (poop chutes). back in march we blew a tranny in NYC reg. the problem was not just our tranny; soon after we broke a bearing. the hardest part was repairing with only 3 guys. myself, matt c. and joe c. with some time and spare parts and hands given to us by 694 we were able to fix the tranny within 30 minutes. and the bearing we replaced b4 going to columbia univ. for the comp. the coaches didn't find out what happened till like 12 am. that night as a result they were a lil upset that "we" took apart the robot and attempted to fix it. in april at the natl's the same thing happened. tranny blew and that was it. that happened the last match b4 the pick happened. we had at least 45 min. to repair the damage but the coaches told us no. leave the robot alone. so we did. and we suffered. if we woulda fixed the robot we coulda made the finals. stupid stupid coaches. anyway cool lookign ride. something to look forward to april 2003

Brandon - :PPPPPP

Seeing as the ride's already been tested, and there's no super-huge ugly towers, it's not a drop ride.

SlamminSammy - it will APPROXIMATE weightlessness. Disney is about telling a story. Often, it's an illusion, but it often works, too.

http://www.etcusa.com/ats/ats_gfet.htm

That's the company that was contracted to provide the simulators. Disney has a higher capacity version of those that I linked to. They can rotate on a second axis. They can APPROXIMATE weightlessness.

Trust me. This stuff gets thought up and rigged up and ridden and tested and examined and reexamined 40 billion times before an attraction is given the green light. It can be done.

The four rings are for the centrifuges. The second ring you showed was for one of the planets.

If you want to poke fun, go ahead.

Yes, I take these things seriously, and yes I follow them with great interest. I do want it to be my job one day, after all.

Like you said that was for one of the splanets so what is to say that the rest arent for the other 3 planets???

Okay, here is what is going on. You all have elements of the real story, but no one has tripped on to the entire attraction description yet. The small circular structure in the front is the base for a small drop tower. Guests go through the line, where they view a short video about the wonders of space exploration and planetary flight. They then enter small "pods" which hold three people each, and are "shot" up the drop tower and back down. The pods roll into the center of the attraction, and are routed to one of four centrifuges. Here is the part you guys missed: the centrifuges ARE THE GIFT SHOP. Guest are spun around in a head-outwards orientation at up to 2.8G, and all the loose change and spare bills in their pockets fly out and straight into the cash registers arrayed around the perimeter of the centrifuges. In exchange, guests receive a small token souvenir of the attraction as their gift.

Seriously, there are several Mars-related events happening next summer, and the opening of Mission: Space will likely take advantage of that. NASA is launching two rovers to Mars, one at the end of May and the other at the end of June. ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA are launching the Mars Express mission in late May. All of these missions, along with the Japanese mission Nozomi, arrive at Mars in December 2003 and January 2004. Disney is aware of this schedule, and has been looking at options for tying in the opening of their new attraction with these events.

Mission: Space will not be open quite in time for the FIRST Nationals (current projected opening date is July 1, 2003). I can't disclose details about what will be inside the attraction; but careful observation of what you have in front of you will reveal a lot of information. You can tell a lot from the official web site. There is a reason that the big sphere out front is red. The "training center" is on their web site for a reason. Notice the phrase in the news update "you'll encounter challenges faced by the real astronauts." Assume that there will be a "persons in poor health should not ride this attraction" sign out front...

-dave

Are you saying there is a Vomet Comet?


Well g2g to school, first day. It sucks

It is for a planet. You can see the front of the building in that picture. In other pictures of the building more complete you will see the planet there. See here. The concrete ring was for the smaller planet on the right. The four other rings are inside the building from the satellite picture with this other one being outside.

Yes, that's exactly what he's saying.

Every 2.5 minutes, 10 guests will board a NASA KC-135, take off, fly around central Florida, and then land.

Dave - I love the gift shop idea :)

Yes there is a Vomet Comet. This is Dave enjoying the ride on the Vomet Comet. No word on if he vometed.



Wetzel
~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I hear photoshop calling...

Oh dear loard! One day and the whole forums go up in smoke about something I'm an expert in.

For anyone not in the know like me and Mr. Krass, go here.

M:S IS going to be a centerfuge. Here is a picture of what it's going to look like....



Each pod will seat 4 and there will be around 12-20 pods on each centerfuge. The pods will have interactive elements and have vibration (like a rumble pack in a video game).

The inside of the massive planet in the front will hold the Fastpass distribution, and the entrences to the three lines (Fastpass, Stand-By, and Single Riders; just like Test Track). They will exit to the far left, in, ofcourse, a giftshop.

I expect a soft opening in December and an offical oppeining in late March-Early June.

If you have any questions, just ask.

-Edit-

Also, Mars is the destination. And there will be an interactive post-show a la Innoventions, but it will feature the types of interactive exhibits like the ones at the M:S Preview Center in Innoventions right now.

-Edit Again-

Also, I have posted this before and M:S is under cycle testing. This means they have CM's running the ride, unloading, loading, then running it again. So it is very close for guests to try it out early. Remember, Disney has soft openings before the attraction truely opens.

Wow, it wouldn't be fun to be paid $5/hr. to clean those things, I guess that's why I'm going to college.

P.S. Hey Mike, I think we both win.

Building anything of significant depth underground is a monumental feat in Florida. Ever wonder why you never see a basement in Florida? Florida is very flat, most parts are just a few feet above sea level, the ground is made up of limestone, a very weak,unstable, and porous substance, and the water table is very close to the surface. I can assure you noone is making any form of tower underground.

Original Post
Building anything of significant depth underground is a monumental feat in Florida. Ever wonder why you never see a basement in Florida? Florida is very flat, most parts are just a few feet above sea level, the ground is made up of limestone, a very weak,unstable, and porous substance, and the water table is very close to the surface. I can assure you noone is making any form of tower underground.


True, very very true. I would be so surprised if it was a drop tower

I have followed this from the announcement (and somewhat before) to now, and at no time is a drop tower a possabilaty. This will be a spin-n-puke type ride. I have tons of places to turn you to point this out to you. Also, if anyone saw the Disney Imagineers like MattK did, you saw the inside que and the post show area.

If you want, I'll give you some links to some previous debates on Disney boards.

DECEMBER-JUNE?
 

so it opens in June of next year... So wait, i m an even team, and in two years we get to go to nationals... Lemme see here (carrie the 1) if my calculations are correct it would be open for sure when i m a senior and i m down there for nats w/ Mr. Krass!!! YAY!!!:D

HEHE, MR. KRASS... HEHE;)

I feel bad for you MK....

But I'm even too, and if M:S opens on July 1st, I'll be there one week after.

I may not be a physics expert but a centerfuge will never simulate negative g forces. They will only display lateral forces and positive gravitational forces. If they specifically mention weightlessness then it isn't a centerfuge. I've been on one about 20 times. I know my amusement rides.

Funny you should say this. :rolleyes: I do, too.

It is a centrifuge. Four of them. It's unique because it allows the pods to rotate on a second axis. See Joseph's picture higher up in this thread. It will simulate weightlessness.

It may *not* be actual weightlessness, but Disney knows plenty of tricks that'll fool the mind. It may suck. It may not. I have faith, though, that enough people have ridden a mock-up of what's being proposed to ensure its authenticity.

uh oh, now u got him started!

Hmm I still can't see it. A centrafuge spinning on two axis. A centrafuge spinning on one axis would cause you to feel heavier but two hmm... That website posted a few posts ago says the opposite of what you guys are talking about. It says it gives about twenty five g's. No where does it say about simulating weightlessness(all right now that i think of it a plane simulator must show enough weightlessness in which a person will feel flying). Taking off in a space ship is entirely differnt.

DISNEY WILL FOOL THE MIND!!! THEY WON'T REALLY CREAT ZERO G'S! Just like they don't actually send you back in time on Space Shipearth. You really don't go into your imaginagtion into Journey Into YOUR Imagination, either. They will create a simulation of blasing off.

Plus, 25 G's will send you into a coma. HAVE A NICE DAY!

Not to revie a dead thread, but the building exterior is complete, lighting is complete, and the landscaping is complete.

Another thing, is that a cool game their planining on placing in the post show area is currently being tested. The comments are extremely positive. But the plot and such are under NDA, so this is testing.

Thanks for the update, I was kinda woundering about this the other day when my Science teacher was talking about a HUGE metor shower thats gunna happen next monday.

I also just got word that they are pushing back that wall with MISSION:SPACE on it to the actually building. Now its about 30 feet out.

I also have more info, including interactivity in the ride, up tomorrow.

This is rehased info that we alread know, new info, and some scouring the internet for hours, here's the generic findings that M:S might have.

First, the Mission:Space experence (read that, not ride, but pavilion) will feature 3 parts. The first will be the main and the greatest, the attraction. This will be huge. The pods will be front loading (like the Horizons vehicles) and the hatch will close down onto you. There will be four screens infront of you. As you blas off, each one of you will be given a taks to complete. One persons the captain, the other the engineer, and so fort and so on. You'll complete the task and your voyage will determine your ending. Sounds fun.

The second will be the post show. This area will be the huge interactive zone that is currenlty previewed in Innoventions (WDW & DL). There will be more to do (naturaly) and there will be lots of fun on-hand exhibits, but unlike WoL, this place will be upgradeable easaly.

The third is the chicken area. This is imbetween the post show and the attraction. This is where all the people who don't measure up go. They will have a few options, very much like the Image Works. One is a game that, if rumors are correct, will be a huge hit. Expect the game to work very much like the ride, only without the motion (ie, they must complete objectives as engineer, pilot, etc). There will be a kids area too, with slides, tubes, and other things themed as bays, cargo containers, and other pieces of spaceships lying around.

The other interesing thing is that the que might be very kid friendly, meaning that you'll see puzzles and such, along with those Compaq iPaq's that they were testing at Test Track (I got to use one of those, and they are very cool and very intersting.)

And some bad news now. It seems like Marty Skylar (Head of WDI) has said that, unfortuantly, the opening of Mission:Space won't be ANNOUNCED untill this spring. That's ok, since Test Track's opening was announced only 4 months before opening.