Space Mountain is the name of a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all five Magic Kingdom-style Disney theme parks. Although all five versions of the attraction are different in nature, all have a similar domed exterior façade that is a landmark for the respective park.The name can refer to (in order of opening):
- Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom) (1975), at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida
- Space Mountain (Disneyland) (1977), at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California
- Space Mountain (Tokyo Disneyland) (1983), at Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan
- Space Mountain: Mission 2 (1995), at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France
- Space Mountain (Hong Kong Disneyland) (2005), at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on Lantau Island, Hong Kong
This is about Magic Kingdom's version of Space Mountain.
Space Mountain is an indoor outer space-themed steel roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It opened on January 15, 1975 and is the original version of the iconic attraction that is included in all five of the Disney theme parks worldwide. With the closure of Cypress Gardens in 2009, Space Mountain is the oldest operating roller coaster in the state of Florida.
Space Mountain was closed for refurbishment on April 19, 2009. The newly updated version of the attraction was officially re-opened to the public on November 22, 2009
The Space Mountain concept was a descendant of the first Disney "mountain" attraction, the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, which opened in 1959. The Matterhorn's success had convinced Walt Disney that thrilling rides did have a place in his park.
Space Mountain closed on April 19, 2009 for a lengthy renovation project. It was the first extensive renovation since a previous closure in September 1999, and was estimated to cost USD $12.3 million. It reopened November 2009.
Blue neon lights light up the ceilings above the queue, with black windows looking out into space recessed into the ceiling, where guests can see projections of stars, nebulae, comets, planets, and a space station. Riders will then be assigned to one of two tracks: Alpha, the left hand track, or Omega, the right hand track. When the lines are long, usually Alpha is used for standby queue and the Omega for "FASTPASS". But when lines are short. (usually fifteen minutes or less) a cast member will stand at the division of the lines and assign a group to a track. Unless they kindly ask, riders cannot choose between Alpha and Omega. The two tracks are near-mirror images of each other. Both offer the same experience for guests, with effects equally shared and duplicated, however, so as to permit for the two tracks to cross each other, the Alpha track is ten feet longer than the Omega track.
Riders then queue at newly installed loading gates and enter the six person rockets. Pulling out of the loading station, riders make a 180 degree turn and come to a stop in a purple lit tunnel while waiting for the train in front to climb the lift hill. After a few seconds, the holding brake is released and the trains roll down a slope into the strobe tunnel. The strobe lights flash at a slower rate, but this rate gradually increases as the rocket progresses down the tunnel.
A repetitive warping sound signifies an energy charge as the riders roll towards a blue orb. At the far end of the tunnel, a field of stars appears as the blue strobe lights turn off. This is followed shortly afterwards by the strobe light effect of the flash of the on-ride photo camera taking pictures of the riders.
Another train may pass by the riders climbing the lift hill. It is also possible to make out riders on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority passing through the lift hill bay, as well as riders on the other track climbing the lift hill. At the top, riders descend a short drop and then descend through a series of turns, sharp climbs, and steep drops in the darkness of the dome. The ride ends with trains passing through a red swirling wormhole and then hitting the final brake run, before returning to the unload station.As posted on Disney Parks Blogs on August 30, 2010, Space Mountain is now in Starry-O-Phonic Sound.
"Walt Disney Imagineering has added a new composition that’s exclusive to the attraction at Magic Kingdom Park that will play with varying sound effects throughout all “flights” on 100 newly installed speakers. “Starry-O-Phonic Sound” compliments a slew of enhancements that debuted on Space Mountain last year, including new lighting, storyline elements and updated decor."
When Space Mountain was refurbished, a number of tributes to the defunct Epcot attraction Horizons were added into the ride.
- One of the bags in the baggage claim (located on guests' left at the start of the exit moving sidewalk) features the words "Mesa Verde" written on it.
- The undersea post-show scene after the desert scene is reminiscent of a scene in Horizons. This scene was the only new scene added to the post-show in the refurbishment - all of the other scenes were tweaked or redressed. The flatscreen display in the new scene describes the scene as "20,000 Light Years under the Sea," a pun on "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," which is a reference to to the defunct Magic Kingdom attraction 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage.
- The robot valet and futuristic city skyline, which is the last post-show diorama, are similar to a scene in Horizons and to the lounge that Disney used to operate in LAX.
No other Space Mountain has an extensive post show like the Magic Kingdom version. Guests board a moving walkway, known as a speedramp, that takes guests back to Tomorrowland. As guests enter the post show, above them is a flashing warning sign and spiel, both original from 1985. To the left is a half octagon shaped room and on the right are four large octagon rooms.The original post-show was RCA's "Home Of Future Living," which showcased how consumer electronics would shape our lives in a "typical" home of the future. The attraction featured the theme song "Here's To The Future," briefly replaced by a song (apparently) titled "ColorTrak Keeps The Color On Track," designed to promote televisions employing RCA's ColorTrack color television technology. In the mid-1980s, the Home of Future Living was replaced by "RYCA-1," which showed what life might be like living in a space colony on another planet. The RYCA-1 sets went through minor re-decoration when FedEx took over sponsorship, and the plot of the show revolved around sending packages across spatial distances. All traces of FedEx were removed after the company relinquished its sponsorship, then the post-show underwent another transformation in 2009 when the entire attraction was revamped.
All of these rooms are shown and viewed on an even surface, but after the final octagon room, the speedramp dips down at an angle, where guests go under the train tracks for the Walt Disney World Railroad. As guests travel back up to ground level, and toward the exit to Tomorrowland, the pass by other outer-space destinations Star Port Seven-Five can take them. The first two octagon rooms and the first four hexagon rooms can all be viewed from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover just after passing through the lift hill bay because their ceilings are non existent.
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover (then known simply as "Tomorrowland Transit Authority" and one of our favorites during park crowds) was also closed with Space Mountain on April 19, 2009, during which time it also underwent a refurbishment. The closure was necessary due to extensive construction work planned for the roller coaster, and the inherent safety risks such activity would pose to Transit Authority riders. Additionally, Space Mountain has access doors that open onto the TTA track which can not be safely used while the attraction is running.
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