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Walt Disney’s unparalleled passion for space exploration is a trait that is easily reflected
in the Disney theme parks. Rocket to the Moon, the Rocket Jets, Astro Orbiter, Mission to
Mars, Space Mountain, and Star Tours. These are just some of the attractions that have
throughout the years, hurdled guests through cosmos. In this episode, we’ll take a visit
to the Moon and travel to the surface of Mars, as we take a look at Space Mountain Mission
2 and Mission: SPACE; two distinctly different missions, one incredible journey.
Our first attraction is Disneyland Paris’ Space Mountain, found in a uniquely-themed
section of the French park known as Discoveryland. Heavily influenced by the romanticized future
drawn up by countless European thinkers of the 19th century, Discoveryland is the park’s
counterpart to the otherwise futuristic vibe of Disney’s traditional Tomorrowlands; a
change that was done, in an effort to keep the park unique from other Disney parks. Although
it shares its name with the classic space-related attractions found across other Disney parks,
Paris’ Space Mountain is a radically different experience in more ways than one. Inherently
inspired by Jules Verne’s classic 1865 novel “From the Earth to the Moon”, the attraction
is the park’s only surviving component of a project known as Discovery Mountain. Originally,
the Imagineers planned to have a large volcano anchor the majority of Discoveryland; inside
of which would reside multiple attractions including the re-imagined Space Mountain,
an elevator free-fall ride, and a lagoon showcasing Captain Nemo’s Nautilus submarine from “20,000
Leagues Under the Sea”, which eventually found a new life at Tokyo DisneySea nearly
a decade later. Unfortunately, after Euro Disney’s lackluster
debut in lodging sales, the powers that be decided to postpone the project and force
the Imagineers to completely revise their plans. Spearheaded by Imagineer Tim Delaney,
Paris’ Space Mountain took guests to a mining colony on the Moon during the Victorian era.
The attraction contained numerous references to Jules Verne’s fantasy novels, including
the Baltimore Gun Club.
Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon opened on June 1, 1995 as the first attraction
in the Space Mountain series to include inversions, a synchronized soundtrack and speeds of over
40 mph. On April 9, 2005 as part of Disney’s “Happiest Celebration on Earth” campaign
the attraction was renamed and re-designed as Space Mountain: Mission 2, a continuation
of Jules Vernes’ tale, taking guests even further into the far reaches of the universe.
Just as Space Mountain: Mission 2 began to rocket guests beyond the Earth's Moon, another
attraction over 4,532 miles away at Walt Disney World in Central Florida, was already sending
folks on daily missions to the red planet.
Nearly two years prior to Space Mountain’s re-opening, Disney had debuted one of its
most ambitious attractions to date. Mission: SPACE opened at Epcot on August 15, 2003.
Visually striking, Mission: SPACE is situated where one of Epcot’s more revered attractions
once stood. Horizons, a spiritual sequel to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, had
provided a glimpse at humanity's future since Epcot’s opening in 1982. After its closure
at the turn of the century, Imagineers decided to demolish the unused pavilion and create
a new attraction based solely on one of Horizons’ featured themes; space exploration. With Epcot’s
theme of technological progress in mind, Disney Imagineers consulted with experts at NASA
about the future of space travel to other planets such as Mars. Set in the year 2036,
Mission: SPACE recruits and trains guests in preparation for the first manned space
mission to Mars. Story-wise however, Mission: SPACE does not actually take guests to the
Martian planet. Instead, the aforementioned mission is only a simulation of the various
trials an astronaut would experience during such a mission. Of these experiences, perhaps
the most notorious is the simulation of G-forces. The realistic effect is accomplished by spinning
riders inside a centrifuge at 35 mph, exposing them to up to 2.5 Gs, more than twice the
normal gravitational force of Earth. In fact, the attraction’s G-forces are so intense
that Disney introduced a milder alternative of the ride in 2006, after several health
incidents occurred. The reworked attraction offers two versions of the same experience;
Team Orange, the intense ride inside the centrifuge; and Team Green, which is a motion simulator
version of the original ride.
Space Mountain: Mission 2’s retro-futuristic design pays homage to both its Space Mountain
cousins and to its source material. The iconic domed roof that embellishes every other version
of the attraction is retained, although Paris’ version is predominantly bronze and blue and
adorned with an array of colorful steampunk-esque elements including a Columbiad cannon. The
ride portion of Space Mountain: Mission 2 is fairly simple, much like any traditional
Space Mountain. Guests are shot out into space via the cannon and enter through a series
of loops, corkscrews, and drops, while simultaneously avoiding asteroids, comets and even a supernova.
The experience over at Mission: SPACE is bit more complex. Upon entering the lavish settings
of the International Space Training Center guests choose their level of intensity in
training and are briefed on the mission by their capsule communicator, played by actor
Gary Sinise. Divided into teams of four, guests are each assigned a role in the mission; either
as navigator, pilot, commander, or engineer, and subsequently board the tightly enclosed
capsules. The X-2 Deep Space Shuttle launches from the Earth and with a lunar gravity assist
from the Moon, is directed towards Mars. The riders are then put into hypersleep to compensate
for the journey's three-month length. After a brief moment of complete silence and darkness,
the riders are suddenly awakened as the spacecraft begins to enter the Martian atmosphere. The
riders are then given the task of navigating through the canyon walls on route to their
landing site at one of planet’s polar ice caps. Having completed their landing, the
virtual mission ends and the riders unload from the simulator.
Based on two unmistakable eras of scientific thinking, both Space Mountain: Mission 2 and
Mission: SPACE successfully create the experience of space exploration in two fantastical forms,
celebrating mankind’s unique fascination of exploring and discovering new worlds in
the unknown vastness appropriately known as the final frontier.