The ambition of Imagineers is limitless. During the so-called Blue Sky phase, they dream the impossible. Then, these tireless professionals spend years turning dreams into reality. Sometimes, the best-laid plans don’t work out quite like park planners anticipated, though. Let’s go Behind the Ride to learn why Mission: SPACE proved too realistic for some and what Imagineers did to solve the problem.
The experience: The most realistic astronaut experience ever built
The trick: Using NASA employees to guide development
Image: DisneyDid you know that NASA.gov still has a webpage that discusses the development of Mission: SPACE? Yes, more than 15 years after the fact, the foremost experts in outer space are still that proud of this attraction. Disney Imagineers are similarly passionate about a project that has earned its fair share of notoriety. Everyone involved with this ride understands that all of the unfortunate negatives somehow prove a point. Not all of us are built for space travel.
From the beginning, Walt Disney and his staff at WED Enterprises loved everything about the Space Race. It was a proud part of American culture during the 1950s and 1960s, eventually concluding when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the Moon.
Several Disney attractions have celebrated space travel over the years, most notably Space Mountain and Mission to Mars, the latter of which was previously known as Rocket to the Moon. As humankind conquered more aspects of lunar exploration, Disney updated their rides to reflect our advances in knowledge.
Image: DisneyThe early plans for Epcot had included a space pavilion. The 1977 Walt Disney Company Annual Report mentions this pavilion even though Epcot itself wouldn’t open for another five years. More than a decade passed before plans for a space pavilion advanced. Disney announced Journeys in Space in 1990. This new pavilion would feature “the ultimate thrill-ride.” Or it would have if park officials hadn’t canceled the project.
Throughout the planning phase for the undeveloped space pavilion, Imagineers liaised with astronauts and other NASA experts. The parties were equally intrigued by one another and fully intended to work on a project together someday. Yes, that project became Mission: SPACE, which would debut in 2003.
Disney went to Johnson Space Center’s Public Affairs Office, and they spoke with several high-level Mission Control employees. Imagineers planned an attraction that would recreate the experience of escaping gravity and entering the Earth’s orbit.
Image: DisneyOver time, the idea evolved into a mission to Mars, just like the 1970s attraction. This one would be a state-of-the-art attraction using computer graphics to mimic space travel and a landing on another planet. Disney officials traveled to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to learn the most accurate data about Mars’ appearance. This was just one of many steps they took to make the ride experience as realistic as possible.
Disney spoke with so many people from NASA that the federal agency took an active interest in Mission: SPACE. Astronauts from several missions including Apollo, Mercury, and Gemini appeared at the attraction’s grand opening. Others watched via satellite. These astronauts were extraordinary because they were IN SPACE at the time. Yes, Disney hooked up the International Space Station with a satellite feed of the event. It seemed like everyone who was anyone in NASA participated in some form.
The experience: Simulating a blastoff into the atmosphere
The trick: centrifuge-based movements to mimic acceleration
One of the weirdest parts of Mission: SPACE is that it’s a ride that few people understand. Since you effectively enter a small cabin and never see outside again until after the ride ends, you have no way of knowing how that it works. Amusingly, this attraction is one of the easiest Disney creations to visualize.
Remember when you were a kid and would go to the carnival? You know that Scrambler ride that lifts you up off the ground and whirls you around in a circle just long enough for you to empty the contents of your stomach? In a nutshell, that’s Mission: SPACE.
The technology is understandably more complex, but the premise is similar. When you approach your “space capsule,” you’re entering a room with 10 of these rooms. They’re the ride carts, and they’re attached to an arm that is, in turn, attached to the spinner.
Just like with the carnival ride, the start of Mission: SPACE includes a moment when the floor gets pulled out from under your capsule. You’re now spinning, although Imagineers added more complex movements than that. You’re capable of pivoting and circular rotations. These motions allow the rider to feel experiences like rotating backward in preparation of flight launch or avoiding collisions in an asteroid belt.
The true heft of the Mission: SPACE experience stems from the centrifuge. It’s the spinner that provides the authentic outer space sensations. And it’s also the source of all the nightmarish health issues that people have had over the years. Disney’s quest for realism did them no favors here, as their centrifuge thrust guests into the atmosphere at almost 3 G’s of force. Each space capsule spins between 30 and 35 miles per hour. The human body simply is not conditioned for that sort of violence, as we’re not accustomed to it.
Image: DisneyWhat Disney learned through a few tragedies was that the centrifuge element overwhelmed the senses of some riders. Park officials were forced to shut the attraction down for a time and add a second version. It delivered the same story and ride experience except for the physicality of the centrifuge. The Orange version maintained the roughness of 2.5 G’s of pressure. Think of it as Classic Mission: SPACE.
Imagineers introduced the new “Green” Mission: SPACE ride in 2006. The calmer iteration disconnected the centrifuge while leaving in the other spinning and pivoting elements. It’s still not a gentle ride, but nobody blacks out from the milder version of Mission: SPACE. The flaw with it is that the Green ride had no identity of its own for more than a decade. In a moment, we’ll learn how Imagineers finally addressed that in 2017.
The experience: A view of outer space on a digital monitor
The trick: high-resolution computer imagery that displays a realistic space view
Disney has mastered the art of immersion. Mission: SPACE exemplifies their skill at the craft. While you sit in a barren cabin, unaware of the mechanics of the centrifuge outside your door, the ride must distract you. It must build an illusion that you are a fledgling space traveler braving the great unknown.
Imagineers accomplish this trick through visuals. Your digital display comprises the entirety of your field of vision. Imagineers tell a story through these breathtaking images. The first thing you’ll see is a closed door that you need to unfold before launch. When that door opens, you’ll notice what looks like an upright ladder. In reality, it’s imagery of launch gear for a spaceship.
At this point, you’re literally staring at the clouds. Soon afterward, your seat begins to shake. The onscreen visuals match the motion, as you “launch” and head directly toward the clouds. Almost immediately, you soar past them and break atmosphere. The digital monitor informs you about what the gyrations of your seat mean.
This tactic is clever but far from original. In truth, it’s the same style of storytelling employed at Soarin’ around the World. You’re looking at a monitor that seems larger than life due to its proximity to your face. In the case of Soarin’, the monitor IS that big.
With Mission: SPACE, the claustrophobia of the setting adds to the importance of the digital display. When you don’t look at it, your only other options are glances within the cabin. Trust me. You do NOT want to do that, as you may freak out. Ergo, the monitor is your everything during the time that you’re inside the space capsule. Disney knows this and keeps the action moving through cinematic scenes that captivate you. It’s the right kind of immersion because you don’t even realize that it’s happening.
The experience: Plussing the ride so that the stories are no longer identical
The trick: Updating an existing attraction to tell new stories
After years of complaints about the lackluster nature of the Green version, Disney plussed Mission: SPACE in 2017. They finally did something long overdue; they differentiated Orange from Green. Orange remains the intense version, and it also keeps the mission to Mars storyline.
The primary difference is that Imagineers updated the graphics with digital HD enhancements that had become available over the 15 years of the ride’s existence. The Orange mission looks better, but you’ll still blast off into orbit. Then, you’ll circle the Moon, encounter an asteroid belt, and crash land on Mars. It’s the same as it ever was.
The Green version features an entirely new story. Guests are still trainees at the International Space Training Center. The difference is that you’ve signed on for a more straightforward mission. Your goal is to orbit the Earth while monitoring famous landmarks and weather patterns.
Since Disney didn’t want the ride to be dull, things don’t go smoothly. First, you’ll endure a grueling liftoff before witnessing some jaw-dropping visuals from your outer space orbit. Later, you’ll suffer through a lightning storm that leads to an extremely bumpy landing. Thanks to the updated graphics, the Green version is visually stunning and a vastly improved ride experience.
The modified, centrifuge-less version of Mission: SPACE is now so calm that Disney reduced age and height requirements. Children who are 40 inches or taller can ride it. Yes, the average age is now 4-5 years old. It’s a far cry from the days when Disney feared for the lives of some of the guests riding Mission: SPACE.
