Battlestar Galactica (roller coaster)
Encyclopedia
Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is a pair of steel
, dueling
roller coaster
s at Universal Studios Singapore
. One half of the ride features an inverted roller coaster
track in blue, and the other half features the traditional seated roller coaster
track design in red. It is the tallest dueling coaster in the world; tipping at 42.5 metres (139.4 ft). The roller coaster trains
are launched
from their stations at high speed instead of the traditional chain lift. Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) are used for high-acceleration speed during launching. In a similar style to the Dragon Challenge
at Universal's Islands of Adventure
, these coasters will feature several near collisions mere inches apart. Additionally, part of the ride takes place over the park's central lagoon. The coasters are the first Vekoma
coasters that aren't the Flying Dutchman model to feature four-abreast seating, similar to the coasters by Bolliger and Mabillard and Premier Rides
.
The Cylon coaster is a coaster designed like the Cylon Raider
suspended from the track with legs free that performs intense maneuvers including several inversions in the form of a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews and vertical loops. The Cylon coaster also plunges into a 5 metres (16.4 ft) deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a near miss with the ground. It also includes sudden turns close to buildings emphasizing the sensation of a near miss.
The Human coaster is designed for riders who want a roller coaster experience without inversions. The trains use lap restraints giving the rider total upper body movement. According to Universal Studios Singapore engineers, riders on the Human track experience more G-force
s than those on the Cylon track. At certain point of the ride, the coaster reaches speed of up to 90 kilometres per hour (55.9 mph).
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
, dueling
Dueling roller coaster
A dueling roller coaster features two roller coasters, usually with a similar layout, built close to each other. The rides are designed to do just as the name indicates: to duel...
roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
s at Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore
Universal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It was a key component of Genting's bid for the right to build Singapore's second integrated resort. On 8 December 2006, the Singapore government announced that the consortium had won the...
. One half of the ride features an inverted roller coaster
Inverted roller coaster
An inverted roller coaster is a roller coaster in which the train runs under the track with the seats directly attached to the wheel carriage. This latter attribute is what sets it apart from the older suspended coaster, which runs under the track, but "swings" via a pivoting bar attached to the...
track in blue, and the other half features the traditional seated roller coaster
Steel roller coaster
A steel roller coaster is a roller coaster that is defined by having a track made of steel. Steel coasters have earned immense popularity in the past 50 years throughout the world...
track design in red. It is the tallest dueling coaster in the world; tipping at 42.5 metres (139.4 ft). The roller coaster trains
Train (roller coaster)
A roller coaster train or car describes the vehicle which transports passengers around a roller coaster's circuit. More specifically, a roller coaster train is made up of two or more "cars" which are connected by some sort of specialized joint. It is called a "train" because the cars follow one...
are launched
Launch track
The launch track is the section of a launched roller coaster in which the train is accelerated to its full speed in a matter of seconds. A launch track is always straight and is usually banked upwards slightly, so that a train would roll backwards to the station in the event of a loss of power.A...
from their stations at high speed instead of the traditional chain lift. Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) are used for high-acceleration speed during launching. In a similar style to the Dragon Challenge
Dragon Challenge
Dragon Challenge is a pair of intertwined inverted roller coasters in the The Wizarding World of Harry Potter area of Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. The ride is themed to two dragons, one side being Chinese Fireball and the other Hungarian Horntail...
at Universal's Islands of Adventure
Islands of Adventure
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida. It opened May 28, 1999 as part of an expansion that, along with CityWalk Entertainment District, the Portofino Bay Hotel, and Hard Rock hotel, converted Universal Studios Florida into the Universal Orlando Resort...
, these coasters will feature several near collisions mere inches apart. Additionally, part of the ride takes place over the park's central lagoon. The coasters are the first Vekoma
Vekoma
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V. is a roller coaster and thrill ride designer with its facilities based in the Netherlands. The company was founded in 1926 by Hendrik op het Veld under the name "Veld Koning Machinefabriek" and had first manufactured agricultural machinery and mining equipment...
coasters that aren't the Flying Dutchman model to feature four-abreast seating, similar to the coasters by Bolliger and Mabillard and Premier Rides
Premier Rides
Premier Rides is an amusement ride manufacturer based in the United States. The company was the first to use Linear Induction Motors on their roller coasters. Jim Seay has been the sole owner and company president since 1996....
.
History
- 18 March 2010 - Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is one of 16 attractions that opened during Universal Studios Singapore's soft opening.
- 25 March 2010 - Both coasters were closed due to a technical glitch in one of the rides, barely a week after it opened. Both rides remain closed for many weeks thereafter.
- 20 August 2010 - The cause for the grounding of Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon was revealed to be cracks found in the welded joint of the seat-post supports of the Human coaster car.
- 21 December 2010 - Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon have entered their final testing stage with newly-reinforced coaster cars for both the Human and Cylon coasters. Both rides are slated to re-open in the first-half of 2011.
- 4 February 2011 - the ride has been opened unofficially for "Technical Rehearsals".
- 21 February 2011 - The anticipated official re-opening of both the Human and Cylon tracks.
Battlestar Galactica: Cylon
Battlestar Galactica: Cylon is a suspended roller coaster and travels on an inverted blue track.The Cylon coaster is a coaster designed like the Cylon Raider
Cylon Raider
The Cylon Raider is the standard starfighter used by the Cylons, in the various Battlestar Galactica movies and television series. Cylon raiders are used as the main line of defense for Cylon Basestars.- Original series :...
suspended from the track with legs free that performs intense maneuvers including several inversions in the form of a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews and vertical loops. The Cylon coaster also plunges into a 5 metres (16.4 ft) deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a near miss with the ground. It also includes sudden turns close to buildings emphasizing the sensation of a near miss.
Battlestar Galactica: Human
Battlestar Galactica: Human features a seated roller coaster and travels on the red track.The Human coaster is designed for riders who want a roller coaster experience without inversions. The trains use lap restraints giving the rider total upper body movement. According to Universal Studios Singapore engineers, riders on the Human track experience more G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
s than those on the Cylon track. At certain point of the ride, the coaster reaches speed of up to 90 kilometres per hour (55.9 mph).
Problems
Just a week after its soft opening on 18 March 2010, Universal Studios Singapore identified a problem in a ride vehicle during routine testing. The ride closed for repair on 25 March 2010. In August 2010, Resorts World Sentosa publicly addressed the reason for closure of the rides, stating that the problem lies with the design of the ride vehicles and not the track layout. Higher than anticipated stress and vibration levels caused fatigue cracks to develop in a welded component on the ride's seat-post supports. The redesigned component will eliminate the weld entirely and will also be installed with additional strength-reinforcement parts. Extensive ride testing cycles and inspections have been conducted since September 2010. The ride will need to be re-certified before it reopens to the public. In early February 2011, Universal Studios Singapore announced the rides would re-open on 21 February 2011, although it was opened unofficially for "technical rehearsals" on 4 February 2011.See also
- List of amusement rides based on film franchises
- Universal Studios SingaporeUniversal Studios SingaporeUniversal Studios Singapore is a theme park located within Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. It was a key component of Genting's bid for the right to build Singapore's second integrated resort. On 8 December 2006, the Singapore government announced that the consortium had won the...
- Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...