Space Mountain: Mission 2
Encyclopedia
Space Mountain: Mission 2 is a steel roller coaster
-type attraction in Discoveryland
at Disneyland Park
in Disneyland Paris themed around a journey into space
. The attraction opened on June 1, 1995, three years after the opening of the park, as a revival of interest to draw more guests to the financially unstable European resort. Paris' Space Mountain was the first roller coaster to feature a Synchronized On-Board Audio Track (SOBAT) and was originally themed around Jules Verne
's classic 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon
. The audio track was written by Steven Bramson
and was in keeping with the Victorian
theme. Unlike other Space Mountain
s found around the world, this version has a grander and more detailed appearance, with a huge dominating Columbiad Cannon
and a plate and rivet exterior, in keeping with Discoveryland's retro-futuristic theme. It is the only Space Mountain to feature inversions and a section of the ride outside the mountain, that being the station and cannon.
The original version of the ride, De la Terre à la Lune, closed in January 2005 and the theme was changed to Mission 2, planned as a continuation rather than replacement of Verne's classic, where the rider is taken further into space on a new adventure. The track remains unaltered. The new onboard audio track was composed by Michael Giacchino
, and the refurbished attraction debuted on April 9, 2005.
Michael Eisner
, ex-CEO of The Walt Disney Company
, credited Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune and its creator, Imagineer Tim Delaney, as the savior of Disneyland Paris.
Inside, the following items were to feature:
Discovery Mountain's budget became so huge that cuts were inevitable. In addition, the resort had encountered a loss of millions of French francs in its first three years of operations. This was due to low hotel occupancy, low guest spending and lower attendance than projected, partly due to the colder winter weather—in sharp contrast to Tokyo Disneyland
, which sees crowds year-round regardless of the weather. The Victorian-inspired design of Space Mountain (initially named Discovery Mountain before its name change), with its huge Columbiad
cannon, and containing only the indoor roller coaster, was decided upon as the best choice for the financially unstable resort, as long as a nearby walkthrough recreation of the Nautilus, entitled Les Mystères du Nautilus
.
However, in 2001, Tokyo DisneySea
opened, featuring Mysterious Island
, a recreation of Vulcania Island from the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
. This island features some elements from Discovery Mountain (for example the ride Journey to the Center of the Earth
or the Nautilus ride
).
, this Space Mountain was originally designed as a view on space travel
from a Jules Verne-era perspective, based on the novel From the Earth to the Moon.
Paris' version of Space Mountain is the fastest of the five versions of the ride, the only one to include inversions, and also the only one to feature a portion of track outside the mountain itself (that being the station and the launch Cannon). The $89.7 million attraction features a 1.5G uphill catapult launch at 42 mph (68 km/h), and three inversions (sidewinder, corkscrew, and cutback). It was the first roller coaster to feature on-board music, known as a SOBAT (Synchronized On-Board Audio Track). SOBATs would later be added to Space Mountain
at Disneyland
, and Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland
.
Space Mountain's first SOBAT was composed by Steven Bramson
, primarily based on film scores by John Williams
and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
score. Moreover, in order to create a proper Victorian atmosphere in the queueline and around the building, a musical loop was created by selecting several themes from movies such as Krull
, The Rocketeer
, Always or Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
. From 1995 to 2005, the ride was known as Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune.
Guests entered the dome and were ushered into the inside queueline known as the Stellar Way, an open walkway where guests could have a look at the coaster itself and see trains during their journey in space. Then they reached the Victorian chambers of the Baltimore Gun Club (the Club which built the Cannon), and discovered the plans and drawings of the Columbiad and the journey to the Moon. They then boarded golden Moon trains in the Victorian station.
The trains took them through a tunnel into the Columbiad Cannon. As the blast-off occurred, trains were suddenly propelled out of the Columbiad to the top of the dome. The space travel started with riders crossing asteroid fields until they got swallowed by Colonel Impey Barbicane's Bluemoon Mining Machine, an industrial space machine built by the President of the Gun Club to extract mineral resources from asteroids. Escaping the danger of this device, trains headed to a huge asteroid which they crossed through a small fissure. This journey came afterwards to the climax of the ride, the Moon itself (with a smiling face, as seen in Georges Méliès
's 1902 movie adaptation of the novel). On the right, one could notice that Jules Verne himself, with the proper equipment, had landed on a nearby asteroid. Then trains headed back to Earth, crossing other asteroid fields. When riders reached the atmosphere, bolts and light rays were visible around the train as it heated up. Trains finally entered the Electro-de-Velocitor, a machine that stopped them suddenly so that their speed would be reduced when they headed back to the station.
In September 2004, Le Visionarium was closed, leading to significant changes in Discoveryland. Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune was to be entirely refurbished, due to financial plans from Disney executives, which also included the construction of Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and the development of Walt Disney Studios Park
with Toon Studios and the Tower of Terror
.
using bent neon lights.
Although the track remains unaltered, trains are now fired from the bottom of the cannon, whereas originally they were fired at the top. The Victorian setting was changed as well, and received modern futuristic elements. Trains received a simple repaint from gold to silver. A new futuristic soundtrack was written by Michael Giacchino
(who was also responsible for the SOBATs in the versions at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland) and the Victorian loop in the queueline has been replaced with radio messages.
Guests enter the dome on its side and are ushered into a futuristic, dimly lit corridor featuring photos of several cosmic phenomenons (this scene replaced the former Stellar Way). They proceed into the Victorian lounges of the Baltimore Gun Club, complete with plans and drawings of the Columbiad Cannon and the journey to a supernova
. They then board silver space trains in the station.
Trains are taken through the tunnel leading them inside the cannon. A countdown is audible, and the blast propels trains beyond the moon. Space travellers encounter many cosmic phenomena, such as a comet
and several asteroid fields. When they reach the supernova, they can see it explode and destroy its surroundings. Trains then head back to Earth by crossing melting asteroid fields. In order to reach Earth, they finally enter a "hypergate", a red vortex-like wormhole
which represents a shortcut through the universe. As in the previous version, the Electro-de-Velocitor slows trains down before they reach the station.
However, it soon became obvious that this new version of the ride was growing unpopular among fans, since the Jules Verne-atmosphere throughout the attraction is now missing.
documentary Shoot for the Moon, which looked at the creative process and the history of engineers, technicians, and musicians of The Walt Disney Company, featuring project manager Tim Delaney, music producer Aarin Richard and Disney Legend Ward Kimball
. The 45-minute documentary was directed by Philip Martin, and was first broadcast on 30 August 1995 at 6:45pm.
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...
-type attraction in Discoveryland
Tomorrowland
- Tomorrowland 1955–1967 :The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase,...
at Disneyland Park
Disneyland Park (Paris)
Disneyland Park is a theme park at Disneyland Paris, a resort complex just outside of Paris, in the new town of Marne-la-Vallée, France. The first of two parks built at the resort, it opened as Euro Disneyland on 12 April, 1992...
in Disneyland Paris themed around a journey into space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
. The attraction opened on June 1, 1995, three years after the opening of the park, as a revival of interest to draw more guests to the financially unstable European resort. Paris' Space Mountain was the first roller coaster to feature a Synchronized On-Board Audio Track (SOBAT) and was originally themed around Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's classic 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon
From the Earth to the Moon
From the Earth to the Moon is a humorous science fantasy novel by Jules Verne and is one of the earliest entries in that genre. It tells the story of the president of a post-American Civil War gun club in Baltimore, his rival, a Philadelphia maker of armor, and a Frenchman, who build an enormous...
. The audio track was written by Steven Bramson
Steven Bramson
Steven Bramson is a professional composer who has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and has won one Daytime Emmy Award and three ASCAP Awards. He has written music to George Lucas' Young Indiana Jones and the CBS series JAG. Bramson’s music has been played in New York City and London....
and was in keeping with the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
theme. Unlike other Space Mountain
Space Mountain
Space Mountain is the name of a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all five Magic Kingdom-style Disney 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...
s found around the world, this version has a grander and more detailed appearance, with a huge dominating Columbiad Cannon
Columbiad
The Columbiad was a large caliber, smoothbore, muzzle loading cannon able to fire heavy projectiles at both high and low trajectories. This feature enabled the columbiad to fire solid shot or shell to long ranges, making it an excellent seacoast defense weapon for its day...
and a plate and rivet exterior, in keeping with Discoveryland's retro-futuristic theme. It is the only Space Mountain to feature inversions and a section of the ride outside the mountain, that being the station and cannon.
The original version of the ride, De la Terre à la Lune, closed in January 2005 and the theme was changed to Mission 2, planned as a continuation rather than replacement of Verne's classic, where the rider is taken further into space on a new adventure. The track remains unaltered. The new onboard audio track was composed by Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as...
, and the refurbished attraction debuted on April 9, 2005.
Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005.-Early life:...
, ex-CEO of The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, credited Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune and its creator, Imagineer Tim Delaney, as the savior of Disneyland Paris.
Discovery Mountain - Original concept and design
After the Parisian site had been chosen and work began on Discoveryland, a showcase attraction was planned. Discovery Mountain was initially designed to feature not only Space Mountain, but a variety of other attractions, exhibits, and restaurants. The building was going to be 100 meters in diameter, rather than 61 meters, the diameter of the Space Mountain dome.Inside, the following items were to feature:
- A large version of the Nautilus (which ended up outside of the attraction and as a walk-through attraction)
- An underwater restaurant with a Nautilus theme alongside a café
- A copy of the HorizonsHorizons (Epcot attraction)Horizons was the name of a dark ride attraction at Epcot , a theme park at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida USA. Located on the eastern side of the "Future World" section of Epcot, the attraction used Disney's Omnimover conveyance system, which took guests past show scenes depicting...
attraction of EpcotEpcotEpcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named... - A Disneyland RailroadDisneyland Railroad (Paris)The Disneyland Railroad , originally the Euro Disneyland Railroad , is a narrow gauge railroad at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland Paris Resort in Marne-la-Vallée, France that was inaugurated on the park's opening day, April 12, 1992...
stop - Free-fall ride concept, themed to Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the EarthJourney to the Center of the EarthA Journey to the Center of the Earth is a classic 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne. The story involves a German professor who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the center of the Earth...
- Space Mountain based upon From the Earth to the MoonFrom the Earth to the MoonFrom the Earth to the Moon is a humorous science fantasy novel by Jules Verne and is one of the earliest entries in that genre. It tells the story of the president of a post-American Civil War gun club in Baltimore, his rival, a Philadelphia maker of armor, and a Frenchman, who build an enormous...
- Walkway tubes linking to CinéMagiqueCaptain EOCaptain EO is a 3-D science fiction film starring Michael Jackson and directed by Francis Ford Coppola that was shown at Disney theme parks from 1986 through the 1990s...
and the VideopolisVideopolis (Disneyland Paris)Videopolis is an auditorium in the Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris, near Marne-la-Vallée. It was an opening day attraction, and is located within the Discoveryland section of the park, an alternate take on the Tomorrowland concept, which takes into consideration the science fiction pioneered by...
dining and stage complex (which still features two huge windows in that place)
Discovery Mountain's budget became so huge that cuts were inevitable. In addition, the resort had encountered a loss of millions of French francs in its first three years of operations. This was due to low hotel occupancy, low guest spending and lower attendance than projected, partly due to the colder winter weather—in sharp contrast to Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo Disneyland
is a 115 acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983...
, which sees crowds year-round regardless of the weather. The Victorian-inspired design of Space Mountain (initially named Discovery Mountain before its name change), with its huge Columbiad
Columbiad
The Columbiad was a large caliber, smoothbore, muzzle loading cannon able to fire heavy projectiles at both high and low trajectories. This feature enabled the columbiad to fire solid shot or shell to long ranges, making it an excellent seacoast defense weapon for its day...
cannon, and containing only the indoor roller coaster, was decided upon as the best choice for the financially unstable resort, as long as a nearby walkthrough recreation of the Nautilus, entitled Les Mystères du Nautilus
Les Mystères du Nautilus
Les Mystères du Nautilus is a walkthrough attraction at Disneyland Paris in France. It is an updated version of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walkthrough attraction that was at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA in the early 1950s, based upon the film of the same name.This attraction takes guests...
.
However, in 2001, Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea
is a 176-acre theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just outside Tokyo. It opened on September 4, 2001. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo DisneySea attracted an estimated 12 million visitors in...
opened, featuring Mysterious Island
Mysterious Island (Disney)
Mysterious Island is a "port-of-call" at Tokyo DisneySea in the Tokyo Disney Resort. It features a large volcano and is located in the center of the park.-Theming:...
, a recreation of Vulcania Island from the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
. This island features some elements from Discovery Mountain (for example the ride Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth (attraction)
Journey to the Center of the Earth is an attraction at Tokyo DisneySea, based on Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth.The attraction uses similar technology to Epcot's Test Track.-Story:...
or the Nautilus ride
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage was an attraction at the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort from 1971 through 1994.- The Submarine Voyage :...
).
De la Terre à la Lune (1995-2005)
An extravagant version of Space Mountain had been planned since the inception of the Euro Disney Resort, but was reserved for a revival of public interest. Located in Discoveryland, the park's alternative for TomorrowlandTomorrowland
- Tomorrowland 1955–1967 :The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase,...
, this Space Mountain was originally designed as a view on space travel
Human spaceflight
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with humans on the spacecraft. When a spacecraft is manned, it can be piloted directly, as opposed to machine or robotic space probes and remotely-controlled satellites....
from a Jules Verne-era perspective, based on the novel From the Earth to the Moon.
Paris' version of Space Mountain is the fastest of the five versions of the ride, the only one to include inversions, and also the only one to feature a portion of track outside the mountain itself (that being the station and the launch Cannon). The $89.7 million attraction features a 1.5G uphill catapult launch at 42 mph (68 km/h), and three inversions (sidewinder, corkscrew, and cutback). It was the first roller coaster to feature on-board music, known as a SOBAT (Synchronized On-Board Audio Track). SOBATs would later be added to Space Mountain
Space Mountain (Disneyland)
Space Mountain is a steel roller coaster attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. After the success of the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain, the Imagineers made plans to build another on the United States West Coast. The ride opened on May 27, 1977, ten years after the...
at Disneyland
Disneyland Park (Anaheim)
Disneyland Park is a theme park located in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of the Walt Disney Company. Known as Disneyland when it opened on July 18, 1955, and still almost universally referred to by that name, it is the only theme park to be...
, and Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
.
Space Mountain's first SOBAT was composed by Steven Bramson
Steven Bramson
Steven Bramson is a professional composer who has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and has won one Daytime Emmy Award and three ASCAP Awards. He has written music to George Lucas' Young Indiana Jones and the CBS series JAG. Bramson’s music has been played in New York City and London....
, primarily based on film scores by John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1954 adventure film starring Kirk Douglas as Ned Land, James Mason as Captain Nemo, Paul Lukas as Professor Pierre Aronnax, and Peter Lorre as Conseil. It was the first science fiction film produced by Walt Disney Productions, as well as the only science-fiction...
score. Moreover, in order to create a proper Victorian atmosphere in the queueline and around the building, a musical loop was created by selecting several themes from movies such as Krull
Krull (film)
Krull is a 1983 heroic fantasy film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Ron Silverman. Released by Columbia Pictures, it stars Ken Marshall as Prince Colwyn and Lysette Anthony as Princess Lyssa....
, The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer
The Rocketeer is a superhero created by writer/illustrator Dave Stevens. The character first appeared in 1982 and is a homage to the Saturday matinee heroes of the 1930s and 1940s....
, Always or Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, a 1992 film directed by James Bond alumnus John Glen, was the last project developed by the father and son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind. It follows the events leading up to and including the voyage of Columbus to the New World in 1492...
. From 1995 to 2005, the ride was known as Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune.
Guests entered the dome and were ushered into the inside queueline known as the Stellar Way, an open walkway where guests could have a look at the coaster itself and see trains during their journey in space. Then they reached the Victorian chambers of the Baltimore Gun Club (the Club which built the Cannon), and discovered the plans and drawings of the Columbiad and the journey to the Moon. They then boarded golden Moon trains in the Victorian station.
The trains took them through a tunnel into the Columbiad Cannon. As the blast-off occurred, trains were suddenly propelled out of the Columbiad to the top of the dome. The space travel started with riders crossing asteroid fields until they got swallowed by Colonel Impey Barbicane's Bluemoon Mining Machine, an industrial space machine built by the President of the Gun Club to extract mineral resources from asteroids. Escaping the danger of this device, trains headed to a huge asteroid which they crossed through a small fissure. This journey came afterwards to the climax of the ride, the Moon itself (with a smiling face, as seen in Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès
Georges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
's 1902 movie adaptation of the novel). On the right, one could notice that Jules Verne himself, with the proper equipment, had landed on a nearby asteroid. Then trains headed back to Earth, crossing other asteroid fields. When riders reached the atmosphere, bolts and light rays were visible around the train as it heated up. Trains finally entered the Electro-de-Velocitor, a machine that stopped them suddenly so that their speed would be reduced when they headed back to the station.
In September 2004, Le Visionarium was closed, leading to significant changes in Discoveryland. Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune was to be entirely refurbished, due to financial plans from Disney executives, which also included the construction of Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast and the development of Walt Disney Studios Park
Walt Disney Studios Park
Walt Disney Studios Park is the second theme park to open at Disneyland Paris, owned and operated by Euro Disney S.C.A.. It is located to the west of the hub, next door to Disneyland Park at the heart of the resort in Marne-la-Vallée....
with Toon Studios and the Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, more commonly known as Tower of Terror, is a drop tower thrill ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios , Disney California Adventure Park, Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park . It is based upon the television show The Twilight Zone...
.
Mission 2 (2005-present)
Space Mountain underwent modifications in 2005 and is now officially named Space Mountain: Mission 2. The journey now takes riders beyond the Moon, to the very edge of our universe. Therefore, some aspects of the ride have changed, such as the effects on the track: the video shown in the second "climb" of the ride (the smiling moon seen in the original has been replaced with a supernova) and the introduction of a simulated vortexVortex
A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
using bent neon lights.
Although the track remains unaltered, trains are now fired from the bottom of the cannon, whereas originally they were fired at the top. The Victorian setting was changed as well, and received modern futuristic elements. Trains received a simple repaint from gold to silver. A new futuristic soundtrack was written by Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino
Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as...
(who was also responsible for the SOBATs in the versions at Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland) and the Victorian loop in the queueline has been replaced with radio messages.
Guests enter the dome on its side and are ushered into a futuristic, dimly lit corridor featuring photos of several cosmic phenomenons (this scene replaced the former Stellar Way). They proceed into the Victorian lounges of the Baltimore Gun Club, complete with plans and drawings of the Columbiad Cannon and the journey to a supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
. They then board silver space trains in the station.
Trains are taken through the tunnel leading them inside the cannon. A countdown is audible, and the blast propels trains beyond the moon. Space travellers encounter many cosmic phenomena, such as a comet
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
and several asteroid fields. When they reach the supernova, they can see it explode and destroy its surroundings. Trains then head back to Earth by crossing melting asteroid fields. In order to reach Earth, they finally enter a "hypergate", a red vortex-like wormhole
Wormhole
In physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
which represents a shortcut through the universe. As in the previous version, the Electro-de-Velocitor slows trains down before they reach the station.
However, it soon became obvious that this new version of the ride was growing unpopular among fans, since the Jules Verne-atmosphere throughout the attraction is now missing.
Statistics
- Grand opening : June 1, 1995
- Closing date : January 11, 2005
- Grand re-opening : April 9, 2005
- Designers : Walt Disney ImagineeringWalt Disney ImagineeringWalt Disney Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company, responsible for the creation and construction of Disney theme parks worldwide...
, VekomaVekomaVekoma 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... - Vehicles : 6
- Vehicle theme : Space Train
- Previous vehicle theme : Moon Train
- Rockets per train : 6
- Passengers per train : 24 (or 4 per rocket)
- Vehicle theme : Space Train
- Building diameter : 200 feet (61 meters)
- Height : 141 feet (43 meters)
- Track length : 3280 feet (1000 meters)
- Top speed : 47 miles per hour (76 km/h)
- Height requirement : 52 inches (1.32 m)
- Ride duration : 2:18
- Music : Mission 2, composed by Michael Giacchino (2005–Present)
- Previous music : De la Terre à la Lune, composed by Steve Bramson (1995–2005)
- Ride system : Roller coaster
Shoot for the Moon
Space Mountain was the basis for the 1995 BBC2BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
documentary Shoot for the Moon, which looked at the creative process and the history of engineers, technicians, and musicians of The Walt Disney Company, featuring project manager Tim Delaney, music producer Aarin Richard and Disney Legend Ward Kimball
Ward Kimball
Ward Walrath Kimball was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as Disney's Nine Old Men.-Career:...
. The 45-minute documentary was directed by Philip Martin, and was first broadcast on 30 August 1995 at 6:45pm.
Trivia
- The ride was originally named Discovery Mountain, but this name was changed shortly before the opening, for marketing reasons. This is why the letters "DM" still exist today in the building (on the bridge over the Nautilus lake, on safety warnings panels or some devices).
- The ceiling of the Baltimore Gun Club's main lounge is painted as a starry sky. Each star features a name of two letters followed by three figures. These are actually engineers' initials and birth dates (for example, "TD748" means "Tim Delaney, born July 1948").
- In the original concept art, the cannon was slightly different from what it looks like now. It featured a trap door on its back which opened for trains to be loaded. Since this effect was too expensive, this door now stands on the side of the cannon, opening every time trains pass by.
- Another concept art showed Space Mountain: Mission 2 featuring a retrofuturistic spaceship moored at the ceiling of the station, but this idea never came to pass either.
- A shop, called Light Speed Photography, sells photos at the exit of the ride. This is currently the only part of the building which still displays American flags (all others were removed in 2005 when De la Terre à la Lune closed).
See also
- Space MountainSpace MountainSpace Mountain is the name of a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all five Magic Kingdom-style Disney 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...
- Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
- Discoveryland
- Le Visionarium
- Les Mystères du NautilusLes Mystères du NautilusLes Mystères du Nautilus is a walkthrough attraction at Disneyland Paris in France. It is an updated version of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea walkthrough attraction that was at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA in the early 1950s, based upon the film of the same name.This attraction takes guests...
- De la Terre à la Lune
Photo pages
- Photos Magiques - Space Mountain: Mission 2 / Light Speed Photography
- EuroSouvenirland - Space Mountain Construction
Fan Websites
Disneyland Paris - Space Mountain- FeLIX - Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune
- BringBackTheMoon - Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune
- WebCOT - History of Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune
- DesigningDisney - Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune DisneyGazette - Space Mountain, les 15 ans d'un mythe déchu : Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Imagineering Files - Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune ADCP Fan - Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune
- DLRP Magic - Space Mountain: Mission 2
- DLRP Synopsis - Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune Space Mountain: Mission 2
- Neverland Files - Discovery Mountain
Media
- YouTube - Shoot For The Moon - Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5
- YouTube - Making of Space Mountain: Mission 2