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Author
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Topic: Theme Park Ride
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spaceuk
Member Posts: 2113
From: Staffs, UK
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 01-26-2004 04:26 PM
  
We had a UK TV perogram here tonight called Ultimate Thrill Rides - explaining technology behind theme park rides. Very good program.One ride was an ideal one for our group members . It was called the Superman ride. The cars are accelerated by electromagnets (a little like O'Neill's L-5 colony magnetic leviattion type propulsion drive) into a near vertical ascent . At top of ride - where cars stop (!!) riders experience about 3 seconds of 'weightlessness'. One rider lost his glasses out of his vest pocket. You could clearly see the weightless motion of the glasses. The car then travels backwards to start position being braked by the electromagnets . Another ride that may be exciting and doesn't cost thousands of dollars to ride is called the Power Tower. You can either be accelerated at break-neck (figuratively speaking here!) up the tower or,on a similar tower , you can descend extremely quickly.
These rides are in USA. But, we have several ride here in UK at Alton Towers including one ride that has cars carrying riders (not strapped in) that is circular. The wheel rotates and increases speed. At the top of the ride - when it reaches the near vertical position, riders are facing forwards and slightly downwards. It is centripetal force that is holding the rider in. The TV programme likened ride to being in a centrifuge trainer that astronauts and high-g pilots use. In Disney Paris there is the rocket ride up the mountain - forget exact name of this ride off hand. There was another ride in States that is fairly new and is called something like the super dragster ride. It uses compressed air in pistons to 'launch' the ride car along a track at 120 mph then ascends vertically before arcing over for the descent - where electromagnets brake the car. Looks great! Got to run - I think my stomach's just reached my mouth...... :_))
Phill
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FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-26-2004 04:31 PM
The Superman ride at Six Flags here in Southern California is indeed incredible. I took some packets of sugar in my hand, and let them go at the top. For 1-2 seconds they floated weightless in front of me - wonderful!FF |
spaceuk
Member Posts: 2113
From: Staffs, UK
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 01-27-2004 07:27 AM
FFrenchThanks for the update as to where the superman ride is. I came in half way thru program last night and had no paper/pencil etc write down what was being said. Is Six Flags the name of the town or the Theme Park? Sounds great. Just gotta ride it someday :-) |
music_space
Member Posts: 1179
From: Canada
Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 01-27-2004 10:22 AM
"Six Flags" is the name of the theme park, in fact, there's a whole chain of these through North America. Most of them, and many other parks, have "drop tower" rides, where sitting riders are hoisted up a straight tower, and then just dropped. You get close to 3 seconds of 0-g in some of them. While in Denver, I spent a whole morning riding this ride -- 14 times in all. If you close your eyes and mentally make abstraction of the induced wind on your face, you can think of yourself in orbit for a few seconds...There is a drop tower ride in Disneyworld. It is part of a scary ride where the wagon you travel in eventually drops, providing about two seconds of 0-g. The advantage here is that the tower is enclosed, blocking out the elements. |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 01-27-2004 02:42 PM
The one I went to is Six Flags Magic Mountain just north of LA, but the parks are all over the country. Look at www.sixflags.com for details - they may not all have that ride. The specific ride I went on is:
http://www.sixflags.com/parks/magicmountain/rides/superman.asp They claim 6.5 seconds of weightlessness on that site. By the way, I took sugar packets as I figured they were harmless. Obviously, I would not suggest taking anything harder, as it could get dropped, which from that height could be a danger. FF |
spaceuk
Member Posts: 2113
From: Staffs, UK
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 01-28-2004 03:41 PM
That's a fair amount of weightlessness at 6.5 seconds.That could even rival ESA's '0-g' experiments drop tower at a guess.[I'm assuming its in one portion?] Maybe they should take space experiments on the ride :-)I got an even better reason to ride it now after the updates - thanks. Even the tower drops sound fun ! |
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