posted 04-22-2003 04:59 PM               

Mission: Space will allow visitors to board a four-person simulator where they will be flat on their backs for liftoff. Using hydraulic lifts, the ride will create the feeling of intense G-forces as a spacecraft escapes Earth's atmosphere. Disney has a lot riding on the $150-million ride, as it is only one of two new attractions opening this year at the resort.

posted 01-09-2004 06:34 PM               

In the 'Spirit': Walt Disney World Guests Congratulate NASA By Signing Giant Postcard at Mission: SPACE in Epcot

As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit beams back image after astonishing image from Gusev crater this week, earthlings experiencing Mission: SPACE at Walt Disney World Resort are enjoying their own "Mars Madness."

Launched last fall and based on actual NASA astronaut training techniques, Mission: SPACE rockets Epcot guests on an unforgettable journey to Mars, from thunderous liftoff to touchdown on the Red Planet, so prominent in the news this week.

Above: Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., saluted NASA's Mars mission on January 9 as thousands of theme park guests and employees signed a giant, congratulatory postcard to NASA. Here, Epcot guest Sabrina Desmond, age 8, of Tampa, Fla., and her grandmother Stephanie Phillips of Clearwater, Fla., add their signatures to the giant card. (Gene Duncan/Disney)

To celebrate Spirit's success, elated Epcot guests, Disney cast members and Mickey Mouse and Goofy will sign a giant congratulatory postcard on Friday outside the attraction, to be mailed to NASA. The postcard will be available for guest signatures all morning.

Crowds have been eager and nonstop since Mission: SPACE, presented by HP, opened its doors.

"I'm a space nut anyway," said Epcot guest John Duncan, of Foster City, Calif., fresh from his own martian landing on Mission: SPACE Tuesday. "The technology of this attraction gives you a feel for what's really going on."

"The Rover is real and this was fantasy," said a delighted Randy Kemberling, of Denver at the attraction's post-show area brimming with hands- on activities.

Above: Here, Epcot guest Jenna Caceci, 9, vacationing from New Milford, Conn., prepares to add her signature to the card. (Gene Duncan/Disney)

The real Mars expedition is stirring the sense of adventure in some. "Yeah, it made me curious [to try the Mission: SPACE attraction]," said Amy Taylor of Windsor, Ontario.

Andrew Kemberling concurred: "Because of the success this week on Mars, I wanted to experience Mission: SPACE and what they've done with technology," said the Denver resident and brother of Randy Kemberling. "You feel a part of it -- it brings some reality to what's going on in space."

What Epcot guests see through the portholes of their space capsule are computer-generated images from spacecraft that have gone before Spirit -- including Mars Odyssey and Global Surveyor. It brings a space-scape millions of miles away to their fingertips.

For those with boundless curiosity about Mars and the planets, Mission: SPACE becomes the "next best thing to being there" until the time everyday interplanetary travel becomes a reality.

posted 04-06-2004 11:25 PM               

Walt Disney World Resort Salutes Success of Mars Exploration

With the gleaming curves of Mission: SPACE as a backdrop, Walt Disney World President Al Weiss welcomed NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and aspiring astronaut Sofi Collis, 10, to Epcot today for ceremonies honoring the success of the Mars Exploration Rover mission.

Following remarks by Weiss and O'Keefe, Sofi activated a replica of the twin Spirit and Opportunity rovers that rolled slowly across a simulated Martian landscape before revealing a quote from O'Keefe about the first rover's touchdown on Mars, "We're back ... and we're on Mars."

O'Keefe's quote and a cement imprint of the rover's tread will be permanently enshrined outside Mission: SPACE in the attraction's Planetary Plaza as a tribute to the spirit of discovery embodied by NASA and celebrated daily at Epcot.

In a nationwide contest last year to name the two rovers currently exploring Mars, Sofi penned the winning 50-word essay. Her suggestions, "Spirit" and "Opportunity," were selected from some 10,000 entries in a contest sponsored by NASA, The Planetary Society and LEGO.

On hand to represent the staffs of NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., were scientists including Orlando Figueroa, director of the Mars Exploration Program in the Office of Space Science at NASA's Washington, D.C., headquarters; Dave Lavery, who leads the Mars Advanced Technology Program; and Catherine Weitz, program scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover and Mars Express missions.

NASA's twin rovers launched toward Mars in 2003 and touched down on separate sites in January 2004 in search of answers about the history of water on Mars. The rovers have provided scientists with a wealth of new knowledge about the red planet, including confirmation that portions of its rocky surface once were covered in a salty sea.

Mission: SPACE, which opened in 2003 at Epcot, provides Walt Disney World guests with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to feel what it's like to rocket to Mars aboard the X-2 Deep Space Shuttle in the year 2036. Powered by centrifuge technology similar to the training techniques employed by NASA astronauts, the leading-edge attraction provides a thrilling experience unlike anything on Earth — or beyond.

posted 04-09-2004 11:18 AM               

I estimated the G-forces between 2.5 and 3Gs when I rode in October 2003 — and that is exactly what space shuttle astronauts feel (only for longer periods) during launch. I have been on a "real" centrifuge (not that M:S is fake) as well as pulled 2.5 Gs during parabolic flights and M:S felt the same.

posted 04-09-2004 07:05 PM               

Has anyone been on both rides and can compare Space Shot to Mission:SPACE's liftoff? I'm also looking forward to seeing the grounds outside the ride; they look nicely done.

I'll be going on Mission: Space by myself too; my mother will be in the park with me, but not on the ride! She was excited when I told her she could pretend she was a mission controller while I'm on the ride.

posted 04-10-2004 04:41 AM               

As for the launch — it was a massively big thrill! I can't imagine anything more realistic. A Disney spokesman told me that the astronauts who tested the ride all said that it was like the real thing. Perhaps they did have to tone it down a bit.

posted 04-11-2004 07:17 AM               

I do not believe that they have modified the ride at all and we could feel a difference between the completion of launch, coasting in orbit and slingshoting around the Moon. I just did not find the ride discernible from any of the other sim rides (much smoother than some in fact).

posted 04-25-2004 08:08 PM               

I didn't feel sick at all — I thought it felt great, and am looking forward to the challenges of Space Camp even more now! I guess we cS'ers just have the right stuff and need quite a lot to push us to the limit!

Back to Mission:SPACE, I liked the Mission Control part (my team won at 98%), and the kiosk where you could email a little movie of yourself as an astronaut to your friends! My mom's came out real well. She was looking serious during the filming, so I told her to smile, and when they put her image in the spacesuit, she smiled right at the moment where the "thumbs-up" gesture occurs, so it was great! I also went crazy in the gift shop!

posted 06-14-2005 08:20 AM               

Daudi Bamuwamye passed out yesterday afternoon on the attraction, which simulates a rocket launch and trip to Mars. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said his mother carried him off the ride and employees helped her place him on a bench.

Paramedics and a theme park worker tried to revive him, but he died at Celebration Hospital.

The sheriff's office said the boy met the minimum 44-inch height requirement for the ride at the Epcot theme park, which uses centrifugal force to simulate twice the normal force of gravity.

posted 06-14-2005 05:43 PM               

They do provide little airsickness bags within easy reach in your capsule, and employees talk to each group of four individually beforehand to make sure that everyone's quite okay before they take the ride.

posted 06-15-2005 08:00 AM            

Sure enough, as our ship with four officers — each with a couple of buttons to push — "shot off," nausea set in. It settled some as I stared at the screen, at the meteors just missing our ship, at outer space, stars, the distant Earth, spectacular sights. But the pressure pushed my face, making me wonder if my soft contact lens might stick to my eyes. We "landed" mercifully soon.

"I did it, and I'm glad I did, and I don't have to again," I told a cohort, who agreed.

posted 06-15-2005 05:52 PM               

Ronald J. Tusa, a neurologist at Emory University, said the child might have had a seizure while on the ride. The rigidity the mother described seeing in her son is typical of seizures, he noted.

Tusa, who has been on Mission: Space, said the G forces experienced on the ride are too low to cause harm.

posted 06-15-2005 06:27 PM            

The description of the ride with all of the warning signs sounds pretty intense, especially for a 4 year old child.

posted 06-16-2005 12:02 AM               

An autopsy found "no evidence of trauma" Tuesday, says Sheri Blanton of the District Nine Medical Examiner's Office in Orlando. Blanton says the chief medical examiner has leads on "what she thinks may have caused (the death). But until she can confirm what she surmises, she's not saying anything." Further tests could take 12 weeks.

posted 06-16-2005 08:06 AM               

A three-story, rocket-and-gantry-themed play area is ideal for younger cadets who aren't ready to be blasted into orbit. Junior astronauts can climb the gantry, crawl thru a rocket, check out a lookout tower, and enjoy other mini challenges. The kid-friendly launch station features Mission Control audio messages, a "bouncy" floor sprinkled with colorful space dust, zany mirrors and fun-filled outer space backdrops.

posted 06-16-2005 12:06 PM               

In the suit, filed in federal court in June 2003, Entertainment Technology claims Disney breached its contract by not paying the amount agreed on and by reducing the company's scope of work under the contract.

The company claims it should have done safety testing for the ride, but was barred by Disney, which also refused to provide the company information that would ensure that the ride was safe.

posted 06-16-2005 09:32 PM               

My 8 year old rode the simulator at the Hall of Fame twice, but wisely hit the emergency stop button when he started getting sick (nauseated). This outcome was not unexpected, as the radius of the spin is much smaller on this ride.

posted 07-19-2005 01:04 PM               

We did the 4-G ride at the Hall first. My 12 and 16-year-old daughters rode it first which gave me the time to chat with the ride operator. He told me that he had never seen anyone get sick on the 4-G ride but he had heard that many people got sick on Mission:SPACE. My 12 year old came through the 4-G ride just fine but my older girl felt dizzy and had an upset stomach. Then it was my turn.

The ride is a simulated flight in an Air Force fighter. The radius of the spin is small and even through I could not see outside any window I still had the feeling that I was spinning. The G forces felt did not seem to match what was being shown on the screen that closely. The video was not that great. The "flight" went fine until the fighter that I was flying was hit and it put the fighter into a spin. The screen started to spin. I did not close my eyes and I watched the screen the whole time.

Right as the ride was ending or slowing down I really got the feeling that I was spinning. The door for the ride opened but I still felt that the ride was going and I was spinning. It was a strange feeling because I could not understand how the operator opened the door with the ride still spinning so fast but in reality the ride had stopped.

I looked up at the operator and told him I needed a minute. Within a minute I could stand up and walk out of the room. I went over and sat on a bench near the wall and I did not feel very good at all. My head hurt and my stomach was upset and I was light headed. Two couples came over and asked me how I felt and how the ride was. I told them and they decided not to ride it.

My 12 year old wanted to ride it again but my 16 year old did not and neither did I. We rode the other flight simulator that featured a ride on Mars. I was still upset from the 4-G ride and I did not enjoy this second ride either.

A few days later we went to Disney.

The whole family rode Mission:SPACE. During liftoff I had to close my eyes for a few seconds but after that I was able to take the whole "flight" without any trouble. The family got off the ride and my 12 year old said, "Let's do it again." My wife and 16 year old said no way. They did not get sick but they felt queasy and they said they did not like the spinning.

My daughter and I went back and rode it again. I kept my eyes open the whole time and it did not bother me too much. My 12 year old wanted to ride it again but I just did not feel I had a third ride in me at the time. Later that same afternoon we rode it twice and again it was back to back. My 12 year old wanted to ride a third time but again I did not feel that I could.

Later in the week we went back and my 12 year old and I rode it three times back to back to back. Then we went and had lunch and we went right back to Mission:SPACE and rode it three more times back to back to back.

So we rode it 10 times in two days. My wife and older daughter never got back on it. We never saw anyone get sick on the ride but one time I went to the bathroom between rides and someone was in there and they were sick. We did see people setting in the gift shop of Mission:SPACE and some of them looked bad or tired but I can't say it was from the ride.

Some people were worried about it and once they realized we had rode it before they had some questions but no one left the ride after talking with me. I did see one young boy that was probably about 7 or 8 break away from his parents and run out of the ride just after entering the building. His father talked to him and got him back inside only to have him run away again. We moved up in line so I don't know if he rode it or not.

One time we rode with two later-middle-aged Asian women. I was kind of worried about them but they were laughing most of the way through the ride, they really enjoyed it.

posted 04-13-2006 09:16 AM               

The 49-year-old woman became ill after riding "Mission: Space" on Tuesday. She was taken to a hospital, and died a day later, park spokeswoman Kim Prunty said in a statement.

No more information on the woman was available Wednesday, Prunty said. Nor was the cause of death immediately known.

posted 04-13-2006 12:51 PM               

Considering the law of large numbers it would not be uncommon for a rider to (quite naturally) die the following day. In fact, it would be expected.