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Space Mountain is a popular Enclosed Roller Coaster ride at five Disney theme parks. The enclosed design allows controlled lighting to selectively hide portions of the track. This greatly increases the element of surprise experienced by riders, which can compensate for the absence of some of the track elements typically required to make outdoor coasters exciting. At the time it opened, it was the most expensive roller coaster ever created. Even after inflation adjustment, the attraction surpasses the original Disneyland attractions. Space Mountain premiered at Magic Kingdom in 1975 , Disneyland in 1977 , Tokyo Disneyland in 1983 , Disneyland Paris in 1995 , and Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005 . When the Paris installation opened, it became the first completely enclosed, themed roller coaster with a synchronized sound track. The Disneyland installation was upgraded in 1996 , making it the first completely enclosed, themed roller coaster with a synchronized sound track in America. The layouts and soundtracks vary from installation to installation. For example, the Magic Kingdom version has two intertwined tracks. The Paris version features a launch and three Inversions . SPACE MOUNTAIN AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM Walt Disney World's Space Mountain was the first Space Mountain built at any of the Disney parks. It was the world's first rollercoaster ride that was completely controlled and operated by a computer system. It was originally conceived to be partially outdoors, but it was changed after research proved that the Florida weather would not work well with the coaster. The attraction is different than the later version built at Disneyland, in that there are actually two separate tracks (not unlike Disneyland 's Matterhorn Bobsleds ) instead of just the one, although both tracks are almost identical. In fact, the overall track design and original rockets that were used up until the early 1980's were very similar to the new bobsleds that were added to the Matterhorn in 1978 at Disneyland . Also, the rockets used are single-file instead of Disneyland 's side-by-side seating. The queue area inside the '''Magic Kingdom''''s mountain is also much larger and more open than the Disneyland version. The loading area is actually located directly below the actual ride itself, where as at Disneyland the loading area is in a separate area from the rest of the ride. The special effects in the Florida version are also much different, including the lift hills, the main ride itself and the exit tunnels. The original rockets also had seat belt restraints, but by 1980 they were replaced by newer rockets with upgraded lap bars restraints. The rockets' safety restraints were again upgraded sometime in 1998 to a more improved T-bar design. Also, since the attraction was designed before Disneyland's, it is slightly slower, not nearly as dark and is also not quite as smooth. These differences are even more apparent after Disneyland upgraded their Space Mountain in mid-2005. In the post-ride area, riders will hear clips from two Esquivel songs: "Music Makers" and "Sentimental Journey". For many years, the ride featured extensive theming to highlight sponsors, which included at one time, RCA and later for a time, Federal Express . During the RCA years, the exit showcased the Home of Future Living featuring video baby monitors, large screen projection televisions, video disc players, and other comtemporary electronics that RCA was selling at the time. Later when FedEx was the sponsor, the ride featured two astronauts with a package floating in space, a robot figure and robot dog with a package, "SMTV" queue video with comedy bits and futuristic FedEx ads. As Of 2004 , this theming had been removed, leaving some conspicuous gaps. Magic Kingdom attraction facts ]]
SPACE MOUNTAIN AT DISNEYLAND After the success of Walt Disney World 's Magic Kingdom 's Space Mountain, The Disney Imagineers made plans to build Space Mountain on the west coast. Walt's original "Space Port" plan finally opened more than ten years after the original plans and his death. The ride was different from its Florida counterpart as it features only one track, side by side seating in the rockets, and onboard audio. The onboard audio was added in 1996 after the success of the system at Disneyland Paris , however it caused track fatigue from the heavier weight and was one of the reasons of the two-year refurbishment. Space Mountain was closed suddenly at Disneyland on April 9 , 2003 , as the roller coaster inside the mountain was being replaced with a completely new coaster, similar to the original. It was built by Vekoma . The official reopening was scheduled for July 15 , 2005 - two days before the park's fiftieth birthday, although as of July 1 , 2005 the ride has been open to the general public (this is known as a soft opening). Space Mountain in 1996 After being seated in the car, riders are first brought to a control tower where they see one or two Disneyland cast members and they listen to a small-recorded warning spiel. The car then turns sharply to the right and climbs a long tunnel filled with flickering lights and lasers. At the top, there's a slight calm before the drop as an unearthly Theremin hums out the haunting, enigmatic melody to "Aquarium" from The Carnival Of The Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns . Suddenly, the car dives and the music changes to a hard-rocking Dick Dale Surf Guitar rendition of "Aquarium". Riders are thrown about in almost complete darkness, faint lighting hinting at the dense metal scaffolding that seems to fly within feet over the heads of the riders. The music builds as the car appears to be gaining speed around a large glowing orange satellite known as FX-1 (FX stood for FedEx, the attraction's sponsor), building up to a dramatic climax. The ride ends as the car takes a sudden right turn, and a less foreboding variation of the original theme is heard (Disney's form of a musical happy ending) as you pass through doors leading back into the loading dock. Space Mountain in 2005 On July 15, 2005, only two days before Disneyland's official 50th Anniversary , Space Mountain reopened from a major refurbishment that started in April, 2003. The new Space Mountain features new rockets, a new queue, new special effects and a storyline, but the completely rebuilt track is the same layout as originally designed by Imagineer Bill Watkins in 1976. The original track was removed and the foundation was laid 30 feet deeper, making the ride safer than ever. The attraction begins in Space Station 77, a reference to the year Space Mountain opened, where riders board their "rocket" and are sent into a series of tunnels. The first of which is lit with red and orange lighting, and Electrical sound and light effects presumably getting the next launch tunnel ready. The next tunnel is a series of blue lights flashing around the riders, and is definitely a reference to the Magic Kingdom 's Space Mountain launch tunnel. The rockets then take riders into a tunnel with video screens all around, and on the screens, red bars extend over the stars, and stretch by the riders and begin to spin, making it seem as if the rocket is rotating as it takes off. We see a Spiral Galaxy directly ahead, (some argue it is actually a Black Hole or Worm Hole ) and when the rocket enters the mountain, the galaxy swirls up and disappears. The rockets ascend up one final lift hill, and then descends into two minutes of sharp turns and dips. The re-entry tunnel was formerly just orange lights spiraling around you, and now features the rocket appear to zoom by stars, but the effect's highlight is when the stars suddenly start zooming forward, implying that the rocket has stopped and the stars are traveling in their normal fashion. At this point, the souvenier picture is taken, with the bright flash causing momentary blindness. Moments later, you return safely to Space Station 77. On July 1 , 2005 Disneyland surprised its guests by announcing the early reopening of Space Mountain to the general public. While the complete storyline was not introduced, the ride ran much smoother and faster. "Rock It Mountain" Also part of this major "new" Space Mountain is a nighttime transformation of the attraction to ''Rock It Mountain'', in which the calmer soundtrack of the attraction in daytime hours will be replaced at night by a driving rock soundtrack featuring Van Halen , and different special effects. It will premiere on GradNite 2006 . It will be advertised in the summer alongside Disney's California Adventure 's Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror randomized drop sequence, as part of the second half of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration. Rock It Mountain will not use the Dick Dale soundtrack that many Disney fans enjoyed, but the Dick Dale Space Mountain theme makes one final appearance on Disneyland's 50th Anniversary 6-CD box set. During the FedEx years, the Space Mountain queue entertained guests with the futuristic but funny "SMTV" with its space news program, Crazy Larry 's used spacecraft dealership ads and the Dick Dale ''Ghost Riders in the Sky'' music video, but SMTV left Space Mountain after FedEx ceased sponsorship of the American Space Mountains in 2003, shortly after the closure for refurbishment of Disneyland's version. Disneyland attraction facts
SPACE MOUNTAIN AT TOKYO DISNEYLAND Tokyo Disneyland's Space Mountain is a clone of Disneyland's Space Mountain as it was in the early 1980s . Its track layout is exactly the same, but does not have any of the new elements of Disneyland's new Space Mountain, which is similar to Hong Kong Disneyland 's. Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland opened with the park on April 15 , 1983 . Tokyo Disneyland attraction facts
SPACE MOUNTAIN AT DISNEYLAND PARK, PARIS Opened on . It fits the Discoveryland theme perfectly with the storyline being a look at space travel from a Jules Verne -era perspective. In original plans, it was to be known as ''Discovery Mountain'' and would have featured more than one ride, all based on different books written by Jules Verne, including Journey to the Center of the Earth and From the Earth to the Moon. The giant dome would have also featured restaurants and shops. The plan was scrapped after Disneyland Paris ran into financial difficulties and Space Mountain was built in its place. It is repeatedly featured as the favorite Space Mountain version for many Disney fans, and is the most outlandish of them all, featuring three inversions (sidewinder, corkscrew, tongue). It was the first Space Mountain with onboard music, with the first soundtrack written and composed by Steve Bramson , and the new soundtrack was written by Michael Giacchino , along with a new soundtrack for the Hong Kong and Anaheim Space Mountains. Space Mountain was the basis for the 1995 BBC2 documentary, "Shoot for the Moon", which looked at the creative process and the history of Imagineers, technicians, and musicians of The Walt Disney Company , featuring project manager Tim Delaney and Disney Legend Ward Kimball . Disneyland Park, Paris attraction facts
SPACE MOUNTAIN AT HONG KONG DISNEYLAND The newest Space Mountain (not counting the two recent refurbishments of the Disneyland and Disneyland Paris Mountains) is based on the refurbished Space Mountain at Disneyland, with the same soundtrack and coaster. It will not feature the Rock It Mountain configuration that is featured in Disneyland's Space Mountain. Hong Kong Disneyland attraction facts
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