Spaceship Earth (Disney)

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For the phrase, see Spaceship Earth.

Spaceship Earth

Park	Epcot
Opened	October 1, 1982
Ride duration	18 minutes
Sponsor(s)
1982-1984 1984-2003 2003-2005 2005-	Bell System AT&T none Siemens AG

Spaceship Earth is an attraction at Walt Disney World's Epcot. One of the most recognizable structures at the Walt Disney World Resort, it is the centerpiece of the the themepark. The 18-story geodesic dome houses a 13-minute dark ride using the Omnimover system that explores the progression of human communications from cavemen to the dawn of the internet (see ride scenes below).

Contents 1 Attraction History 1.1 Background 1.2 The Building 1.3 Construction 1.4 Opening Day 1.5 The Early Years 1.6 Recent Changes 2 Attraction facts and figures 3 Ride scenes 3.1 Show Scenes: 4 Attraction Timeline 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

[edit] Attraction History

Since opening in 1982 the ride has been partially remodeled and updated twice.

[edit] Background

The building was designed with the help of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who also wrote the original story treatment for the ride ^{[1] [2] [3]}. The sphere itself and the attraction's name was inspired by the work of Buckminster Fuller, but he was not given credit.

[edit] The Building

Geometrically, Spaceship Earth is a pentakis dodecahedron, with each of the 60 equilateral triangle faces divided into 16 smaller equilateral triangles (with a bit of fudging to make it rounder). Each of those 960 flat panels is sub-divided into four triangles, each of which is divided into three isosceles triangles to form each point. In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 of them, with 954 partial or full flat panels.

The cladding was designed so that when it rains, no water pours off the sides onto the ground. (All water is "absorbed" through one inch gaps in the facets and is collected in a gutter system - and finally channeled into World Showcase Lagoon.)

[edit] Construction

Construction took 26 months and 40,800 labor hours to build. The interior steel structure consists of a massive "table" formed by deep trusses and 6 legs, none of which are directly under the sphere. This was done to give the illusion of the ball floating in air. Extending upwards from the table are "quadropod" structures which support the smaller beams which form the actual shell of the steel skeleton. Pipes stand the aluminum skin panels away from the skeleton and provide space for utilities. A small service car is parked at the top of the steel structure and can carry a prone technician down the sides to access repair locations. The sphere is wider at the bottom than at the top. The shop fabrication of the steel (done in nearby Tampa, Florida) was an early instance of computer aided drafting and materials processing.

[edit] Opening Day

[edit] The Early Years

Originally, the attraction featured actor Vic Perrin as the narrator and a very simple and quiet orchestral ending. In May of 1986 it was remodeled and famous news journalist Walter Cronkite now provided the detailed narration audio of the ride and a new ending featuring the song, Tomorrow's Child was added. Finally, in August 1994 it was again revamped with actor Jeremy Irons narrating and again, the ending was redone to provide a more modernized look at today's technology. During the 1994 remodeling, a few scenes were changed drastically and the theme song Tomorrow's Child was removed from the ending of the ride. The ride re-opened on November 23, 1994.

[edit] Recent Changes

In celebration of the Millennium Celebration a large 25-story "magic wand" held by a representation of Mickey Mouse's hand was built next to the dome. Inspiration for it came from the Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence of Fantasia. At the top of the structure was a large cut out of the number "2000". The structure was to have only lasted one year, but still remains. After the Millennium Celebration ended the number "2000" was replaced with the word "Epcot", in a different font from what is used for the parks logo.

[edit] Attraction facts and figures

• Grand opening: October 1, 1982 (Opened with EPCOT Center)
• Designer: WED Enterprises
• Show time: 13:26
• Narrator: Jeremy Irons
• Height: 180 ft (55 m), 240 feet (73 m) with Epcot marquee
  • The dome is raised 18 ft (5 m) off the ground by pylons sunk more than 120 ft (37 m) into the ground
• Diameter: 165 ft (50 m)
• Circumference: 518.1 ft (158 m)
• Volume: 2,200,000 ft³ (62,000 m³)
• Weight:15,520,000 lb (7,040,000 kg)
• Triangle tiles:11,324
• Area: 109,375 ft² (10,161 m²)
• Highest point in attraction: 163 ft (50 m)
• Average angle of descent: 20 degrees
• Steepest angle of descent: 39 degrees

VIP Room

• A VIP room exists in the back of the building that is attached to the geosphere. The room is made available for employees of the sponsoring company to relax away from crowds in an air conditioned space. When Spaceship Earth was without sponsorship, the room was also utilized for private events such as weddings and conventions. The layout is small and curved in shape, with one wall consisting of large windows where visitors can look out onto the park below.

[edit] Ride scenes

The ride starts with cavemen, who developed the first spoken languages. Then viewers see the Egyptians, who invented a system of hieroglyphs and made papyrus on which to record them; Phoenician merchants, who developed a written alphabet (the Phoenician alphabet); Ancient Greece, where the theater was a popular form of entertainment; and Ancient Rome, whose leaders built a vast system of roads all over Europe.

After the sacking of Rome by invaders, viewers see scenes of the Middle Ages, when Jewish and Islamic scholars (Jewish scholars added during the November 23, 1994 update) continued to progress in science, and when monks copied Bibles by hand. The ride then moves on to the European Renaissance, the development of the movable-type printing press, and the 20th century communications revolution—newspapers, telegraphs, radio, telephones, movies, television, and videoconferencing.

This is the end of the historical segment of the ride; the remainder is split between abstract depictions of Earth and the communications that take place upon it, and the possible communications technologies that will be developed in the future.

[edit] Show Scenes:

• Cave Interior
  • Cro-Magnon Man
  • Shaman (Medicine Man)
• Egyptian Temple (1567-1085 B.C.)
  • Hieroglyphs (first used in 3000 B.C.)
  • Hieratic Writing (cursive form)
  • Papyrus
  • Scribe (10-12 years formal education required)
• Phoenician Scene (9th-century B.C.)
  • Phoenicians
  • Alphabet (22 letters)
• Greek Theater
  • “Oedipus Rex” (written by Sophocles, circa 428 B.C.)
• The Roman Road Network
• Islamic Empire
• Cathedral Abbey (11th- and 12th-century Benedictine Monks)
• Gutenberg Press (Johann Gutenberg, 42-line Bible, 1456)
• Renaissance Italy (1500s)
• The Age of Invention (19th and 20th centuries)
  • Steam-powered press (William Bullock, 1863)
  • Telegraph
  • Telephone
  • Radio
  • Motion Pictures:
    • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
    • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954 film)
    • Girl Shy - Harold Lloyd
  • Television:
    • Walt Disney introducing Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
    • Ozzie and Harriet
    • 1964 NFL Championship Game, Colts vs. Browns
• Connections
• Global Network
• Network Tunnel
• Spaceship Earth Planetarium
• Current Events
• Virtual Classroom
• Infinite Gas Clouds
• Neighborhood Vignettes
• Global Neighborhood
• Communications Net
• Finale Corridor

[edit] Attraction Timeline

October 1, 1982

• Spaceship Earth opens with the opening of EPCOT Center.
• Sponsored by Bell System ^{[4] [5] [6]}.
• The narrator is uncredited but is thought to be Vic Perrin.

May 26, 1986

• AT&T is now the sponsor.
• Narrator changes to Walter Cronkite.
• Finale music changed to Tomorrow's Child.

August 15, 1994

• Closes for renovation.
• "Home computer", "Phone network" & "Space station" scenes removed.
• Added final scenes.
• Closed Earth Station.

November 23, 1994

• Reopens.
• New ride narration by Jeremy Irons.
• New ride score by Edo Guidotti ^[7].
• Global Neighborhood replaces Earth Station.

November 24, 1999

• Global Neighborhood is replaced with New Global Neighborhood, a post-show hands-on playground at the exit of the Spaceship Earth ride.

September 29, 1999

• The Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is dedicated with "2000" over Spaceship Earth.

May 2001

• The Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand is changed to say "Epcot" over Spaceship Earth.

January 1, 2003

• AT&T sponsorship ends.

April 2004

• The New Global Neighborhood is removed.

November 2005

• It is officially announced that Siemens AG ^{[8] [9]} will sponsor Spaceship Earth for twelve years.

April 2007

• Estimated to begin in April 2007 and take approximately 16 months, Seimens will close Spaceship Earth for refurbisment. This will have a huge impact upon park visitors, as Spaceship Earth runs neck and neck with Soarin' as the most visited ride in the park.

Icons of the Disney Parks and Resorts
Disneyland Resort:	Sleeping Beauty Castle | Grizzly Peak
Walt Disney World Resort:	Cinderella Castle | Spaceship Earth | The Sorcerer's Hat The Tree of Life
Disneyland Resort Paris:	Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant | Earful Tower
Tokyo Disney Resort:	Cinderella Castle | Mount Prometheus
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort:	Sleeping Beauty Castle

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of current Epcot attractions

[edit] External links

• Spaceship Earth Trivia
• Walt Disney World Resort - Spaceship Earth
• Intercot's Spaceship Earth page