Disneyland Paris - Space Mountain Information

Space Mountain Information

This is the information that appeared on the Disneyland Paris Official site:

Space Mountain - De la Terre à la Lune (From the Earth to the Moon)

Hang on -- it's quite a ride!

The most sophisticated state-of-the-art adventure of its kind anywhere in the world, Space Mountain - 'From the Earth to the Moon' features five Disney firsts.

Technological enhancements to a computerised ride system result in an experience you've got to fly to believe. Close up, Space Mountain is a breath-taking sight. At night the huge brass dome glows green and gold. As the cannon pounds and recoils, shafts of light spray through the jets of steam. It's pure fantasy in the oldest and greatest Disney tradition (yet built with the latest space-technology specifications). It looks back to a time when extravagant mysteries about space still existed, in an homage to the stories of French visionary Jules Verne. Every 36 seconds the Cannon Columbiad fires, launching a 24 passenger rocket train through its five metre wide barrel. Intrepid space travellers aboard shoot to the top in a heart-stopping 1.8 seconds. At the summit, they experience a moment of zero gravity, before descending into the mountain and the dark, black depths of outer space for a thrilling, high-speed adventure from the earth to the moon.
Space Mountain, the first adventure of the third millennium.
Only at Disneyland Paris.

Five Firsts About Space Mountain….

Space Mountain - de la Terre à la Lune (From the Earth to the Moon): Five Disney Firsts

State-of-the-art jet propulsion mechanics...... Specialised industrial construction techniques...... Custom-designed MIDI audio software...... Only some of the reasons why Tim Delaney and his crack team of Imagineers succeeded in creating a unique high-speed thrill adventure featuring five Disney firsts:

1.First catapult-type blast-off system designed to launch at a 32-degree raised trajectory and as part of a continuous ride circuit.

2.First time that a looping thrill-ride has on-board audio synchronised with the ride experience.

3.First time an enclosed thrill-ride-in-the-dark includes three inversion elements.

4.First original musical score written by movie composer, John Debney.

5." La Voie Stellaire" (The Star Way) - First viewing walkway leading through an entire attraction.

...here is the information about the ride included in André Willey's excellent Disneyland Paris FAQ, available here.

Building statistics:	62 metres Height
	Diameter 43 metres
	Depth 5 metres below ground
General Ride Statistics:	Construction started March 1993 (by Vekoma)
	Ride opened 1st June 1995
Length of track:	1 kilometre
Thrill elements:	360 degree " sidewinder" loop
	Corkscrew loop
	80 degree " tongue" loop
Speed:	Up to 70 kilometres per hour at peak speed, 30% faster than any other Disney thrill ride
Ride controls:	Redundant programmable logic controller based system, employing six main computers and 1,300 impact/output points
Rocket ship vehicles:	Launch system: Electric-motor-propelled catapult (similar to system used for aircraft carrier launches)
	Seating capacity: 24 (6 rocket ships, 4 passengers each)
	Audio: 6 built-in speakers per seat. Digital audio with automatic playback speed adjustment to synchronise the musical score with key elements of the show. Music written by movie composer Steve Bramson
	Columbiad Cannon Acceleration Up to 1.3g during the catapult launch (approx. 1.8 seconds to the top of the mountain)
	Launch capacity One rocket ship every 36 seconds
	Rocket Ship Length 22 metres Inclination 32 degrees Weight 15.5 tons
Width of barrel	5 metres
Special Effects	Steam smoke system, synchronised lighting and audio " boom"
Decorative cladding	24 kt. Gold leaf on the archer, sun-face and moon-face

Report by Jean-Marc Toussaint

Attention FAQ readers, the following section contains SPOILERS for Disneyland Paris's fortieth and newest wonder, Space Mountain.

The ride is located next to the Nautilus lagoon in Discoveryland, and is themed on Jules Verne's book " From the Earth to the Moon" . For those of you who still wanna read more, welcome to the fastest ride ever built at a Disney Park!

Going to the station is a very good teaser, since you have to walk a long and very dark corridor through the entire building, and you may see some portions of the ride and sets through large openings in the walls. There is also a 'chicken' route which allows you to view the pre-show without actually going on the ride.

Once inside the station you board one of the trains (6 cars, 4 seats per car) themed like sci-fi vehicles designed in the 1900s, featuring over-the-shoulders restraints. After a long turnaround inside a tube, you reach a sudden drop that leads you to the bottom of the cannon. A hook attaches itself under the train and you are pulled into the enormous Columbiad Cannon.

A very loud detonation is heard, smoke fills the cannon and the train is catapulted into the circuit. A short drop is followed by a long downward helix in complete darkness. You dodge some little asteroids and then you plunge into the looping. Leaving the first inversion, the train rushes through a huge " space mining" machine and a series of trim-brakes which lead you into the core of a melting asteroid. Then comes another sudden drop into the corkscrew. After a 360 degree inversion, the train " hangs" briefly at a 90 degree angle before a fast section of track to the second lift. The train climbs the hill very quickly - a 'road sign' says " to the Moon: 50,000 km" - and you reach the Moon, which looks like the one in George Melies' 1902 film.

The train drops suddenly as you leave the satellite orbit and rushes through some other meteorites. The train negotiates a " horseshoe" (a flat standing upward turn) and gains speed as it reaches another downward helix with dark light effects simulating re-entry into the atmosphere. The train hits the brakes through a shower of sparks inside the " Electro de Velocitor" machine, and then goes back gently back to the station.

Needless to say, this ride is excellent - the best at the park and the best steel roller coaster in France. Special effects and sets are superb. The soundtrack (a bit John Williams-ish) is magnificent, and the onboard audio system is CD quality.

I've been on the ride dozens of times now (the cast members think I'm a bit deranged, and pretend that I hold the world record!) and it is still pure amazement.

Bienvenue a Paris, space travellers!

Special thanks to: Cast members Aurelie, Jamie, Isabelle, Kirsten and Monte for smooth dispatch, excellent ride operation and long and passionate chats about Disney and roller coasters. All the cast at the Star Traders shop for ultra kindness.

Update notes: On-ride photos are now available. In the queue area there are several monitors (similar to Star Tours) on which a lady informs you about requirements for the ride in English with French subtitles.

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