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Spaceship Earth

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Spaceship Earth is a pavilion and an attraction located in [[Epcot]].
 
{{Template:Infobox Disney ride |
| image= Spaceshipearth.jpg
| theme=Communication
| type= Dark Ride
| sponsor= Bell System (1982-1984)<br/> AT&T (1984-2004)<br/> Siemens (2005-Present2017)| land=Future WorldCelebration
| Vehicle= Time machine
|host=Vic Perrin or Larry Dobkins(1982-1986)<br/>Walter Cronkite (1986-1994)<br/>Jeremy Irons (1994-2007)<br/>Judi Dench (2008–present2007–present)
| audio-animatronics=57
| opened=October 1, 1982
|custom_label_2= FastPass Disney Genie +|custom_value_2= Yes (Group B)
}}
Spaceship Earth is a pavilion and an attraction located in World Celebration within [[Epcot]].==Conception and Pavilion History==Spaceship Earth was always envisioned as a part of Disney’s plans for EPCOT Centersince the theme park's introductory pavilioninception. The Unlike other pavilions which went through a series of redesigns and changes, Spaceship Earth remained essentially the same throughout its development. One of the few changes that did occur between the time that the pavilion was conceived and constructed involved the shape that Spaceship Earth would take. As seen in the 1978 EPCOT Center model, originally designed to be , Imagineers had planned on Spaceship Earth being a dome, with the attraction's show building located to its south. According to the 1980 booklet "Walt Disney World EPCOT Center", the attraction housed within Spaceship Earth would allow guests to "board 'time machine' vehicles and journey into the past to trace the evolution of human communicationthe pavilion. <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/2011/06/19/epcot-origins-a-model-future-1978/ </ref>."
While Due to the basic premise of the attraction remained essentially the same through its development, the original fact that plans for the Spaceship Earth attraction called for a finale which that simulated a trip to through space. Due to the nature of the attraction, Disney decided Imagineers felt that they would need to be able to move guests “up” within "up" in the pavilion. To do thisFurthermore, it was Disney decided that simply entering the buildings structure needed to changedomed pavilion and boarding the ride was not dramatic enough <ref name= "Jack"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/01/spaceship_earth_epcots_icon_pa_2. Eventuallyhtml </ref>. In order to solve these issues, Disney (with input from science fiction writer Ray Bradbury) settled upon Imagineers eventually decided that instead of taking the idea shape of a geodesic dome, which had never been constructed before. Although the pavilion was designed to look like a seamless sphere, Spaceship Earth was actually would be constructed in two parts. The top half of the dome sits on as a steel square ringgeodesic sphere, which sits atop the pavilion's something never done before <ref name= "legs”. The bottom half of the dome was then attached to the bottom of the ring, giving the illusion that Spaceship earth is a monolithic structureJack"/>.
Although the pavilion was designed to look like a seamless sphere, Spaceship Earth was actually constructed in two parts<ref name= "Jack"/>. The top half of the dome sits on a steel square ring, which itself is set atop the pavilion's "legs". The bottom half of the dome was then attached to the bottom of the ring, giving the illusion that Spaceship earth is a monolithic structure<ref name= "Jack"/>. [[Image:SpaceshipConcept.jpg|thumb|400px|Early Spaceship Earth concept art]]Besides being constructed out of two separate halves, Spaceship Earth was also made of two separate spherical layers. The inside sphere of the pavilion was made of steel pyramid-shaped pipes<ref name= "Jack"/>. This sphere was then covered by an outside sphere that was made of Alucobond pyramids (a polyester plastic) which was then covered in two sheets of aluminum<ref name= "Jack"/>. This design was chosen so that the inner sphere (which houses the attraction) would be protected from the elements<ref name= "Jack"/>. The final issue that Furthermore, this design solved was the issue of runoff water. As Disney did not want water pouring off the sides of the 18 story pavilion, gaps were left in-between the Alucobond pyramids , so that the water could run through them, and into a gutter system (which would eventually deposit the water into the World Showcase Lagoon). It took construction workers 26 months and almost 40,800 labor hours to build Spaceship Earth. When it was completed, Spaceship Earth Disney not only an icon for EPCOT Center, but also the world’s first geodesic dome. Both the pavilion and the attraction housed within were ready for EPCOT Center's opening day on October 1, 1982<ref name= "Jack"/>.
The structure of the pavilion itself remained unchanged until 1999It took construction workers 26 months and almost 40, when a large Mickey hand holding a wand was added 800 labor hours to the top of build Spaceship Earth<ref name= "Jack"/>. The wand When it was dedicated "2000" completed, in celebration of the new millenniumSpaceship Earth Disney not only an icon for EPCOT Center, before but also the dedication was changed to "Epcot" in 2001world’s first geodesic dome. The Mickey hand Both the pavilion and wand remained atop Spaceship Earth until it was removed in 2007the attraction housed within, just in time were ready for EpcotEPCOT Center's 25th anniversaryopening day- October 1, 1982 <ref> http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/epcotgrandopening.html </ref>.
The structure of the pavilion itself remained unchanged until 1999, when a large Mickey hand holding a wand was added to the top of Spaceship Earth <ref name="lost2"> http://www.lostepcot.com/spaceshipearth.html </ref>. The wand was dedicated "2000" in celebration of the new millennium, before the dedication was changed to "Epcot" in 2001 <ref name=Changes Since Opening"lost2"/>. The Mickey hand and wand remained atop Spaceship Earth until it was removed in 2007, just in time for Epcot's 25th anniversary<ref name= "lost2"/>. On October 1, 2021, Disney unveiled Spaceship Earth's new "Points of Light" lighting package <ref> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/spaceship-earth/news/30sep2021-a-look-at-spaceship-earths-new-points-of-light.htm </ref>. As a part of these changes, nearly 2000 LED lights were added to the pavilion's exterior, allowing Spaceship Earth's reflective panels to illuminate with light. Throughout the night, a special Beacon of Magic sequence is also performed on Spaceship Earth, featuring a unique narration and different light displays. ==Attraction History==Spaceship Earth’s storyline and original script were written by author Ray Bradbury <ref> https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/06/honoring-ray-bradburys-contribution-to-epcot/ </ref>, who came up with an elaborate version of “Man and his Spaceship Earth” (as the attraction was then called) in 1977 <ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2005/03/07/553.aspx </ref> <ref>http://epcotexplorer.tumblr.com/post/99489612171/introspection-and-symbolism-an-appreciation-of </ref>. Other consultants and advisers included academics from: the Los Angeles' Huntington Library, University of Southern California, University of Chicago, and the Smithsonian Institute <ref> http://www.intercot.com/edc/SpaceshipEarth/index.html </ref> also contributed to the creation of Spaceship Earth.  Much like the pavilion, the storyline for the Spaceship Earth attraction remained fairly consistent throughout its development. In the 1980 booklet titled ''Walt Disney World EPCOT Center'', Spaceship Earth is described: {{Quotation| "Spaceship Earth," planned for presentation by AT&T, will be Future World's introductory theme show. Here guests will board "time machine" vehicles and journey into the past to trace the evolution of human communication. <br>Visitors will travel into dimensional scenes depicting milestones in communication, "brought to life" through the Audio-Animatronics process and Disney special effects. <ref name= "lostepcot"> http://www.intercot.com/edc/SpaceshipEarth/spconcepts.html </ref>}} The above description correlates very closely to the attraction that would eventually open to guests. In fact, the 1982 book also titled ''Walt Disney World EPCOT Center'' describes basically the same attraction, albeit now inside the geodesic sphere: {{Quotation| The architecturally unique Spaceship Earth globe forms a breathtaking entrance to Epcot Center. Entering Future World, visitors pass directly beneath this glistening geosphere which reaches a height surpassing that of the Walt Disney World Contemporary Resort Hotel. Within this theme structure, a swirling time journey retraces the increasingly important role of communications in mankind's survival<ref name= "lostepcot"/>.}}  One change that did occur to the storyline of Spaceship Earth, involved the attraction's finale. The original plans for the finale called for guests to visit a moon base, where they would visit a futuristic space station under construction <ref> http://epcotexplorer.tumblr.com/post/22592963788/spaceship-in-spaceship-earth-original-plans-for. AUTHORS NOTE: This intended finale can be seen in concept art and the attraction's mural </ref>. Although unconfirmed, it has been speculated that issues with the forced perspective caused the planned finale to be scrapped. Despite the fact that the scene was never installed, lunar rock cutouts created for the scene were left behind <ref> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWPZhjyd4QM&t=6s></ref>.  [[Image:SpaceshipEarthMural.jpg|thumb|400px|The mural at the entrance to Spaceship Earth depicts the evolution of communication. Photo by Sam Howitz]]Throughout its history, Spaceship Earth has served as always featured a dark ride tour of attraction that takes guests through the history of communication. The pavilion was first refurbished in 1986, with subsequent refurbishments taking place in 1994 and 2007. Following each refurbishment, the attraction has been given a new script, a new narrator, and a new finale.  When Spaceship Earth opened in 1982, it was sponsored by Bell Systems. By 1984 however, before the company was broken up, and AT&T (Bell's parent company) assumed sponsorship of the pavilion. AT&T continued to sponsor the pavilion until 2004, which paved when the way for Siemens company decided not to assume sponsorship renew their contract. Subsequently, in 2005, Siemens assumed sponsorship of the pavilion. The company's sponsorship of the attraction ended in October of 2017 <ref> http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-bz-disney-epcot-siemens-20170703-story.html </ref>.  Listed below is a more detailed description of the differences between the four versions of Spaceship Earth.
===Original Incarnation: Vic Perrin or Larry Dobkins (1982-1986)===
*NOTE: In 2008 Imagineer Mary Sklar disagreed with the long held notion that Vic Perrin was the narrator of the 1982 version of Spaceship Earth. Marty instead claims claimed that Larry Dobkins was the narrator. With no official credit given, it is currently impossible to know for sure who narrated the attraction.
The queue for the original Spaceship Earth attraction began with guests entering the pavilion, and walking up a short ramp. On the walls on either side of guestsaround them, two large two posters showed Spaceship Earth at night and read "Ride the Time Machine from the Dawn of Civilization to the Beginning of Our Tomorrow. SPACESHIP EARTH.". Nearby, a large mural showed astronauts working on a satellite, with Earth in the background. The mural was framed with small pictures depicting cavemen, Romans, Egyptians, the printing press , and finally modern humans. After passing through the queue , guests would board small blue ride vehicles, beginning the attraction itself.
After guests boarded, the vehicles guests entered a dark tunnel. Inside, the vehicles would begin and began to ascend. Here, allowing all guests to could see was a purple cloud with stars all around it. A flash of lightning would periodically strike from the cloud, and the narrator would begin:
{{Quotation| Where have we come from, where are we going? In the dust from which we were formed, answers recorded on the walls of time. So let us journey into that past, to seek those walls, to know ourselves and to probe the destiny of our Spaceship Earth.}}
When the vehicles reached the top of the tunnel, guests could see images of cavemen fighting Woolly Mammoths. The narrator informed guests that they were entering the ancient caves, where humans first interacted. A scene showing an ancient medicine man talking to other humans cavemen could be seen here, with cave paintings showing the first humans “writing” their thoughts down.The narrator then acknowledged the Woolly Mammoth scene, informing guests that humans used communication in order to survive. The narration in this scene saidstated:[[Image:SpaceshipEgyptians.jpg|thumb|400px|The Egyptian pharaoh dictating his decree]]
{{Quotation| Where are we now? It is the waiting dawn, where vast things stir and breathe. And with our first words and first steps, we draw together to conquer the mammoth beast. It is the dawn of a new beginning, the dawn of recorded time<p>
{{Quotation| Ages pass and more walls rise in the valley of the Nile. Man-made walls of hieroglyphics. Then with new symbols, we unlock our thoughts from chiseled walls and send them forth on papyrus scrolls}}
At this point, the scene then shifted to a seaport in the ninth century B.C.. Here, two Phoenician sailors could be seen trading goods, with and information from their two connected boats behind them. On the right, guests could see the ocean with stars shining on the horizon. The narrator then told guests:
{{Quotation|On fine Phoenician ships, we take our scrolls to sea. Real scrolls simplified by an alphabet, eagerly shared at distant ports of call.}}
The ride vehicles then moved forward in time, to Greece in 428 B.C. A . Here, a scene depicting a Greek theater could be seen, with two men acting out OedipusRex. The narrator then spoke once again:
{{Quotation| Deep in the shadows of Mount Olympus, our alphabet takes route ... flowering with new expression. Hail the proud Greeks: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides. The theater is born.}}
As guests continued their journey through time, they came upon a Roman solider riding in a chariot. The man He was exchanging information with another man (who was wearing a toga). In the background, a painted wall depicted Rome, as another chariot passed by. The narrator then said:
{{Quotation| North, South, East, and West, all roads lead from Rome, a mighty network reaching across the land, welding far-flung garrisons into a growing empire.}}
[[Image:SpaceshipSistine.jpg|thumb|400px|Michelangelo painting the roof of the Sistine Chapel]]
As the ride vehicles carried on, guests could see ruins of a smoldering building. The narrator informed guests that the excess of Rome had led to its destruction. A scene showing the Islamic wise men sitting in a circle discussing books was then shown. To their left, was a library with unfilled shelves, inside of which two men could be seen reading. Here the narrator informed guests:
Far from the dying embers, Islamic wise men preserve ancient wisdom and weave a rich network of new knowledge linking east and west.</p>}}
Continuing forwardinto the Dark Ages, on guest’s guest's right , an astronomer could be seen standing on a balcony and , investigating the stars. Further down the path, two Benedictine Monks were shown copying text by hand, with the monk on the right having fallen asleep on the job. The narrator once again spoke, saying:
{{Quotation|In Western abbeys, Monks toil endlessly transcribing ancient wisdom into hand-penned books of revelation. <p>
At last! A new dawn emerges. The dawn of the Renaissance. And a wondrous machine performs as a thousand scribes. Now for all: the printed word. </p>}}
As guests entered the Renaissance scene, Johann Gutenberg and his associate could be seen working on the printing press. Guests then moved forward to Italy in the 16th century. To the right, a man was shown reading a book to two others, while just beyond them, two musicians played music in front of a small Italian town. On guests’ guest's left various artists were work. One was mixing paint, one painting fruit, and one sculpting. Further ahead on the left, guests could see Michelangelo lying on scaffolding, painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. A conveyance system brought buckets of paint up to the artist as he painted. The narration for the Renaissance continued:
{{Quotation| Our books fuel the fires of the Renaissance. It is a time to discover anew the worlds of poetry and philosophy, science and music. As our minds soar, our hands find new expression in the flourishing world of art. Behold, the majesty of the Sistine ceiling.}}
{{Quotation| The Renaissance: a beacon through the mists of time, guiding us to a new era. A time of invention and exploding communication.}}
The first thing that guests would see in the modern era was the steam powered printing press, which was invented by William Bullock in 1863. A While a man inspected the newspaper that came out of the press. Further , further on, a young newsboy stood on a street corner selling a stack of New York Daily newspapers. As the vehicles continued on, guests could see a man dictating a telegram to another man who sent it out, while a train passed by on a railroad. On their left, guests could then see telephone wires stretching all across the scene, and various phone conversations could be heard.[[Image:SpaceshipTelegraph.jpg|thumb|400px|Spaceship Earth's telegraph scene. Photo by Elizabeth]]
Moving forward, guests passed by a woman sitting in a cinema ticket booth. Three screens on her left showed old black and white movies. The first screen showed a movie about a runaway trolley, the second showed two people dancing, and the final screen showed the Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Across the way, guests could see a scene depicting the WDP (Walt Disney Productions) radio station, where a man and a woman could be found acting out a radio show inside of a sound booth. Outside the booth, an engineer monitored the sound level. To the right of the scene, a radio tower was shown, with waves emanating from it.
{{Quotation|"With each day come more paths, more ideas, more dreams, and we build new machines: computer machines that think, that store, sift, sort, and count, and help us chart our course through an age of boundless information."}}
At this point, guests would find a 1970s bedroom on their left. Inside, a boy was working on a desktop computer. Behind him a few books and a model airplane rested on a metal shelf. Moving forward in time, the following scene showed a mid-1980s room, with a women working on a laptop. Guests then could see The Network Operations Center, where network lines and satellites were monitored. The center housed a map of Florida, The United States, and even a view of the entire globe (from the North Pole). A man sat in front of these maps monitoring watching them, while a woman was seated to his right. The narration in this scene noted:
{{Quotation|With these machines comes a wondrous new network of communications, a vibrant maze of billions of electronic pathways stretching to the very edge of space.}}
[[Image:NetworkOperations.jpg|thumb|400px|The Network Operations Center found in Spaceship Earth from 1982-1994]]
The ride vehicles then entered a tunnel, which featured high speed lights flying by. Here the narrator said:
{{Quotation|Verged on the threshold of infinity, we see our world as it truly is: small, silent, fragile, alive, a drifting island in the midnight sky. It is our spaceship, our Spaceship Earth.}}
This narration marked the point where guests were at the top of the sphere. From hereNow in outer space, they guests could see Earth in the distance, surrounded by stars. Also at the top of the sphere was a large space station and two satellites. From the space station, a young woman was controlling mechanical arm to assist the astronauts in repairing the larger of the two satellites. Passing by this scene, guests would then enter the space station's hangar (going beneath the girl in the window who would wave) and begin their descent.  As the ride vehicles began to descend, guests could see more clouds of dust (similar to the one at the beginning of the attraction) on their right. Further down, guests saw various scenes on connected monitors. Scenes shown on the monitors included:
* Children from around the world holding hands.
* DNA chains
All of the monitors were connected by fiber optic strands, showing how everything was connected now through communication. Guests could also hear people around the world, talking to each other and exchanging information. Before Lastly, before unloading, guests would also see a series of dots which resembled circuitcircuits, and hear one final narration:
{{Quotation|<p>Now our Future World draws near, and we face the challenge of tomorrow. We must return and take command of our Spaceship Earth. To become captains of our own destiny. To reach out and fulfill our dreams.</p><p>
===Second Incarnation: Walter Cronkite (1986-1994)===
====Changes<ref name= "Martin"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=877 </ref>====In order to expand the appeal of Spaceship Earth, the attraction was closed from May 25 to May 29, 1986 and a new narration was installed. The new script was written by Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, and narrated by Walter Cronkite, giving the attraction a warmer tone. Other changes to the attraction in 1986 included:
* During guest's initial ascent, the smoke effect was removed. It was replaced with a new star-field effect.
* The Hebrew people's contributions to communication were now recognized.
 * A Two new scenes were added to the attraction in between the family living room scene near and the end Network Operations Center scene.** The first of the attraction these depicted the creation of the PC, with a young man sitting at his desk. The Audio Animatronic used in this scene was actually moved from the Printing Press Sceneprinting press scene.  * * Also added was The “Paperless Office“paperless office" scene was added, and it which featured an Audio Animatronic woman that was previously found in the Network Communication Map SceneOperations Center scene.  * The attraction's finale was changed so that instead of showing projections of new technology, images were instead introduced to the more provocative "Tomorrow's Child". Visualizing These projections visualized the idea that the children of today would be the leaders of tomorrow, the . The new finale gave the attraction a more climatic ending and also conveyed the message of hope for the future.  ** In this scene, the attraction's new theme song "Tomorrow's Child" was added. The song was written by Ron Ovadia and Peter Stougaard, and performed by Sally Stevens during the decent ramp.  
* In the decent ramp, new star effects were also added to give the scene more depth.
====Narration====
'''Click play below to hear Walter Cronkite's narration!''' <flashmp3>Cronkite.mp3</flashmp3>
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===Third Incarnation: Jeremy Irons(1994-2007)===
====Changes<ref name= "Martin"/> <ref> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H3SdI4wG7s&t=2s </ref>====In 1994 , following AT&T decision to renew their sponsorship, Spaceship Earth was once more again closed for refurbishment. At this time , a new narration was installed in the attraction. Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald once again Larry Gertz wrote the attractions attraction's new script, however and Jeremy Irons replaced Walter Cronkite as Spaceship Earth's narrator. Changes Other changes to the attraction at this time included: * The Audio Animatronics within the attraction were updated. The figures were now much more fluid. Also during the refurbishment, the smoke effects in the ascent tunnel were removed. * The Paperboy was given a deeper voice. * The Network Communication Map scene was removed. * The Personal Computer and Paperless Office scenes were removed. The scenes were replaced with a new scene that showed an American named Jason and a Japanese girl named Kaiko communicating over videophone (the videophone translated their native languages).
* The Audio Animatronics within the attraction were updated, making the figures much more fluid.
* The whole ride was given a musical score based on Bach's Sinfonia No. 2 in C Minor
* The paperboy was given a deeper voice.
[[Image:Videophonescene.jpg|thumb|450px|The video phone scene in the 1994 version of Spaceship Earth]]
* The Network Operations Center scene was removed.
* The personal computer and paperless office scenes were removed.
**The scenes were replaced with a "global communications" scene. Here, an American named Jason and a Japanese girl named Kaiko communicated over videophone (the videophone translated their native languages).
* New laser effects were added to the ascent tunnel.
 * In the Outer Space Sceneouter space scene, the space station was painted black (in order to hide it) and the woman looking out of the station was removed. * Furthermore, the The two astronauts were removed from the space scene and relocated to [[Space Mountain]].* The outer space scene received a new Earth projection.* Where the Space Station Scene space station scene had once been, new floating screens showed guests news reports from all over the world.
* Following the news, guests passed by a family playing a high-tech simulator game.
 
* New laser effects that covered and followed the ride vehicles were added.
 * A new Virtual Classroom Scene virtual classroom scene was added. The scene showed students and a teacher working with other classrooms from around the world. * The Tomorrow’s Tomorrow's Child screens were removed and replaced with a new star field effect. * A series of scenes which showcased the videophone were added. **In the first scene a mother sang a lullaby to her daughter. **In the second , a family was able to "attend" their daughter's graduation even though they could not physically be there. **A third scene showed a family contacting a doctor using the videophone. **Finally, a scientist in a cave was able to show his new discovery to a colleague in a futuristic city, which then beamed the information to another city.  * Guests then passed the futuristic city itself, which sat on the edge of an ocean and glowed with LED lights. As they passed, an information grid beamed out of the city, creating a vortex that followed guests down the decent ramp. The vortex then changed its shape when it passed a model of Spaceship Earth.
====Narration====
The attraction was also given another new narrator, this time Jeffery '''Click play below to hear Jeremy Irons. His ' narration can be read below:!'''<flashmp3>SpaceshipIrons.mp3</flashmp3>
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===Current Incarnation: Judi Dench(2007-Present)=======Changes <ref> http://www.lostepcot.com/spaceshipearth.html </ref> <ref> https://vimeo.com/5830513 </ref>====In 2004, AT&T chose to end its sponsorship of Spaceship Earth, leaving the pavilion sponsorless for the first time in its history <ref> http://www.wdwradio.com/2005/02/now-presenting-spaceship-earth-no-one/ </ref>. Spaceship Earth was not without a sponsor long however. In 2005 Siemens announced that it would assume sponsorship of the pavilion as part of a 12 year, 100 million dollar “strategic alliance” with the Walt Disney Company <ref> http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2008-02-27/business/disneysiemens27_1_walt-disney-spaceship-earth-disney-world </ref>. In November 2005, the outside walls of the pavilion were painted light blue, and the Siemens logo was added to the pavilion <ref name= "book"> Pedersen, R.A. The EPCOT Explorer's Encyclopedia:. United States: Epcyclopedia, 2011. Print. </ref>. Although the company planned to update the attraction, the refurbishment did not come until 2007 when Spaceship Earth closed for the most extensive renovation in the attraction's history.
====Changes====In 2004, AT&T chose to end its sponsorship of Spaceship Earth, leaving the pavilion sponsorless for the first time in its history. Spaceship Earth was not without a sponsor long however, because in 2005 Siemens announced that it would assume sponsorship of the pavilion as part of a 12 year 100 million dollar “strategic alliance” with the Walt Disney Company. In late 2005, the outside walls of the pavilion were painted light blue, and Siemen's logo was added to the pavilion. Although the company planned to update the attraction, the refurbishment did not come until 2007 when Spaceship Earth closed for the most extensive renovation in the attraction’s history. When the attraction reopened it featured a new script, with Dame Judi Dench now narrating the attraction. Other changes to Spaceship Earth during the 2007 refurbishment included:[[Image:homecomputer.jpg|thumb|400px|The home computer scene was added to Spaceship Earth in 2007]]* The addition of touch screens to the ride vehicles. Early in the attraction, the screens take guest’s guest's picture for later use. * The entire attraction was given a new score written by Bruce Broughton <ref name= "book"/>. * The Woolly Mammoth and Cavemen Scene cavemen scene was updated using CGI mammoths and cavemen. * CGI was also used in the following cave painting scene; so that the cave paintings now seem to come to life.  * The Greek Play play scene was removed and replaced with a new scene which focuses on the mathematical advancements , and philosophies , of the Greek thinkers. **The scene now shows an elderly Greek man teaching his students about math. One of the students appears uninterested however, as he has fallen asleep.  * In the Renaissance Scenescene, the two musical players were removed, and the statue that the Italian is sculpting has been slightly altered. * In the Printing Press Sceneprinting press scene, the man reading the printed newspaper was changed. He now wears glasses and has sideburns, as well as . He also has a new facial structure. * The paper boy paperboy, who was shown selling newspapers on the street corner , is now turned away from guests.  * The various screens in the Cinema Scene cinema (which once showed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a runaway trolley, and two dancers) were removed.  * The Radio Scene radio scene was altered, so that only a single man is now shown recording by himself.  * The scene that showed an American boy and Japanese girl communicating by video was removed. Replacing the *A new early computer scene is was added on both sides of the track.*Next, a new scene that focuses on the early pioneers of the home computer (such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs)was added. The scene now shows a young man with long hair and glasses working in his garage.  * Every subsequent scene in the attraction including: the view of Earth, the fiber optic lights, the researchers in the jungle and cave, the cities by the ocean, the four dioramas, and the video screens showing children, were all removed and not replaced. **At this point in the attraction guests now use their touchscreens to answer preference questions. After answering the questions, guests see a cartoon that shows different depictions of the future. The image of guests’ guests' heads that was taken earlier in the attraction is superimposed on the cartoon bodies. After completing the interactive experience, the attraction reaches the unloading area and guests disembark.
====Narration====
'''Click play below to hear Judi Dench's narration!'''
<flashmp3>SpaceshipDench.mp3</flashmp3>
{| class="infoList"
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| “Welcome back, Time Travelers. Now Siemens invites you to visit Project Tomorrow; an exciting world of new ideas and innovations made possible by Siemens ingenuity. Your vehicle doors will open automatically. Please keep your hands away from the doors and step carefully onto the moving platform.”
|}
===Future Incarnation===
On August 25, 2019, Disney announced that Spaceship Earth would be receiving a renovation which would tie the attraction into the park's new Wold Celebration land <ref name="magic"> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/spaceship-earth/news/25aug2019-updates-to-spaceship-earth-confirmed-as-part-of-epcots-redevelopment.htm </ref>. As part of the overhaul, Spaceship Earth's focus will shift to "the storytelling that brings people together". This new version of Spaceship earth is expected to include new scenes, a new narration, a new score, as well as "Story Light", which will bring the attraction's scenes to life <ref name="magic"/>.
 
On February 25, 2020, Disney announced that Spaceship Earth would be closing for refurbishment on May 26, 2020 <ref name="update"> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/spaceship-earth/news/25feb2020-spaceship-earth-to-close-in-may-to-begin-transformation.htm </ref>. At this time more information was given about the future of the attraction:
 
{{Quotation| The next iteration of Spaceship Earth will focus on the story of humanity, following our long journey from prehistoric humans to today brought to life with magic and depth that only Disney can deliver. Many of the moments you know and love will be updated in amazing ways, blended with brand-new scenes to tell a story about our human experience.<ref name="update"/>}}
 
On June 20, 2020, Disney announced that Spaceship Earth's renovation would be delayed, and the attraction would reopen on July 15 in its current iteration <ref> https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/spaceship-earth/news/20jun2020-spaceship-earth-changes-officially-paused-as-disney-confirms-it-will-reopen-along-with-epcot-on-july-15.htm </ref>.
==Postshow==
===Earth Station (1982-1994)<ref name= "book"/> <ref name= "Martin"/>===The original Spaceship earth postshow was known as Earth Station. Here guests could visit guest relations, making dining reservations, or even preview some of EPCOT Center's other attractions. The WorldKey Information Kiosks were also located here, which allowed guests to video chat with a cast member who would assist them. On the ceiling, large protections previewed EPCOT Center’s other pavilions. As a whole, Earth Station furthered the idea that Spaceship Earth was guests guest's "welcome to Future World".
===Global Neighborhood & The New Global Neighborhood (1994-2007)===
In 1994, after After renewing their sponsorship in 1994, AT&T decided to replace Earth Station with a new postshow called the Global Neighborhood. Located within the Global Neighborhood were five interactive exhibits:[[Image:ProjectTomorrow.jpg|thumb|400px|Project Tomorrow, Spaceship Earth's postshow. Photo by Lauren Javier]]* Interactive Wonderland- This exhibit focused on the future of television. The Cheshire Cat from Disney's Alice in Wonderland would react to various voice commands by guests. The idea of the exhibit was that one day, "you can watch movies, play interactive games and shop - all on your TV screen." <ref name= "post"> http://www.intercot.com/edc/SpaceshipEarth/spglobal.html </ref>
* Interactive WonderlandYou Don't Say- This exhibit focused on the future of televisionshowed guests that word for word translations did not always work. The Cheshire Cat from Disney's Alice in Wonderland Guests would react to interpret various voice commands by guests. The idea of foreign phrases, and along the exhibit was that one day, way learn a lot about language<ref name= "post"you can watch movies, play interactive games and shop - all on your TV screen/>."
* You Don't SayCommunication Breakthrough- This exhibit showed interactive game allowed guests that word for word translations did not always workto "break down the walls of communication". Guests would interpret various foreign phrasesUsing an interactive paddle, and along the way learn guests could break a lot about languagebrick wall to reveal a video of another guests playing the game at the same time<ref name= "post"/>.
* Communication BreakthroughStory-Teller Phone- This interactive game exhibit allowed guests to make a phone call while choosing background noises from various exotic places<ref name= "break down the walls of communicationpost". Using an interactive paddle, guests could break a brick wall to reveal a video of another guests playing the game at the same time/>.
* Story-Teller PhoneRide the AT&T Network- This interactive exhibit motion simulator allowed guests to make a phone call while choosing background noises from various exotic places"cruise on AT&T's fiber optic information superhighway".The ride showed guests just how much information was flowing through the AT&T network! <ref name= "post"/>
* Ride the AT&T Network- This motion simulator allowed guests to "cruise on AT&T's fiber optic information superhighway". The ride showed guests just how much information is flowing through the AT&T network! In 1999 the postshow was renamed the "New Global Neighborhood". The only major change was that the AT&T Network simulator was replaced by a neon tree. The floor beneath the tree was transparent allowing guests to see its roots<ref name= "post"/> <ref name= "book"/>.
===Project Tomorrow (2007-Present)===
In 2007, following Siemens assuming sponsorship of the pavilion and the subsequent refurbishment of the attraction, Spaceship Earth’s postshow was renamed Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future. The postshow opened with two interactive exhibits, but that number has since increased to five. Since 2018, signage in Project Tomorrow has identified each of the post-show games by their theme, and not by their name as had previously been the case <ref> https://twitter.com/WDWNT/status/975034738636480513 </ref>. The exhibits in the current postshow are:
* An illuminated globe, which shows images of what the future could beBody Builder (Health)- A video game that allows guests to construct their own "digital human body".
* Body BuilderSuper Driver (Transportation)- A video game that allows which shows guests what the future of transportation could be. In the game, guests drive a smart car and try to construct their own "digital human body"save the city from being destroyed.
* Super DriverPower City (Energy)- A large "shuffleboard" video game which shows that gives guests what the future task of transportation could bepowering their city. In The exhibit focuses on the game, guests drive a smart car and try to save the city from being destroyedfuture of energy conservation.
* Power CityInnerVision (Medicine)- A large "shuffleboard" video game that gives guests the task of powering their citysimilar to Simon Says or Dance Dance Revolution. The exhibit focuses on the future Guests must follow a series of energy conservationcoordinated tasks.
* InnerVision- A video game similar to Simon Says or Dance Dance Revolution. Guests must follow a series The center of coordinated tasks.  A large Project Tomorrow features an illuminated globe located in the postshow also , which showcases guest’s inguest's on-ride photo on and the location that they said they were fromat the beginning of the attraction.
==Fun Facts and Trivia==
* Early in its development In the name Renaissance scene, the Bible that Johannes Gutenberg inspects is an exact replica of EPCOT Center's communication pavilion was going to be a real Gutenberg Bible <Ref name= "Man and his Spaceship Earthtrivia"> https://web.archive.org/web/20130820062705/http://www.unc.edu/~crawford/epcot/se_trivia.htm </ref>.
* In the Renaissance sceneIf Spaceship Earth were a golf ball, the bible that Johannes Gutenberg inspects is an exact replica of a real Gutenberg biblegolfer hitting the ball would be 6336 ft tall <ref> http://www.intercot.com/edc/SpaceshipEarth/spfacts.html</ref>.
* If Spaceship Earth were a golf ballIn the now removed Greek theater scene, the golfer hitting the ball would be 6336 ft tallactors performed a scene from Oedipus Rex<ref name= "trivia"/>.
* In The graffiti found in the now removed Greek Theater "Rome burning" scene, is an exact replica of graffiti found on ruins in the actors performed a scene from Oedipus Rex.Roman city of Pompeii <ref name= "trivia"/>
* The graffiti found in In the "Rome Burning" Renaissance scene, is an exact replica of graffiti found on ruins in the Roman city of Pompeiiman is reading Virgil's Aeneid<ref name= "trivia"/>.
* In The Morse code message being decoded in the Renaissance 20th century scene, is announcing the book that driving of the man is reading is Virgil's Aeneidgolden spike at Promontory Peak in 1869<ref name= "trivia"/>.
* The Morse code message being decoded steam press found in the 20th century scene is announcing the driving an exact replica of the golden spike at Promontory Peak a press that was developed by William Bullock in 18691863<ref name= "trivia"/>.
* The steam press found in Peggie Faris was charged with compiling the 20th research for Spaceship Earth <ref name= "Sklar"> Sklar, Marty. Dream It! Do It!: My Half-century scene is an exact replica of a press that was developed by WIlliam Bullock in 1863Creating Disney's Magic Kingdoms. Disney Editions, 2013. Print. </ref>.
==References==
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http://www.theneverlandfiles.com/misc/spaceshipearthscript.htm
 
http://www.intercot.com/edc/SpaceshipEarth/spscript.html
 
http://waltdatedworld.bravepages.com/id183.htm
 
http://boingboing.net/2012/06/07/ray-bradburys-original-conce.html
 
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/spaceship-earth/
 
http://www.unc.edu/~crawford/epcot/se_trivia.htm
 
Pedersen, R.A. The EPCOT Explorer's Encyclopedia:. United States: Epcyclopedia, 2011. Print.
 
http://www.martinsvids.net/?tag=spaceship-earth
 
http://epcotexplorer.tumblr.com/post/99489612171/introspection-and-symbolism-an-appreciation-of