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/* Fun Facts and Trivia */
{{Template:Infobox Disney ride || land=Tomorrowland| image=Spaceoutside3.jpg| caption='''The exterior of Space Mountain. Photo: Disney'''| park= Magic Kingdom| opened=December 15, 1974| theme=Space travel| speed=28| duration= 2:30| height_requirement=44| vehicle_type=Rocket train| length=3186-3196| attraction_height=183 | track_height=65| sponsor=RCA (1975-1993)Fed Ex (1994-2003)|custom_label_2= Disney Genie +|custom_value_2= No (Lightning Lane Exclusive)}}Space Mountain is an attraction located in [[Tomorrowland]].
==Attraction History==
The idea for Space Mountain came from Walt Disney himself. After the success of the Matterhorn attraction in Disneyland, Walt was convinced that "thrill-rides" had a place in his park. In 1964, with this in mind, Walt approached designer John Hench with an idea for a new Tomorrowland attraction. Walt called the idea the "Space Port", a roller coaster in the dark that would feature creative lighting and other special effects to give the illusion that guests were in space <ref> http://allears.net/ae/issue695.htm </ref>.
*And finally, a family riding the Space Mountain is a roller coaster that allows guests to travel through ride vehicle in space.<ref name="omniluxe" />
After entering the queue for the attraction, following the refurbishment, guests would notice more changes had taken place. Inside the entrance lobby, a large mural of the Milky Way was added, and the general color scheme of the area was changed to orange and brown (the colors of Fed Ex). In 1998, the original flooring in this room was removed, and a staircase was added to the right hand side. Further on in the queue, the windows that guests could previously look out to see various scenes from space were removed and left empty for a number of years. The flying saucer which held the RCA dog and a phonograph machine was also taken out (for obvious reasons). Although Space Mountain went through a series of changes during its refurbishment in 1994, the attraction itself was not changed in any significant ways. Finally, although Fed Ex did not change many of the post show's props (although "space packages" were added) it did change the story they told. Instead of focusing on a space colony and the technology that could be used there, the new post show focused on the future of package delivery, and gave guests the idea that one day packages could be sent over spatial distances. Following the 1994 refurbishment, Space Mountain’s exit building was removed, and the attraction now dumps guests into the Tomorrowland Power and Light Company<ref name="omniluxe" />. In 2003 Federal Express chose not to renew their sponsorship, leaving Space Mountain sponsorless <ref> http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/space-mountain/news/23jan2003-space-mountain-lose-fedex-sponsorship.htm </ref>. ==Current Attraction (2009-Present)==In 2009 Space Mountain underwent a major refurbishment. Changes were made to the preshow, ride and postshow. ===Preshow===[[Image:port.jpg|400px|thumb|A mural showing the name Starport Seven-Five.|alt= Starport 75 Space Mountain]]When Space Mountain reopened 2009 following a lengthy refurbishment, the queue and preshow had been changed in fairly drastic ways. As part of the “next generation” of Disney World queues, 43 video games were added to Space Mountain’s stand-by queue, in an attempt to make the ride wait more manageable. Furthermore, the original color scheme of the attraction was returned (replacing the brown and orange scheme that was added during Federal Express’ tenure). Another noticeable change to the queue was the fact that the windows which had once showed scenes from space, now allowed guests to look out directly into space itself. Finally, a large mural which reads, "Starport 75: Your Gateway to the Galaxy" was added (the 75 being and obvious reference to the year that Space Mountain opened). In general, the entire queue hints at the fact that Space Mountain is now actually a starport <ref> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/11/space_mountain_reopens_1.html </ref>. After making their way through the queue, guests are divided up into lines for either the Alpha or Omega track. Currently the Alpha track is used primarily for standby guests, while the Omega Track is used for FastPass + guests (although if the line is short, it is possible to for standby guests to ride the Omega track). After dividing up, guests enter the loading area, where they can look out into space before getting into their ride vehicles. ===Ride===Although the ride is similar to its original incarnation, there have been some changes. The ride still begins with the rockets leaving the loading area, instantly making a 180 degree turn. After taking the turn, the rockets come to a stop in a purple tunnel, which is located just in front of the a lift hill. After climbing up the hill, the vehicles fall down a slope into the blue strobe tunnel where the rockets build up “energy”. The tunnel itself is similar to the original attraction, however the lights now flash with increasing speed, as the energy builds up. Also of note, an on-ride photo camera has been added to the tunnel, allowing guests to purchase their on ride photo after they exit the attraction. Continuing on, the vehicles head towards a blue orb at the end of the tunnel and for a moment, the blue lights shut off, allowing guests to see the stars all around them. After exiting the tunnel, the rockets go up another large lift hill from which they are able to see other rockets, as well as riders on the [[Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover]]. After reaching the top of the hill, riders go down a steep drop followed by a series of twists and turns during which they are able to see various space objects projected above the track. The vehicles then go down the attraction's biggest drop (still at 38 degrees) and enter the red wormhole, before hitting the final brake run and reaching the unloading area. ===Postshow===[[Image:commandcenter.jpg|400px|thumb|MK-1 Command Center. Photo Disney|alt= Space Mountain MK-1 Command Center queue]]The new postshow begins on guest's left hand side where a robot is shown manning a station known as the “MK-1 Command Center” (he is apparently in charge of what guests will see in the rest of the postshow). Moving onto the escalator belt, guests come across three scenes from space. The first two (which are known as the Mercury Peak and the Crater Caverns scenes) are similar, albeit redesigned versions, of the previous postshow, with any references to Fed Ex having been removed. The third scene in the new postshow is known as "20,000 Lightyears Under the Sea” (a reference to the now defunct Magic Kingdom attraction: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea). This scene closely resembles the underwater scene in the former [[Epcot]] attraction [[Horizons]]. After passing by the three worlds, guests come upon a futuristic kitchen. The kitchen features a circular round booth and a robot who is serving drinks. Continuing on, guests see the outside of a futuristic town, with only blue light emitting from it. Both of these scenes seem to show "The future that never was", which is the general concept of [[Tomorrowland]]. ==Fun Facts and Trivia ==*Shooting StarsEarly in Space Mountain's development, George McGinnis proposed a loop that would be seen from the attraction's interior queue and highlighted by a strobe light every two seconds. Disney eventually rejected the idea as "too violent for a family attraction" <ref name= "realityland"> Koenig, David. Realityland: True-life Adventures at Walt Disney World. Irvine, CA: Bonaventure, 2007. Print. </ref> *The robot in the current postshow resembles the robot that formally resided in Horizons <ref> http://www.lostepcot.com/horizons.html </ref>. [[Image:SpaceMountain.jpg|300px|thumb|Space Mountain's Grand Opening| alt= Space Mountain Grand Opening]] *Due to the lubricant used on the ride vehicles, Space Mountain is actually faster at night then it is in the morning (the lubricant solidifies when cooled and is more jelled in the morning) <ref> http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/Disneyland/Secrets/Tomorrow/SpaceMountain.html </ref>. *Space Mountain cost 24 million dollars to initially construct, and 12 million dollars to update. *If you want to see the RCA Fox Terrier mascot in the old Space Mountain preshow check out: http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/smnipper.jpg * Space Mountain is the oldest operating roller coaster in the state of Florida <ref name="orlandosentinel"> http://touch.orlandosentinel.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82542866/ </ref>. * Astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper and Jim Irwin took the first ride on Space Mountain <ref name="orlandosentinel"/>.
*And finally, a family riding The list of "Active Earth Stations" in Space Mountain's queue contains references to the Space Mountain ride vehicle attractions found in spaceDisney Parks around the world <ref name= "Yee"> Yee, Keven. Walt Disney World Hidden History Second Edition. N.p.: n.p., 2014. Print.</ref>
* At Space Mountain begins with guests boarding their "rockets". The rockets then take off passing the Space Port queue and the Mission Control booth. The jets the go up a lift hill and down a small slope. This leads to a circular tunnel lined with blue lights. Here energy can be building up's Grand Opening, and eventually propelling guests to the other end following RCA Chairman Robert Sarnoff's introduction of the dome. Hereattraction, the rockets do a 180 degree turn and go up another lift hill. A mirror positioned at the end of the track50, gives riders 000 balloons were released into the allusion that they are about to collide with another rocket. If riders look up, they are able to see projections of Earth, stars, comets, meteors, and asteroids above them. This adds to the feeling that the rockets are indeed flying through spaceair <ref name= "realityland"/>.