Changes
/* History */
==History==
Spaceship Earth was a part of Disney’s plans for EPCOT Center since the theme park’s inception. 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. Originally, Imagineers had planned on Spaceship Earth being a dome, with the attraction’s show building located south of the pavilion. This version of Spaceship Earth can be seen in the 1978 EPCOT Center model <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/2011/06/19/epcot-origins-a-model-future-1978/ </ref>.
Due to the fact that plans for the Spaceship Earth attraction called for a finale that simulated a trip through space, Disney Imagineers felt that they would need to move guests "up" in the pavilion. Furthermore, Disney felt decided that simply entering the domed pavilion and boarding the ride was not a dramatic enough reference <ref name= "Jack"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/01/spaceship_earth_epcots_icon_pa_2.html </ref>. In order to solve these issues, Imagineers eventually decided that instead of taking the shape of a geodesic dome, Spaceship Earth would be constructed as a geodesic sphere, something never done before <ref name= "Jack"/>.
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 sits 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"/>.
