| type= Dark Ride
| sponsor= Bell System (1982-1984)<br/> AT&T (1984-2004)<br/> Siemens (2005-2017)
| 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 (2007–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 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. As seen in the 1978 EPCOT Center model, originally, Imagineers had planned on Spaceship Earth being a dome, with the attraction's show building located south of the pavilion. <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/2011/06/19/epcot-origins-a-model-future-1978/ </ref>.
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) <ref name= "Jack"/>.
It took construction workers 26 months and almost 40,800 labor hours to build Spaceship Earth <ref name= "Jack"/>. When it was completed, in 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- 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= "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 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:
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, or budgetary concerns, 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/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 always featured a dark ride 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, 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, when the company decided not to 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 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, large two large 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 and begin began to ascend. Here, all guests 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 stated:
[[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 shifted to a seaport in the ninth century B.C.. Here, two Phoenician sailors could be seen trading goods and information from their two connected boats. On the right, guests could see the ocean with stars shining on the horizon. The narrator 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.. Here, a scene depicting a Greek theater could be seen, with two men acting out Oedipus Rex. 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.}}
{{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."}}
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.}}
{{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. Now in outer-space, 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 astronaut 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:
* 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.
* Two new scenes were added to the attraction in between the family living room scene and the Network Operations Center scenesscene. ** The first of 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 scene. ** Also added was The “paperless office" scene which featured an Audio Animatronic woman that was previously found in the Network Operations 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". These projections visualized the idea that the children of today would be the leaders of tomorrow. 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.
* 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 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 scene, the space station was painted black (in order to hide it) and the woman looking out of the station was removed.
*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 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 was added. The scene showed students and a teacher working with other classrooms from around the world.
* The 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.
[[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 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 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 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 scene, the two musical players were removed, and the statue that the Italian is sculpting has been slightly altered.
* In the printing 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 paperboy, who was shown selling newspapers on the street corner, is now turned away from guests.
* The various screens in the cinema (which once showed 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, a runaway trolley, and two dancers) were removed.
* The radio scene was altered, so that a single man is now shown recording by himself.
* The scene that showed an American boy and Japanese girl communicating by video was removed.
*A new early computer scene 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 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' 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====
| “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 sponsorshipin 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>
==Fun Facts and Trivia==
* In the Renaissance scene, the bible Bible that Johannes Gutenberg inspects is an exact replica of a real Gutenberg bible Bible <Ref name= "trivia"> https://web.archive.org/web/20130820062705/http://www.unc.edu/~crawford/epcot/se_trivia.htm </ref>.
* If Spaceship Earth were a golf ball, the golfer hitting the ball would be 6336 ft tall <ref> http://www.intercot.com/edc/SpaceshipEarth/spfacts.html</ref>.
* In the now removed Greek Theater theater scene, the actors performed a scene from Oedipus Rex<ref name= "trivia"/>.
* The graffiti found in the "Rome Burningburning" scene, is an exact replica of graffiti found on ruins in the Roman city of Pompeii <ref name= "trivia"/>
* In the Renaissance Scenescene, the man is reading Virgil's Aeneid<ref name= "trivia"/>.
* The Morse code message being decoded in the 20th century scene is announcing the driving of the golden spike at Promontory Peak in 1869<ref name= "trivia"/>.