The final design of the Space Mountain changed many times before the attraction was eventually built. The Designs the interior structure, queue and post show all changed various times before Space Mountain was built, The shape of Space Mountain was also a topic of debate amongst Disney Engineers. Some of the engineers wanted Space Mountain to look like a dome, while others wanted to use a "cone" shape. The cone shape idea eventually won out, and on January 15, 1975 Space Mountain officially opened.
==Attraction Structure and Details==
When Space Mountain was built it was a technological marvel. The attraction was the first indoor roller coaster and also the first roller coaster to take place completely in the dark.
Space Mountain also has the distinction of being one of the largest buildings in Walt Disney World. At 183 feet tall, Space Mountain is just 6 feet shorter than Cinderella's Castle. The supports for Space Mountain are also unique, in that they are located on the outside of the building instead of the inside. This was done so that the inside roof would be flat, and projections would be able to be shown on it.
To create the illusion of stars above the riders, 20 mirrored balls are hit with a spotlight. When the light that reflects off the balls hits the roof, and gives the allusion of stars. Other projections include The "shooting stars" which are created by a moving spotlight, and the asteroids and galaxies which are created by dimmed down projectors.
Space Mountain has a total area of nearly In total the construction of Space Mountain required 4,000 pieces of steel, and 12,000 feet of electrical wire. Since every piece of steel had to be accessible by stairs, the inside of Space Mountain resembles a metallic maze.
==Attraction Plot==
Space Mountain is a roller coaster that allows guests to travel through space.
==Original Preshow==
From 1973 until 1994 Space Mountain was sponsored by RCA. Guests entered Space Mountain through an entrance building located in Tomorrowland. The Building had three large RCA logos as well as a original "four seat" ride vehicle encased in a clear case. Inside the vehicle sat a family. Before guests entered the "entrance portal", they would pass a large quote on the wall which read:
{{Quotation|"ONE GIANT STEP... Dedicated to the men and women whose skills, sacrifice, courage and teamwork opened the door to the exploration of man's exciting new frontier...outer space. Because they dared to reach for the stars and the planets, man's knowledge of his universe, earth and himself has been greatly enriched. Presented by missile, space and range pioneers. January 15, 1975."
Just after entering the building, guests boarded a descending moving ramp. On the right side of the ramp, guests could see RCA's logo, Nipper the Fox Terrier inside a flying saucer. At this point in the attraction RCA's Space Mountain theme song- "Here's To The Future And You" began to play. Further down the ramp guests could look out convex windows and see the Star Corridors, a series different space themed displays. One display for example, showed an astronaut riding his moon buggy in space.
On the left hand side of the decention ramp, a series of RCA products were displayed. The reason for the descending ramp, was to take guests underneath the Walt Disney Railroad to the lot where Space Mountain is actually located.
After guests finished descending, they reached the "zig zag corridor". Here windows allowed guests to see out into space. Things that could be seen out the windows included:
*Asturnauts fixing a satellite
*Galaxies
*Planets
*Shooting Stars
*And finally, a family riding the Space Mountain ride vehicle in space.
After passing through the Zig Zag Corridor, guests finally reached the loading area. Here they watched a safety video featuring Asturnaut Gordon Cooper and then boarded either the Alpha or Omega track. Both of these tracks were identical except for the fact that Alpha track is ten feet longer.
==Original Ride==
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, and eventually propelling guests to the other end of the dome. Here, the rockets do a 180 degree turn and go up another lift hill. A mirror positioned at the end of the track, gives riders 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 space.
As the rockets continue on, they go down a quick dip and then a series of twists and turns. At this point in the attraction, the ride is taking place in almost complete darkness. In the dark, guests then fall down a 38 degree drop, the steepest in the attraction. Space Mountain ends with guests passing through a red, swirling wormhole before reaching the unloading area.