LPWire: Mission SPACE Launches Aug 15

©The Walt Disney Company

Mission: SPACE at Epcot Set to Send Guests Out of This World

The excitement, the thrill and the rush of rocketing into outer space is coming soon to Walt Disney World Resort.

Mission: SPACE, presented by HP -- the next awesome adventure at Epcot -- will send guests on an out-of-this-world journey they never thought possible.

The attraction launches Aug. 15.

Guests who accept the mission will engage in a one-of-a-kind astronaut experience that launches them into a simulated space adventure -- from pulse-racing liftoff to the sensations of traveling though outer space on a mission to Mars.

©The Walt Disney Company
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“The combination of creative and entertainment magic of Disney and the technology of HP will create an experience that our guests can get nowhere else in the world,” said Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort. “Epcot is the perfect setting, continuing the park’s dedication to the explorer in all of us.”

The new attraction is the most technologically advanced ever created by Disney. In association with former NASA advisors, astronauts and scientists, Walt Disney Imagineering developed Mission: SPACE as the first ride system ever created to take guests straight up in simulated flight.

Pre-Show

The setting for the attraction is several decades into the future at the International Space Training Center. As the “crew” selected for this ultimate space mission, guests head to the dispatch area and then move to the Ready Room where they receive a history of astronaut training and are given the role they will assume during the mission -- as the commander, pilot, navigator or engineer.

Countdown…Liftoff

Then it’s on to the pre-flight corridor to load into the spacecraft, receive final briefings from CapCom and buckle in for liftoff. When the countdown reaches zero, the most unique and exhilarating ride experience ever begins. The earth begins to rumble, white clouds of exhaust start to stir as the ascent toward the sky starts and guests are rocketed into the galaxies. Guests hear from CapCom and are asked to perform vital tasks that will land their spacecraft safely on Mars. Each guest will assume the role of Commander, Pilot, Navigator or Engineer. But there is no mission without surprise as guests encounter unexpected twists, turns and other challenges that test every astronaut. Quick thinking and fast reactions are needed by each guest to successfully complete the mission.

Mission:SPACE Capsule Interior: Four guests become a team of astronauts working together to fulfill a mission when they step into a capsule and prepare for takeoff at Mission: SPACE. ©The Walt Disney Company
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“It’s an amazing experience. It’s out of this world,” said Bob Zalk, Walt Disney Imagineer and co-producer of Mission: SPACE. “Guests will certainly say this ride is unlike any other experience they have had before.”

The realism of the experience adds to its uniqueness, said Susan Bryan, Walt Disney Imagineer and co-producer of Mission: SPACE.

Walt Disney Imagineers Sue Bryan and Bob Zalk are the co-producers of Epcot's latest thrill attraction, Mission: SPACE. ©The Walt Disney Company

“Mission: SPACE is very much based in reality. It’s a mix of real science and thrill,” Bryan said. The sensations are what the astronauts actually experience, but it’s accessible to everyone.

During the thrilling ride, which gives guests the sensation of blasting off into space, everyone in the capsule participates in completing the mission by using joysticks and buttons -- all while viewing outer space through their own video screen. ©The Walt Disney Company
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Post Show

Training is not complete when the capsule lands. Guests can proceed to the Mission: SPACE Post Show, powered by HP. In this Advanced Training Lab, guests of all ages have an opportunity to explore interactive space experiences, which include:

• Space Race -- Two teams compete against each other in a race to send their rocket from Mars back to Earth. Nearly 60 people can play the high-energy game at one time.
• Space Base -- For junior astronauts, Space Base provides a fun, interactive crawl space for exploration.
• Expedition: Mars -- A joystick and a jet pack button help guests explore the surface of Mars.
• Postcards from Space -- Guests can e-mail a video of themselves with one of the space-themed backgrounds and create a great souvenir of their Mission: SPACE experience.

Guests become members of the Mission Control team when they engage in Space Race, a high-energy interactive game that explores the teamwork needed between Mission Control and astronauts in space missions. Two teams work against one another to fix problems on their ship and be the first to arrive at the race destination. ©The Walt Disney Company
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--Posted April 22, 2003
Source: Walt Disney World