Space Mountain
Space Mountain is an indoor roller coaster in the Tomorrowland area of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It is the second ride of that name: the first opened at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, Florida, on January 15, 1975.
Disneyland's version began soft openings on May 4, 1977, and was dedicated on May 27, 1977. Six of the seven Mercury astronauts took part in the opening ceremonies. Disney Legend John Hench designed the attraction, and WED Enterprises (now Walt Disney Imagineering) built it; Arrow Development, often named as the builder, was not involved. The ride closed on April 10, 2003, for a rebuild that replaced the original trains and most of the track. It reopened in July 2005 for the park's 50th anniversary, with a new score by Michael Giacchino.
The park has also run seasonal versions: Rockin' Space Mountain in 2007, the Halloween overlay Ghost Galaxy from 2009, and Hyperspace Mountain, a Star Wars version that first ran in November 2015 and has come back for limited periods since.
Most of the ride takes place in near darkness, so the drops and turns come without warning. Each train holds 12 riders, two across, and riders must be at least 40 inches tall.
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| Park | Disneyland, Anaheim, California (Tomorrowland) |
| Type | Enclosed steel roller coaster |
| Status | Operating |
| Opened | May 27, 1977 (soft opening May 4, 1977) |
| Designer | John Hench; built by WED Enterprises |
| Rebuilt | April 2003 to July 2005 (new trains, most of the track replaced) |
| Length | 3,459 ft |
| Max speed | 32 mph |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Riders per train | 12 (2 cars, 2 across in 3 rows) |
| Height requirement | 40 in (102 cm) |
Sources
- disneyland.disney.go.com/attractions/disneyland/space-mounta... (location in Tomorrowland, ride in the dark, 40-inch height requirement)
- rcdb.com/201.htm (status, opening date, length, speed, inversions, train layout, built by WED rather than Arrow, 2003-2005 rebuild with new track and trains, Giacchino score, overlays)
- d23.com/a-to-z/space-mountain (May 4, 1977 soft opening and May 27, 1977 dedication, 2003 closure and 2005 reopening, Rockin' Space Mountain, Ghost Galaxy (2009), Hyperspace Mountain (2015))
- d23.com/this-day/space-mountain-opens-at-disneyland (John Hench as designer, Mercury astronauts at the opening ceremonies)
- d23.com/space-mountain-celebrates-40-years-intergalactic-adv... (Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain opened January 15, 1975)
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Mountain_(Disneyland) (Hyperspace Mountain's limited-time returns after 2015)