How safe is Space Mountain?

marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
KBLovesDisney said:
tenor.gif


Couldn't help myself:hilarious:
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I know. My bad. I had to pull the blueprints up.
 
justintheharris

justintheharris

Well-Known Member
gsam4ever said:
I heard from the bus driver that engineering is extremely concerned about Space Mountain. I think they feel that the steel structure is starting to weaken and that it’s only a matter time before something catastrophic will happen. And yes because of the thinning of the steel bars the cars are definitely going faster which is very concerning. I definitely think you should write a letter and express your concerns.
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I can't tell if this is serious or not. But if you really heard that, Space Mountain is the biggest victim of rumors of people being killed, structural failure etc. I'm pretty sure if Disney was that concerned, they would address the issue immediately. Granted, I do think when Tron opens, Space Mountain will get a lengthy refurbishment.

Also, every cast member loves to pretend they know everything. ESPECIALLY the college program kids. They often have correct information but sometimes they're full of it.



gsam4ever said:
A bus driver told me that back in the early 80’s a rider lost an arm because he was reaching for the giant space cookie (look it up if you don’t know) and it hit a beam.
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Okay now I realize you're joking.
 
BrittanyRose428

BrittanyRose428

Well-Known Member
WondersOfLife said:
Just a general question here... I know that it was supposed to go under refurb over a decade or so ago, yadda yadda, tracks replaced, ect... But it didn't happen.

So my question here, is... How safe is Space Mountain, really? I rode it 3 times this past week. It felt like it was going a LOT faster than normal! Maybe that was just me. The 3rd time we rode it, yesterday (July 2nd), it felt a lot rougher than it was the previous day. And on top of that, I could have sworn that my car (2nd car, sitting in the front row) either came off the track for a half second, or it was going way too fast for one of the drops. Because there was a VERY loud "clack" and it scared the crap out of all of us.

Also to note-- Space Mountain was down at LEAST 5 different times yesterday. DIFFERENT times. We counted every time we checked the app. Whenever it re-opened we would start walking over there only to find out it closed down again.

Time for a refurb when Tron gets here? Technically needs one right now.

Side note -- The show scenes on the old exit, from PeopleMover view, are still on with lights and everything.
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Space Mountain typically only goes 28 MPH. It can seem faster depending on the weight of the car--If you as an adult rode with three kids, it's going to feel slower than you as an adult riding with three other adults. It can also feel faster or slower depending on how the sensors and breaks work (ie: if unload is backed up-- the same way most attractions would go heavier on the breaks when cars are in the way in front of them).

It does not come off the track. It may feel that way when you're being pulled up a hill "quickly" (again quickly for Space Mountain tops out at 28 MPH) but rollercoasters do not come off the tracks.

The ride being down may have nothing to do with wear and tear, and the majority of the time when a ride is down it isn't "broken" as guests typically assume it is. There are plenty of reasons why a ride may be down, and unless you are there working on the ride you wouldn't know what caused the downtime.
 
CraftyFox

CraftyFox

Well-Known Member
Last time I rode Space Mountain in WDW, it was incredibly clunky. It’s most likely just do to the track’s age and style, but I could be completely wrong.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
There is a moment about 1/3rd of the way through the ride, not counting the lift hill, where the trains crest up a hill and roll over some anti-rollbacks. These could be the source of the clack noise you heard.
 
H

HansGruber

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
There is a moment about 1/3rd of the way through the ride, not counting the lift hill, where the trains crest up a hill and roll over some anti-rollbacks. These could be the source of the clack noise you heard.
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THAT'S what that is?! I've been trying to figure it out for a decade.

Logically, I know it's impossible for the car to separate from the track because of the upper rail. But emotionally, that sound always makes me feel uncomfortable.
 
L

LUVofDIS

Well-Known Member
The cars need constant acceleration to maintain speed when going into a turn, the turns are typically down hill unless they are trying to slow the car down, when you go into the curves it can feel as if the vehicle is moving faster when all it is doing is accelerating to maintain speed.
 
mergatroid

mergatroid

Well-Known Member
I think the death toll since opening is around 187 (give or take about 187). The most memorable was the 10 car pile up in 87 but we don't talk about it much on here.
 

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