I wish Disney would buy a space shuttle

EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
MontyMon said:
Through a real shuttle or a mock-up?
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It's the Shuttle Explorer, one of the "working" models they made for tests in the 80's, but never launched. It might have flown at one point, though. (Took off in the conventional way, if you are wondering. :lol: )

Inside, though, is everything you would expect, Hardware, Canada Arm, and the Orange Suit John Glenn wore aboard Discovery.


Looking for my pics, but they might be on my other USB.
 
Z

Ziffell

Member
Original Poster
EPCOT Explorer said:
It's the Shuttle Explorer, one of the "working" models they made for tests in the 80's, but never launched. It might have flown at one point, though. (Took off in the conventional way, if you are wondering. :lol: )
Click to expand...

Explorer never flew. Not in space or anywhere else. You may be thinking of Enterprise, which was built to take off from the back of a 747 and glide to a landing. It never flew in space and was never designed to. Aside from Enterprise and the shuttles that did (and do) fly in space, the rest are nothing more than mock ups.
 
Monty

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
Ziffell said:
You're joking, right? Or do you actually think that in between launches, they run tours through real shuttles?
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I asked because I didn't know. They may have used a since-retired shuttle orbiter. I wouldn't think they'd use an active orbiter.

As it turns out they use Explorer, which is a full-size mock-up. I got an intelligent answer to a question asked. :wave:
 
Z

Ziffell

Member
Original Poster
MontyMon said:
I asked because I didn't know. They may have used a since-retired shuttle orbiter. I wouldn't think they'd use an active orbiter.
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There are no retired orbiters, not yet anyway. The only two that are no longer in use were destroyed. There are three remaining (one is currently in orbit). All three have at least one flight left before being retired (except Discovery, which has two missions left).
 
CDavid

CDavid

Well-Known Member
tampabrad said:
They could build a mock up one for much cheaper.
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To paraphrase Walt Disney, it would be cheaper not to have one at all.

Walt Disney World could be a great retirement home for a shuttle, as it would be accessible to many more people than most aviation museums (though it'll be a big draw there). That said, Future World in Epcot may well not be the place for it. The Shuttle will soon represent the past of manned space exploration, not the future that Future World is supposed to represent.

I think it could potentially work very well in a proper Epcot space/aviation pavilion, but perhaps not so well adjacent to Mission Puke-A-Twirl. Frankly, with one orbitor properly going to the Smithsonian, NASA really ought to retain at least one for the KSC visitors complex itself.

Of course, if funding isn't restored, we can always put an Orion mock-up in Tommorrowland ("the future that never was").
 
ChrisFL

ChrisFL

Premium Member
KSC and Universal already have a space shuttle...Disney would just be an "also ran"

the one at Universal is very very small
 
EpcotServo

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
I know I drive mine down to Publix all the time, whenever I just need to run out.

Why is this special, doesn't everyone have one?


No?

Oh wow, I was going to trade it in for a Nissan Stanza...
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
Ziffell said:
Explorer never flew. Not in space or anywhere else. You may be thinking of Enterprise, which was built to take off from the back of a 747 and glide to a landing. It never flew in space and was never designed to. Aside from Enterprise and the shuttles that did (and do) fly in space, the rest are nothing more than mock ups.
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Ah, yes. Thank you. Was confusing my E's.
 
EpcotServo

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
Cmdr_Crimson said:
Out here in Chicago my park Six Flags Great America did have a full size shuttle (without a right wing but was made of fiberglass and was displayed for the simulator attraction called Space Shuttle America: The Next Century...http://www.coasterchild.com/flatrides/spaceshuttle/spaceshuttle.html

However it was recently Demolished as for the past 2 years it was Standing but not operating..
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I actually have one of their costume jackets. Looks just like a regular shuttle crew black and orange jacket, with original Shuttle Program patches and all. Only a single Six Flags patch on it.

It's awesome, all Theme Park workers MUST keep their costume jackets and give them to goodwill someday. Or just give them to me in the first place...
:lol:
 
Cmdr_Crimson

Cmdr_Crimson

Well-Known Member
EpcotServo said:
I actually have one of their costume jackets. Looks just like a regular shuttle crew black and orange jacket, with original Shuttle Program patches and all. Only a single Six Flags patch on it.

It's awesome, all Theme Park workers MUST keep their costume jackets and give them to goodwill someday. Or just give them to me in the first place...
:lol:
Click to expand...

Well, prior to 2000 our park used themed outfits. Most of the clothing was stil there in wardrobe..It was done the same way as Disnery until Six Flags made host & hostesses look like Best Buy employees which was the time I was working there.
 

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