Spaceship in Spaceship Earth

[Clark Griswold]

I remember the astronauts managing the satellite during some of my earlier trips, but like everyone else, I don't remember when the entire display was removed or for what reason it was taken out.

"Attention, your time travel vehicle is rotating backwards for your return to earth."

 

[PhilharMagician]

Thanks, looking forward to seeing it.

 

[Flounder_de]

Hi everybody,

Martin's video edit is up. You can find it here:

SPACESHIP EARTH 180top - The debate continues... January 2007


Either right click and save target as or just play it in your WM player or whatever your standard is

Thanks Martin for putting up new stuff for discussion

Cheers,
Flounder

 

[marni1971]

thanks, Flounder. Let the discussions continue..... :lol:

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

What no "Tomorrow's Child" added background music when watching this?! Haha Just Kidding! :wave: Well it's fortunate to have this video, plus the flash picture of the satelite dish.

This must mean that the satelite dish was inside the vertical shaft that housed the space station. The vertical shaft was NOT the space station, it was really story wise outerspace itself. The window, which is behind us and to our right is the outside of the space station. The roof, with track lighting is the overhead bayand below that is where the mechanical arm is holding the satelite, attatched to the "exterior" of the space station where the girl is looking out the window.

Luckily the whole, "is it a window, was there a girl there" thing is solved. I am convinced the girl in the window was recycled and is now the girl on the videophone conference with the boy in the current modern scene before approaching 180top. The interior of the window was removed as a simple black cover was placed over the window as the window is too big and possibly structurably stable to the shaft in some way, shape or form.

As far as two satelites go....I dunno...after seeing the video...perhaps it is not a second satelite...but a very bad look at the earth projection?

It would be in the spot where the earth projection should be right? Even if not it would be in the general area, thus proving that the "second" satelite if there was one, was not in the middle of 180 top, but rather close to the solar pannel satelite.

Looking at the satelite flash picture and the worldkey picture...I now think there was only one satelite. I think the worldkey picture was a preopening day photo of the satelite, before it was completed with solar pannels. The flash photo is of front perspective and does not offer a side view of the satelite which I now think is a long cylindar, unless the cylindar was shortened over time.

 

[Pabgo]

I'm still wondering why they took it out.

BTW, Really old thread, but thanks for bringing it up!

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

We have learned since the original discussion that the satelite and astronaut were removed to be repaired, and refurbished and were originally going to be once again included in the 1994 refurb of SSE.

However the money to upgrade and update the astronaut, along with time and other factors were not working for these two otherwise mediocre set pieces that were nothing like the money that was being spent into ripping out the "tomorrow's child" ending and putting in a new ending.

So thus the satelite and astronaut never returned. It then made no sense for the girl in the window to be staring out into....well nothing...plus the space station scene was outdated, and money was thus not being spent for it, so all the track lighting was removed, and other effects, the set was painted black, the girl *in my opinion* was removed from the window as is now the girl having a videophone conference with the boy in the modern scene, the interior of the window was removed, and a simple black surface was placed over the window frame, and the window itself was also painted black.

However pre 2005-6 it was pretty hard to make the "lost" space station scene out. Since Seimens has begun gradually refurbishing the ride, I found it quite easy to see the window, and the shell of the former space station because the refurbished floating classroom projection makes it much brighter in that area more than ever.

 

[Pabgo]

Whoa.Thanks for the info! Last time I rode in November I could easily make out where the window of the girl was. You could even sort of see the black sheet/tarp, too!

 

[Horizons1]

So that lunar scenery, what was it like before the rehab? I always noticed it had a shape but never could come to a conclusion of what it was.

 

[marni1971]

Ahh.. here we go again

BTW, Expo, amongst the footage is the clearest recording of verse 3 of TC I`ve heard. you never know.....

I figured the satellite was to the right of the track, as we knew, and just outside of the shaft area. Possibly next to it. I`ll have to draw a plan to show this clearer.

Regarding the `first` satellite, I`m favouring the pre-opening idea also. However, the Astronaut is in the wrong place and in the wrong position, and I doubt they made that big a change. Also, at first I also thought `dim earth projection`, but in the rest of the clip earth is as bright as normal. It would also be off to the cameras left and behind at this moment. I guess this one is still open to interpratation.

It had to happen - more hard to understand drawings from moi. The 2007 versions!

 

[marni1971]

So that lunar scenery, what was it like before the rehab? I always noticed it had a shape but never could come to a conclusion of what it was.

The way I was told was that it was placed in early `82 as part of the original 180top idea that never worked. Though George M didn`t work on SSE (he was upto his neck with Horizons) he was asked to revue the 180top scene. Original plans had you rotating around the edge of a space station under construction (as in the original concept art of 180top) just above the moon. The placement, viewing angles and perspective never worked properly so the idea of the moon being so close was abandoned - not before the set was mostly in place. The finished part of the station and satellite(s) worked so were kept in place.

That`s why in an astronomically correct planetarium you see no moon projection.

 

[Horizons1]

Best (educated) guess I know of is that it was placed in early `82 as part of the original 180top idea that never worked. Though George M didn`t work on SSE (he was upto his neck with Horizons) he was asked to revue the 180top scene. Original plans had you rotating around the edge of a space station under construction (as in the original concept art of 180top) just above the moon. The placement, viewing angles and perspective never worked properly so the idea of the moon being so close was abandoned - not before the set was mostly in place. The finished part of the station and satellite(s) worked so were kept in place.

That`s why in an astronomically correct planetarium you see no moon projection.

Ah, I see. Its neat to see what we can that remains of it even though it didn't work out.

 

[mayoki]

:sohappy:
I'm almost as proud that I fathered this thread as when my 2 little ones were born!! Well, maybe it's not that close, but it's great that so many have put so much into this issue. It had literally been bothering me for years and all the discussion has been great.

I want to commend all of you on your knowledge level and sources available to you. You are what make this one of my favorite websites.

By the way, I rode SSE in early December it looked FANTASTIC!! Thank you Siemens!

 

[markmad999]

New footage

I am glad I was able to provide some footage to answer some of the questions. Just wish batteries were better in 1994, as I would have shot SSE a few more times

 

[sissa216]

Man I feel like such a geek..I just sat and caught up on this entire discussion!
I wish I'd caught it last year.....Beanboon's pics are no longer there

But I always get this creepy, eerie feeling that I remember something more from when I was a kid (being 24 now), and this must be it!!

 

[joel_maxwell]

Martin and EXPO....
WOW. with this explaination things start to come back in my memory. this is really weird about the second satelite and astronaut..... but then again, i hope it isnt that trick your mind can play on you.

glad we solved the girl issue. that never seemed right that she wasnt in that window and in another location.

martin... the astronaut and satelite combo, what distance would you say it was from the girl in the window out into the decent tunnel? i am curious about the question of perspective?

 

[marni1971]

Here`s another recent scenery-laden photo provided by blm07. I don`t know who took it, so don`t jump to flash photo conclusions :wave:

This could open up another thought; was the earth projeciton replaced and moved in 1994? Cronkite videos have what appear to be a much smaller earth than all Irons media. Not only that, this picture is looking to the right, just after entering 180 top - the large dark aquare structure is the top of the core. This places the earth on the east wall, the one the omni travels around. I understood the original projection was placed so it was on the west wall - the one furthest away from you, so when the cars spin you are looking straight at it? Man, I need to ride SSE like now!

BTW jmaxwell; I`d say the large (solar pannel) satellite was 15-20ft from the girl. If memory serves, and the video backs me up, it was to the right and right next to the core structure. Looking at the plan on the previous page you went past it, then came closer again to it before descending to the next floor down (though in effect you didn`t get closer to it since you were already dropping in the core)

 

[joel_maxwell]

Here`s another recent scenery-laden photo provided by blm07. I don`t know who took it, so don`t jump to flash photo conclusions :wave:

This could open up another thought; was the earth projeciton replaced and moved in 1994? Cronkite videos have what appear to be a much smaller earth than all Irons media. Not only that, this picture is looking to the right, just after entering 180 top - the large dark aquare structure is the top of the core. This places the earth on the east wall, the one the omni travels around. I understood the original projection was placed so it was on the west wall - the one furthest away from you, so when the cars spin you are looking straight at it? Man, I need to ride SSE like now!

BTW jmaxwell; I`d say the large (solar pannel) satellite was 15-20ft from the girl. If memory serves, and the video backs me up, it was to the right and right next to the core structure. Looking at the plan on the previous page you went past it, then came closer again to it before descending to the next floor down (though in effect you didn`t get closer to it since you were already dropping in the core)

huh.... do you think they changed to have a larger focal point when the axed the satelites?

what materials do you think the large solar panel/ astronaut were made out of? it looks quite large to be supported by only 1 arm (boom).

secondly, martin, the small astronaut/satellite that was discussed a few pages back and in the movie, what was the distance of that one from the girl

 

[marni1971]

Could be my mistake; the picture is looking towards the west wall - taken looking left, just AFTER vehicle rotation. The square enclosure is the top of the ascent tunnel. The roof used to give acces to the scissor lift for the top hatch.

the smaller (first) satellite? I`d judge at least double the distance from the 2nd one we all agree on.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Could be my mistake; the picture is looking towards the west wall - taken looking left, just AFTER vehicle rotation. The square enclosure is the top of the ascent tunnel. The roof used to give acces to the scissor lift for the top hatch.

the smaller (first) satellite? I`d judge at least double the distance from the 2nd one we all agree on.

isnt the cable on the bottom left corner the same as the one in the beanboon photos that are assisting holding up the screen (photo SSE0)

cool. i guess that puts to bed the rumor that a sheet or curtain was covering the small one up for years.

one question about the membrane: the hatch up top, i wonder what kind of seal the have to protect water leaking around the seams and it would be interesting to know if they have ever had any significant leaks.