Spaceship in Spaceship Earth

[mousermerf]

Okie.. I'm not sure I'm reading everything in thi thread right...

I'm waiting for the video to download...

But as far as I can tell from the photos.. First off, the photos "montage" would place the girl behind the rider's POV on the opposing wall from the current classroom scene. That is not where she ever existed as far as I know.

That is where, in reality, there is still the outline of the shape of a sort of a rocketship thuster/fueltank/jet engine inlaid into the wall. You can view it even today, just turn around as the vehicle starts to descend into the core, it's part of the curved wall there - and massive.

The rest of the curved area you descend into was the further extension of the ship/spacestation/whatever-it-was and thus the blocky nature.

The "big satellite" belongs where you are questioning if the second satellite exists. There's a whole platform and setup for a show scene there. Just past it, a nice paneled wall you coast by just before begining your trip down into the core - that's where I assume the girl used to be.

Ok, saw the video.. The first thing the video tracks is a projection. There was a projection of either a "satellite" or Astronauts spacewalking or even a Space shuttle or heck even all 3 - just in style of the SSE outfront mural - I don't recall exactly which that were projected amid the stars. It (or they) was fairly small but look to be what the camera is obviously tracking in the video.

It just kinda floated by on the wall. I'm not the only person who remembers this.


Also, the red arches were used in the Irons version - breifly. One had a mist effect and green lasers. Still there in physical structure entirely.

 

[mousermerf]

Also, your groundplan assumes that the vehicles exit the tunnel then turn to face the Earth. They actually turn as they exit - it's a mistake on the groundplan. So, place the earth a few feet over so the focal point is changed slightly.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Okie.. I'm not sure I'm reading everything in thi thread right...

I'm waiting for the video to download...

But as far as I can tell from the photos.. First off, the photos "montage" would place the girl behind the rider's POV on the opposing wall from the current classroom scene. That is not where she ever existed as far as I know.

That is where, in reality, there is still the outline of the shape of a sort of a rocketship thuster/fueltank/jet engine inlaid into the wall. You can view it even today, just turn around as the vehicle starts to descend into the core, it's part of the curved wall there - and massive.

The rest of the curved area you descend into was the further extension of the ship/spacestation/whatever-it-was and thus the blocky nature.

The "big satellite" belongs where you are questioning if the second satellite exists. There's a whole platform and setup for a show scene there. Just past it, a nice paneled wall you coast by just before begining your trip down into the core - that's where I assume the girl used to be.

Ok, saw the video.. The first thing the video tracks is a projection. There was a projection of either a "satellite" or Astronauts spacewalking or even a Space shuttle or heck even all 3 - just in style of the SSE outfront mural - I don't recall exactly which that were projected amid the stars. It (or they) was fairly small but look to be what the camera is obviously tracking in the video.

It just kinda floated by on the wall. I'm not the only person who remembers this.


Also, the red arches were used in the Irons version - breifly. One had a mist effect and green lasers. Still there in physical structure entirely.

great input merf. any photos?

 

[joel_maxwell]

Also, your groundplan assumes that the vehicles exit the tunnel then turn to face the Earth. They actually turn as they exit - it's a mistake on the groundplan. So, place the earth a few feet over so the focal point is changed slightly.

yes, dont you get the warning spiel in the tunnel thing and like you said, apon exiting you are facing southwest - west already

 

[marni1971]

But as far as I can tell from the photos.. First off, the photos "montage" would place the girl behind the rider's POV on the opposing wall from the current classroom scene. That is not where she ever existed as far as I know.effect and green lasers. Still there in physical structure entirely.

Welcome to the party Merf! :wave:
Hmm... regarding the girl, all info available does say she was in the wall`cone` - that the window was placed in the outlined area you can still see today. I`ll admit I rememebred her being truely to the right of track all the time, though having looked at the evidence this theory works in part if she was above the track.

Now... a projection. Ha! I have a vague memory of this (going back to 1990, and -ouch- 1987) - that would explain the `murk` on every single video I`ve seen. And every single video spends a lot of time looking at this blob, as if it was something really interesting during the ride. At least to the naked eye.

SO... the `94 rehab utilised the red bars? It must have been deactivated very early - my earliest vid of Irons is January `95 - when everything was working - apart from this. Interesting. Any pics of this or anything else of note?

 

[mousermerf]

Remember when they closed SSE for a day round '02-'03?

That's around when I saw the green laser/mist version of the bars working. I had always wondered what the effect was for. It lasted maybe a week, then was gone forever, the mist staying around for several months before I noticed it was starting to drip water on the riders and then it went away too.

Essentially an array of laser beams is shot at the bar from an angle, and because it's going through mist that's filling the area, it creates a sort of cone. Or, it did, breifly.

 

[gjpjtj]

What a cool thread. I can't believe I have missed this one. Lots of great info here, thanks everyone!

 

[marni1971]

What a cool thread. I can't believe I have missed this one. Lots of great info here, thanks everyone!

Yep, Geek-o central. That`s us!

 

[Figment1986]

...That's around when I saw the green laser/mist version of the bars working. I had always wondered what the effect was for. It lasted maybe a week, then was gone forever, the mist staying around for several months before I noticed it was starting to drip water on the riders and then it went away too....

no chance of those effects returning??

 

[shaelyn]

As to the size of the Earth projection, my mental map of the ride always features a smaller Earth in 180top, and the larger projection still kind of surprises me when the omnimover rounds that corner. Maybe I haven't been crazy and there was a smaller image projected, which would probably have been to better scale with the AAs and set theming.


I'm so excited that this thread was recently revived -- first time on the boards since July and I'm back just in time for new posts in probably one of my favorite threads on here!!

 

[ghostlyguitar]

I very clearly remember the mist and the bars working on one of our family vacations several years ago, just after the rehab in '94. As we passed underneath it, we got drizzled on (and it was quite a bit for a drizzle as I recall), and I remember my Dad commenting on it.

I also remember the second ship, though I remember it as a space shuttle with a spacewalking astronaut.

I'm sure I've got some tapes from pre-1994 lying around the house; we'd been going to EPCOT since 1989, and being the Disney fan I am, I never let my Dad sit through a ride without bringing our enormous camcorder. He once told me he barely remembered any of the rides, because he saw them all through the viewfinder. Anyhow, I'm sure Spaceship Earth is committed to tape someplace...I'll give them a lookover and see if I find anything interesting.

I'd also like to say that I've really enjoyed this thread; it's an intriguing look into Epcot's past. Plus there's just something cool about knowing that stuff is all still there, in one form or another.
-Adam-

 

[joel_maxwell]

I very clearly remember the mist and the bars working on one of our family vacations several years ago, just after the rehab in '94. As we passed underneath it, we got drizzled on (and it was quite a bit for a drizzle as I recall), and I remember my Dad commenting on it.

I also remember the second ship, though I remember it as a space shuttle with a spacewalking astronaut.

I'm sure I've got some tapes from pre-1994 lying around the house; we'd been going to EPCOT since 1989, and being the Disney fan I am, I never let my Dad sit through a ride without bringing our enormous camcorder. He once told me he barely remembered any of the rides, because he saw them all through the viewfinder. Anyhow, I'm sure Spaceship Earth is committed to tape someplace...I'll give them a lookover and see if I find anything interesting.

I'd also like to say that I've really enjoyed this thread; it's an intriguing look into Epcot's past. Plus there's just something cool about knowing that stuff is all still there, in one form or another.
-Adam-

hmmm interesting. if you dont have the capabilities... im sure for the sake of the debate, Martin would love to edit some of these (not that he doesnt have anything better to do ) but he is the king of this sort of thing.

BTW, now that you mention it.... i think i remember the mist in spring of '94. i think this contradicts merfs time table though. *shrugs*

 

[marni1971]

Just give me a shout :wave:

Joel; that`s interesting. Either Cronkite was tweaked, or your memories playing with you (I Know mine does) - Irons opened November 23rd 1994.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Just give me a shout :wave:

Joel; that`s interesting. Either Cronkite was tweaked, or your memories playing with you (I Know mine does) - Irons opened November 23rd 1994.

hmmm, well, this is scary. im usually really good at remembering little details like that... but i will say that something over 10 years old does seem to mesh with other experiences. i could be thinking of the rome section and the light fog. who knows. i was 18. 50% of my priorities were the cute girl in the car infront of me

Question: i was thinking last night about this while in the shop.... what or where is the location of the small satelite and big satelite? i just figure if they were in a warehouse somewhere, someone like MouseSurplus would have a feild day with it. I figure we would have seen them a long time ago if they would have been recycled.

 

[SilentWindODoom]

Well, crap. I've been reading through this whole topic from beginning to end, through the good parts and bad, and I finally got to the photos we've all been waiting for, the big dramatic climax...

AND THEY'RE NOT THERE ANYMORE!!!

All the photos are gone now.

 

[wolf359]

Just give me a shout :wave:

Joel; that`s interesting. Either Cronkite was tweaked, or your memories playing with you (I Know mine does) - Irons opened November 23rd 1994.

Are you sure? Could it have had a soft opening sooner than that? The first time I ever went to EPCOT was Memorial Day weekend 1994 and the Jeremy Irons version was what I saw.

 

[marni1971]

Are you sure? Could it have had a soft opening sooner than that? The first time I ever went to EPCOT was Memorial Day weekend 1994 and the Jeremy Irons version was what I saw.

Interesting! I cross check dates with several sources usually - I`ve found official company dates can and are often wrong; depending on which bit of company literature you read for example Space Mountain opened 1974,5 or 6.

I`ll have another check.

 

[Epcotrob]

while keeping myself updated on all things disney I ran across a few pictures of SE with perfect pictures of the big satellite and the other ship with the spacewalking astronaut. The pictures are on jeff langes page... jefflangedvd.com. Im not plugging the webpage but I think the pictures speak for themselves. Just thought You all might want to see the pics there. :wave:

 

[marni1971]

while keeping myself updated on all things disney I ran across a few pictures of SE with perfect pictures of the big satellite and the other ship with the spacewalking astronaut. The pictures are on jeff langes page... jefflangedvd.com. Im not plugging the webpage but I think the pictures speak for themselves. Just thought You all might want to see the pics there. :wave:

Oh. My. God. WOAH! The jigsaw is coming together! Thanks so much for that link. So.... 2 Satellite props

I`ll have a good look at the page (flash pics of the bedroom & office too!)

Big grins

 

[Expo_Seeker40]

Ok ok ok....so there were two space props up there. :drevil:

Excellent to have flash photos of them, but the solar panel one the picture has been placed upside down.

So perhaps we can now say this?

The concepts and everything that was supposed to be the space station in 180 top never truly materialized.

Instead simple moon rock props were installed or they are all that came about from the original concept of the space station. These props are still around.

There was a different and smaller projection of Earth and in a different place....I guess I can believe this...but couldn't it be the old cam corder lenses make it look different? It seems to me that the Earth projection we see now was always the original one.

There were two astronauts and two satelites.

The smallest satelite was to our right as we are heading backwards and out in the open 180 top and just past the earth projection?

The larger satelite was either in the boarder of the space station or was inside the space station which I now believe.

The space station was always simple. Now I beleive it was always painted black and with simple panneling and sound proof material.

The "exterior" of the space station is really the "interior" of the shaft. The exterior houses the window where the girl was looking out. I truly belive she is the same girl in the videophone/modern scene before we reach 180 top.

The roof, or overhang bay of the space station was also dark and black, but had track lighting at the front of it that provided some light.

In 1994 the girl and interiors of the window were removed and a black panel was placed over the window. The solar panel satelite and astronaut were removed as well. Also removed was the smaller satelite and astronaut. Like I said it is much more brighter up there in 180 top now than it ever was thanks to Seimens repairing the ride, etc. I looked very carefully around me and there are NO PROPS, no covers, nothing up there anymore except for the space station.

This would coincide with a few cm's saying that the space props were removed and originally going to come back, but time, money, and buget caused them not to come back, nor was the space station scene revived.

Later on a green light source and laser effect or something was used over the area of the floating television in space area and where the old pink track lighting used to be. I actually found a video of this from a 2000 ride through of SSE from themedattractions.com