Spaceship in Spaceship Earth

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
:confused: I seem to remember Sorceror Mickey on top of SSE....perhaps it was from the 96 vacation planning video or walt disney world inside out show?
 

joel_maxwell

Permanent Resident of EPCOT
Right..... the new, improved orthographic projections....
showphoto.php


Please do mention corrections. I`m also not sure of the correct slope / height of the floor belows roof behind the core. I know somewhere it gets a lot higher, out of sight, but does it rise in one go as I pictured, or does it slope up around the back of the core??
martin... i cant see the image once you go to the photo album. hmmmm, im in mobile today for mardi gras, wonder if its this computer

i leave my job/computer for 1 day and the hatch is solved, photos are there for downloading.... and im out of sorts till monday. errrrr

EDIT: martin, could you email me the latest version.

Hundreds of posts to where a stupid satellite used to be. This thread needs to die.:cool:
hmmm, or you could just go away. :D
 

jasondiff

Member
Over at hiddenmickeys.org's Epcot Fun Facts page, there is a list of reported interesting facts about SSE. This one in particular caught my eye:
SSE has an Equator door allowing access to a gangway which allows access to the exterior triangles. The outer ball (the triangles) stand 2' from the inner ball, the gangway runs the circumference of SSE Equator allowing you to see Orlando.

Does anyone have any corroboration for this? Are they confusing the "gangway" for the drainage gutter at the equator? Is there an "equator door" on any plans anyone has seen?
 

mayoki

Member
Original Poster
And for God Sakes, Stop taking FLASH PICTURES inside Spaceship Earth. It is so annoying when you are trying to enjoy this thing and the yee-ha tourist in front of you wants to take pictures of everything.

That was way off-base. If you had bothered to read the entire thread, you would realize that everyone has had the highest respect for the other guests and have done everything to make sure they didn't ruin the experience for anyone. There are people who take flash pics during the ride, but I can guarantee they are not the type of person who would contribute to this thread.

Relax.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Does anyone have any corroboration for this? Are they confusing the "gangway" for the drainage gutter at the equator? Is there an "equator door" on any plans anyone has seen?
Well... there are indeed 3 doors to the gutter around the 78, 85 and 90ft levels. Interestingly, there is also one door out to `walkway` on the east side around the 88ft level. Now, the 2 ft spacing isn`t that great; I`ll dig out a pic, but I`d assume there has to be some way of cleaning out the gutter of debris.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Another mystery solved... look at this. Top left is a worker stood on the gutter (does it have a `grill` walkway ontop?) and near center you can see the door, with another worker stood in it. The second picture shows the clearence between layers - membrane on left, Alucobond on right. Not much!
 

Attachments

  • SSE Gutter hatch.jpg
    SSE Gutter hatch.jpg
    264.2 KB · Views: 693
  • SSE Between walls.jpg
    SSE Between walls.jpg
    215.5 KB · Views: 315

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
MISSION REPORT!

I got news this morning from last nights Mission:Earth. Results will be in next week, and havn`t been analyzed yet (there is a LOT to look at!) but it sounds VERY promising. There`s a secondary mission with different equipment planned for early next week. No guests were inconvienienced during the pursuit of the mission, BTW.

**end of line**

Seriously, Epcotrob wanted me to share this with you since he`s AWOL until next week, regarding the discussion about where the 180top props went. I`ve stared at this image in the past since something wasn`t quite right, then Epcotrob mentioned this.

SSE Cronkite closed August 15th 1994. FedEx took over sponsorship of Space Mountain in 1994. The SM RYCA/1 postshow was changed into FedEx-1 / FX Port in 1994, in phases. Some of the last props to be installed in FX Port were the figures. One in particular. Too much of a coincidence?
 

Attachments

  • SM SSE figure.jpg
    SM SSE figure.jpg
    84.6 KB · Views: 341

Katya

New Member
Well... there are indeed 3 doors to the gutter around the 78, 85 and 90ft levels. Interestingly, there is also one door out to `walkway` on the east side around the 88ft level. Now, the 2 ft spacing isn`t that great; I`ll dig out a pic, but I`d assume there has to be some way of cleaning out the gutter of debris.

Indeed, I'm not sure where the gutters are, but I do know that there is a walkway (with decent space to walk on for an average sized person; not a leaisurely stroll, but if it was needed to do work) around about the middle. It's fun because if you look out the door, you can see Downtown Disney and the Cirque building. Back in the 80s CMs used to go up there and have lunch and watch out the door to the circus that was behind SSE for a while (true story!). I really wish I could remember where said door is, what show scene it's behind. Somewhere about the renaissance area if I remember correctly.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Argh! The Circus! Those towers were nearly as bad as the wand!

Katya; your`re right. EDIT * I`ve removed the exact location - a bit too sensitive I think * - Katya, check your PM.
 

Horizons1

Well-Known Member
SSE Cronkite closed August 15th 1994. FedEx took over sponsorship of Space Mountain in 1994. The SM RYCA/1 postshow was changed into FedEx-1 / FX Port in 1994, in phases. Some of the last props to be installed in FX Port were the figures. One in particular. Too much of a coincidence?


Coincidence me thinks not. The astronaut appears to be in the same stance as the one from the SE pic, hes just a little more detailed. I'd bet thats him right there.
 

jasondiff

Member
Coincidence me thinks not. The astronaut appears to be in the same stance as the one from the SE pic, hes just a little more detailed. I'd bet thats him right there.

I'd have to agree. It looks like they just amputated him at the knees, put on some new garb, and there he is!
 

PBarton

Active Member
Another mystery solved... look at this. Top left is a worker stood on the gutter (does it have a `grill` walkway ontop?) and near center you can see the door, with another worker stood in it. The second picture shows the clearence between layers - membrane on left, Alucobond on right. Not much!
Wow! That would freak me out being in that gap between layers,

Talk about claustraphobic! (spelling..)

How would the Alcubond panel hinge open on the equator opening? Surely if CM's had there lunch in that area, they would be able to be seen by guests around Future World?

This thread gets better and better!

Looking at the worker in that equator door gives a real impression of the size of Spaceship Earth - amazing!
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I dare say the Aluconbond pannels don`t open on the equator; there is a gap between them to allow the rain through, so I`d guess you can see between them when your nose is inches from the gap! I`ve found a pic of the gutter hatch too amongst others; I`ll upload shortly. Another ep of 24 to watch first :D
 

joel_maxwell

Permanent Resident of EPCOT
thanks for the update link. i cant wait to get home and do a bunch of *right click, save*

great photos of the gutters/doors. very interesting. im definately curious about the circus door info that was removed due to sensitive nature.... but then again, i respect the privacy of possible source etc etc.

hey, wait.... what circus and towers from the 80's? you have to understand, i might be just having a post mardi gras brain dead moment. :lol:
 

joel_maxwell

Permanent Resident of EPCOT
I dare say the Aluconbond pannels don`t open on the equator; there is a gap between them to allow the rain through, so I`d guess you can see between them when your nose is inches from the gap! I`ve found a pic of the gutter hatch too amongst others; I`ll upload shortly. Another ep of 24 to watch first :D
you guys are some jack freaks. lol

well, we have 2 vote here that say it does look close.... but i think that the 2 astronauts are not the same origin. do you think it would be more dificult to use the old SSE guy and make the new SM guy around him or just start from scratch. i bet the material isnt flexible and the old SSE guy looks quite stiff.... ive been wrong about everything else so put your money on the opposite that i say.
 

Omnispace

Well-Known Member
I don't see much of a similarity, though I certainly would rather be the FedEx spaceman....at least he seems to have an air supply. I'm sure it's difficult to hold one's breath in space.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
So.... the terrorists still have 19 cannisters of nerve gas.... sorry. Back to the thread :lol:

The Daredevil Circus was a late 80`s show behing SSE - it included two towers set up behind each Communicore with a high wire between the two. I have some vids of it somewhere. It kind of fitted EPCOT as much as Barbie did. They scrapped it and developed Splashtacular - the ultimate crowd control nightmare :D

Though none of the circus hardware was near SSE, I guess Katya was saying you had a good view of it all from between the outer panels.

Regarding the SSE spaceman in SM; I`d say it`s a match. Legs can be moved (or removed) - it`s a mannaquin, right? The styling of the spacesuit with it`s ribbed material is so late 70-s in design - not `94. Not even in a retro way. It just dosn`t fit with the botched FX Port makeover (done on the cheap - so cheap they`d be looking for props wherever they could find them)

Now, more pics. Still a bit off topic until the mission reports come in :D

First up is what I believe is a gutter hatch. Next is what appears to be another door on the west side, facing The Land. After that are two pictures showing the plant vents under the Alucobond pannels on the roof. This part of SSE has always fascianted me. The Geosphere is at basic level just a building. An amazing one, but one with plumbing, toilets, aircon, smoke extraction, fire detection and surperssion systems and the rest. How`s is it kept cool? Where does the hot air go? I know 180top is very hot - heat rises and all that - but it has to go somewhere. Here`s what look like 6 HVAC or similar venting units. Like Chimneys. These could also be a reason for the soot marks that appear from time to time. Winds at the 180ft mark must play havoc with dirt and soot, especially as they blow around such a unique shape. They must blow dirty air from inside around and over the Alucobond pannels (self cleaning, but they need rainwater to help) - assuming there arn`t more vents on the side of the membrane.
 

Attachments

  • SSE Gutter hatch and poss door.jpg
    SSE Gutter hatch and poss door.jpg
    212.5 KB · Views: 566
  • SSE absail and roof plant.jpg
    SSE absail and roof plant.jpg
    149.2 KB · Views: 241
  • SSE Roof Plant.jpg
    SSE Roof Plant.jpg
    376.3 KB · Views: 233

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom