Spaceship in Spaceship Earth

mayoki

Member
Original Poster
Is it my (8o's impaired) imagination, or did there used to be a spaceship in the planetarium on Spaceship Earth? I seem to remember that from my trips in 85 & 86.

BTW, I'm going to feel real bad if the answer is no.
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
mayoki said:
Is it my (8o's impaired) imagination, or did there used to be a spaceship in the planetarium on Spaceship Earth? I seem to remember that from my trips in 85 & 86.

BTW, I'm going to feel real bad if the answer is no.
There was a Satellite with 2 astronauts on it, which was removed around *Insert Correct Date here* because no one really knows why.


Yensid "Like a grand and miraculous Spaceship . . . " tlaw1969
 

SirNim

Well-Known Member
I seem to remember having heard that the satellite prop is still up there in the planetarium, only it's covered by a tarp of some sort. This may not be factual, of course. I'm not sure.
 

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
I don't know of any incident with the satellite. All I know is that since the 1994 rehab the satellite is not clearly visible. It is either hidden behind the rockwork of the moon, or covered up, or completely gone.

To me I've never understood why it is no longer in the public eye. Either it malfunctioned, looked to outdated, or was deemed too distracting from the stairfield and planet earth projection.

I wish it would come back, but it does look a little tacky. LOL. :dazzle:
 

yensidtlaw1969

Well-Known Member
biggbird5182 said:
Why did they remove it? What incident happened?
UGH! NOOOOO! I DIDN'T INTEND THIS! I was just being stupid. Sorry! I should edit my post now. Sorry for any confusion! No incident! None whatsoever! WHATSOEVER!!!

Yensid "Snaps?" tlaw1969
 

jmvd20

Well-Known Member
I specifically looked for the ship last week when we rode SSE but didn't see it anywhere. Even if they had it covered with something it seems as if you would still be able to see the shadow of it. Based on that my guess is that it is gone. It would be very interesting to know the exact reason why it was removed.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Being the geek I am with these things, I`ve recently been doing some research for a video including 180 top from the Perrin & Cronkite era.

As well as the satellite and astronaut there was also a form - as in a shape in the darkness - of a space station. The station had a window in it which had a girl looking out, hands on glass, watching the work on the satellite. It was this `station` that the ride passed under and into backwards, and it was also the structure that held the red strips of light and dome above the track as the descent began.

Here is a work in progress of the layout of 180 top pre 1994:
 

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DisneyWorld30th

Active Member
Expo_Seeker40 said:
Here is the link to a vintage photo showing the satellite in the dome of SSE. It may still be there, covered up, or gone, but it was no longer visible since the 1994 rehab. http://community.webshots.com/photo/536503818/1536521137066580089UBedpq

If you are a vintage photo lover, take a look at this entire album. Has 1980s photos of Disney World, Epcot and Disneyland (w/people movers and skyway)! GREAT PHOTOS!
 

mikeymouse

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
Being the geek I am with these things, I`ve recently been doing some research for a video including 180 top from the Perrin & Cronkite era.

As well as the satellite and astronaut there was also a form - as in a shape in the darkness - of a space station. The station had a window in it which had a girl looking out, hands on glass, watching the work on the satellite. It was this `station` that the ride passed under and into backwards, and it was also the structure that held the red strips of light and dome above the track as the descent began.

Here is a work in progress of the layout of 180 top pre 1994:

Yeah, I remember seeing that on your Perrin video of SSE.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
mikeymouse said:
Yeah, I remember seeing that on your Perrin video of SSE.

:lol: - the satellite without the solar pannels! I did that video before the pic linked above was available. The one I actually used in Perrin was off the WorldKey SSE section, and didn`t show the pannels. At least my Ultimate Cronkite version will have them this time :D
 

Richie248

Well-Known Member
DisneyWorld30th said:
If you are a vintage photo lover, take a look at this entire album. Has 1980s photos of Disney World, Epcot and Disneyland (w/people movers and skyway)! GREAT PHOTOS!

I agree, these vintage photos are great!! Brings back memories!!
 

steve2wdw

WDW Fan Since 1973
The whole satellite/spacestation is still there. After you spin and start heading backwards you pass through the old sets. There are some video screens overhead now, but as you pass through the set you can see the outline as you look towards the roof of the dome. In the 80's you actually passed through the satellite (on the outside). This is all merely in shadow now, but as you travel backwards and look towards the stars on the domed ceiling, imagine all the set pieces (they are dark now) painted white. I believe the girl looking through the window was about 30 feet down the backwards portion to the left. It actually seemed like the whole satellite/spacestation was moving, because as you travelled backwards, it seems as though the set is moving against the stars. It still appears that way, although you would never realize this was originally a set piece. It just looks like partial ceiling now.
 

steve2wdw

WDW Fan Since 1973
I just took a peek at the pic (in the earlier post) and I don't know what happened to that portion of the spacestation, but the rest of the station is still there. Next time you ride and your time machine spins around, everything in front of you on the floor was part of the spacestation. As you travelled backwards (like I said in the previous post) you actually travelled down and around the outside of the station. This is the portion that still appears intact even though it's been painted black.
 

Expo_Seeker40

Well-Known Member
Thank you for that info! I swore I could see part of the mechanical arm for the satellite still visible, a mere shadow though.

I just don't know why they did dismantel and repaint all of it...it seems unecessary.

But here's the task....since I don't go back to WDW until january, whose willing to take some flash pictures??!!!:drevil:
 

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