What happened to pretty Spaceship Earth?

Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
gsimpson said:
I really couldn't agree more, no matter what happens, it's presented as Disney in general and TDO in particular as being evil incarnate on this board. They upgrade ANY attraction and "they've ruined [fill in attraction name here], I'll never go back" or heaven forbid demolish an attraction to build a new one and "They've destroyed the whole park, [fill in attraction name here] was Walt's favorite and represented the true spirit of [fill in park name here], they've ruined it for me and I'm never going back again They don't update a ride and "[fill in attraction name here] is completely outdated, why don't they ever reimagine it. The way they have let this place go I'm never coming back". They wash SSE "Look how horrible that looks, they just don't keep it up like they used to" {FYI, in 1984 when all was right with the World I saw SSE with large black areas near the top}, and of course when they don't wash SSE "Look how horrible that looks, they just don't keep it up like they used to". This one is particularly stupid because it would not be physically possible to wash a structure that size during one night between closing and opening.
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I do agree to some extent but, it's not that bad here. Yes, many are vocal about the changes that we have seen over the years and sometimes our perspective is messed up a little due to a desire to have that same feeling we had when we first walked the paths of WDW.

SSE is a marvel and a tribute to maintenance, if only we could find the way to give credit where it is due. Look at the outer skin of SSE and let yourself be amazed by the fact that this surface is 32 years old. It has been sitting out in the central Florida weather, direct sunshine, rain, a couple of hurricanes, hail storms, high winds and still looks like it was just built yesterday. My goodness, it's almost like people think that Disney has a way to alter the natural aging of materials and expect it to do that forever. Well, I'm here to tell you that SSE is a testament to engineering and care whether we are willing to admit it or not.

I think that SSE is just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that has been allowed to decline. Why? I don't have a clue, but it is selective. When they want to care about something they certainly have the ability to do so.
 
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tirian

tirian

Well-Known Member
Goofyernmost said:
I do agree to some extent but, it's not that bad here. Yes, many are vocal about the changes that we have seen over the years and sometimes our perspective is messed up a little due to a desire to have that same feeling we had when we first walked the paths of WDW.

SSE is a marvel and a tribute to maintenance, if only we could find the way to give credit where it is due. Look at the outer skin of SSE and let yourself be amazed by the fact that this surface is 40 years old. It has been sitting out in the central Florida weather, direct sunshine, rain, a couple of hurricanes, hail storms, high winds and still looks like it was just built yesterday. My goodness, it's almost like people think that Disney has a way to alter the natural aging of materials and expect it to do that forever. Well, I'm here to tell you that SSE is a testament to engineering and care whether we are willing to admit it or not.

I think that SSE is just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that has been allowed to decline. Why? I don't have a clue, but it is selective. When they want to care about something they certainly have the ability to do so.
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Psssst. It's only about 31 years old.

And yes, it is a marvel of engineering. :)
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
tirian said:
Psssst. It's only about 31 years old.

And yes, it is a marvel of engineering. :)
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Yup...miscounted there, however, it doesn't change anything concerning what has happened over that time with it. If one were to abandon a building in that area, I wonder what it would look like in 32, BTW, years. :happy:
 
unkadug

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Victor Kelly said:
Hold on, they wash up instead of down? Last time i saw anything about physics, you wash from the top down because the crud flows down.

Can someone explain why because I have big question marks in my head right now.
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You aren't the only that was wondering why it was done this way.
 
RAXIP

RAXIP

Well-Known Member
Victor Kelly said:
Hold on, they wash up instead of down? Last time i saw anything about physics, you wash from the top down because the crud flows down.

Can someone explain why because I have big question marks in my head right now.
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Again, from 2010:
raven said:
Cleaning this morning at 4AM using the 150' high reach:

0708100404.jpg


07082010041.jpg


These were taken with a cell phone so I'm sorry for the poor quality. I had it wrong the first time about the order of the cleaning. They told me that they start at the bottom and work their way up having to pressure wash upwards so it doesn't fall on the other buildings, flowers and people that are working below. This is why the top looks "dirty." As of this morning the dark spots are facing The Seas side of SSE (west) but everything should be completed soon. It's quite a process! :wave:
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misterID

misterID

Well-Known Member
Megalodumb said:
Does anyone know how long it will take them to eventually clean off the top? We're going the week of Oct 6-11, and I would hate for my children to see this. :(
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It looked horrible (like the picture posted) for one day when I was there and it returned to normal the next. When I left it seemed like it was in good shape. :)

I'm more concerned about the inside: Paperboy facing the wrong way. The hardly there woolly mammoth. An okay narration replacing an epic one and a descent that doesn't match the ride. And all the terrible curtains in the planatarium covering where the space-walking astronaut and satellite are supposed to be.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
What's the deal with the paperboy? Was there something wrong with his face during the rerfurb? (What's wrong with your faaaace?)

Did they just prefer to have him facing so that it looked like he was hawking his wares toward the street matte painting?
At least his voice isn't as annoying as it was in the Cronkite version.
 
Bairstow

Bairstow

Well-Known Member
Victor Kelly said:
Your reply does answer my question. I don't care when, I care why. Why go against physics and wash up instead of down.

And I also thought the tiles were self cleaning.
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Probably for the very reason we see exhibited here. After a wash, dirt is more likely to be left exposed and visible on the upper tiles than the ones on the side of the sphere.
I would imagine this is because it's easier for a glob of dirt to get stuck on top of an upwards-facing tile than a sideways-facing one.
Gravity simply isn't going to be as big a help and it's going to be more obvious in the sunlight.
After all, they've had 30 years to figure out the best way to clean this thing.
 
alphac2005

alphac2005

Well-Known Member
WDW Monorail said:
I just don't understand this place. People complain if things don't get cleaned and people complain when things are in the process of being cleaned. There is zero sense on this board anymore.
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I think part of the issue is that cleaning and maintenance used to have such adequate personnel and budgets that things were taken care of rapidly and never noticed by nary a visitor. I'd love to know how many crew members used to power wash SSE at a time in the past vs. today's value standards at the parks. The massive cutting in third shift cleaning and maintaining have been well documented. So, instead of a day of dirt on SSE it becomes days and so forth with the current TDO standards. I think that's the point that many are getting at.
 
Victor Kelly

Victor Kelly

Well-Known Member
Bairstow said:
Probably for the very reason we see exhibited here. After a wash, dirt is more likely to be left exposed and visible on the upper tiles than the ones on the side of the sphere.
I would imagine this is because it's easier for a glob of dirt to get stuck on top of an upwards-facing tile than a sideways-facing one.
Gravity simply isn't going to be as big a help and it's going to be more obvious in the sunlight.
After all, they've had 30 years to figure out the best way to clean this thing.
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This answer makes more sense than some of the other unhelpful replies. I thank this person, but laugh at the other non-helpfuls.
 

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