Space Mountain (Disneyland)
| Space Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Park | Disneyland Park |
| Land / area | Tomorrowland |
| Type | Indoor steel roller coaster |
| Opened | May 27, 1977 |
| Designer | WED Enterprises |
| Height req. | 40 in (102 cm) |
| Status | Operating |
Space Mountain is an indoor roller coaster in Tomorrowland at Disneyland Park in the Disneyland Resort, California. Opened on May 27, 1977, it is the second Space Mountain built, following the original at Florida's Magic Kingdom by two years, and it differs from its predecessor in layout, trains and experience: a single track carrying two-abreast seating, with an on-board soundtrack woven into the ride since 1996.
The Disneyland version cost some 20 million dollars including its surrounding Space Place complex and stage, and its construction required supports and queue structures to be threaded through a Tomorrowland already crowded with the Submarine Voyage lagoon, the Monorail and the PeopleMover tracks.
History
The concept of a space mountain for Disneyland dated to Walt Disney himself, who in the mid-1960s approved design work on a "Space Port" for Tomorrowland before shelving it as unbuildable with the day's technology. When the Florida version proved both the concept and its computer-controlled operation in 1975, Disneyland's followed — a remarkable reversal of the usual pattern in which California originals were copied in Florida.
Space Mountain opened on May 27, 1977, with a celebration attended by astronauts of the Mercury programme. Its soundtrack arrived in 1996: an arrangement of Camille Saint-Saëns' Aquarium transcribed for surf guitar by Dick Dale, later replaced by an original score by Michael Giacchino.
In April 2003 the ride closed without the customary advance warning for a complete rebuild. Inspection had found the 1977 track fatigued, and the original layout was replaced almost rail for rail with new track, new footings sunk deeper into the ground, new trains and a darker ride chamber with improved effects. It reopened on July 15, 2005, two days before Disneyland's 50th anniversary.
Seasonal versions
The ride has repeatedly been dressed in temporary overlays: Rockin' Space Mountain (2007), with a Red Hot Chili Peppers soundtrack and concert lighting; Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy (2009–2019), a Halloween overlay projecting a cosmic entity onto the ride; and Hyperspace Mountain (2015– ), a Star Wars overlay, originally for the Season of the Force event, which has returned repeatedly and sends riders through a battle between X-wings and TIE fighters.
Experience
Riders board in the space station beneath a slowly rotating starship prop, climb through a tunnel of light effects, and launch into the mountain's darkened dome. Where Florida's version separates riders into single-file rockets on two tracks, Disneyland's trains seat pairs side by side on one track with individual speakers in each seat pumping a synchronised score into the drops and turns, which reach about 32 mph (51 km/h).