A test flight on Mission: Space
Thursday, June 19, 2003
by Steve Kiskamp, contributing writer
[Editorial Note: We greatly appreciate Steve and Vicki taking the time to share their thoughts with us; but we know that they weren't alone in getting this chance to experience Mission: Space. We would like to present as many responses to the ride as possible, so if you have had the opportunity as well, please consider dropping us a note for our Mailbag. -- Alex Stroup]
OK, I'm not a writer, but I will attempt to explain the culmination of nearly 2 years of waiting. Waiting for the new and innovative ride called Mission: Space.
The entrance to the new Mission: Space attraction in Epcot beckons visitors. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
We had heard rumors that Epcot had done some Cast Previews (for Epcot cast members only) the last week, and that earlier this week they had opened it up in the late afternoon (around the time of Future World closing) to guests who just happened to be in the area.
The Fab Five welcome visitors on the wall of the gift shop.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
We actually arrived late to Epcot on Thursday, not sure what to expect. We made a beeline to Mission: Space. There were cast members all over the place, basically explaining things to people (“What's this attraction?” was asked a lot).
Vicki and I just walked past the perimeter fence (they do still close the ride most of the time, so not all the construction perimeter has been dismantled). The cast members merely said a courteous “Welcome.”
Take your own model spaceship home. Photo by Vicki Groff.
I won't get into details about the exterior, because they have been done to death. I have to say though that it was really fascinating to see the large Moon replication with all of the missions that have been sent there, both Russian and American.
Walking back toward the ride's queue entrance, cast members were there telling people to read every word on the warning signs and verbally telling them what to be careful of: Motion, dark, loud, and tight (read: claustrophobic) conditions. There is even a mockup of the pod with dummies inside in “flight” configuration to show you how cramped it is. Sorry, no pictures of that one.
Visitors can reminisce about Mission: Space as they enjoy their mugs of coffee at home. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Entering the queue past the last outside warning sign, we were told it would be a 60-minute wait. No problem! We had waited 2 years, what's another hour? We wrapped around the first turn (line was short; only one outside turn of queue for us) and waited about 15 feet from the door that reads “Standby Trainees” with an arrow pointing inside.
A sign, labeled “Standby Trainees” shows the way to the queue for the attraction. Photo by Vicki Groff.
We entered the door and were greeted by the sounds of the future. Think Space Mountain, but different. To the right was the International Space Training Center (ISTC) logo announcing its celebration of 75 years in human space flight, giving you the impression that this was the year 2036.
Guests are transported to another time — 2036 — as the International Space Training Center celebrates 75 years of human space flight. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Walking through the queue, visitors see a large rotating structure — a mockup of a space station. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Continuing, the next room appears to be the main internal switch-backs for the queue, made up of five turns. This allowed enough time to take in the sights of the room, but not much time to take pictures. The line did move fairly fast through here.
The space station, as viewed by visitors in the queue.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
The room is dominated by a very large rotating structure. Presumably a mockup of a rotating space station, I would compare it to the Skylab exhibit at Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., but larger. There was a kitchen, dining room, medical lab and other habitation modules. In front of it all was the descriptive sign. Very interesting indeed.
One of the rooms in the space station is furnished as a dining room. Photo by Vicki Groff.
One of the areas in the space station is an exercise room, to help astronauts stay fit in low-gravity environments. Photo by Vicki Groff.
A sign for the simulation lab notifies astronauts that they must check in with the Training Ops Center before conducting training. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Other items of interest in this queue area are ship model hanging from the ceiling (somewhat like Space Mountain, but less like 2001: Space Odyssey), and a Mars Rover. Before exiting the room, be sure to look up and see the homages to the Aliens movies and the late science fiction author Douglas Adams.
Model ships hang from the ceiling in the queue.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
Another model in the queue is the Mars Rover.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
The next room is the Training Operations area. A curving hall with plaques and photos on the left, showing the the history of space flight (real and fake, including “First Family in Space”), and the right has what is supposed to be a Control Room with live cast members. I looked at their consoles, and I didn't think they were actually controlling, at least from the side we could see.
A history of space flight is presented in a curving hallway.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
At the end of this room, we were asked the “How many people?” question. We were told to go to Room 1. The anteroom has a large Mission: Space logo on the floor with directions to each of the four rooms.
75 years of space history means a lot of plaques showing important people, even if they are yet to be born in our real world. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Entering Room 1, we were directed to the first two spots of row 8, which reminded me of Test Track. This is the briefing room. There are 10 rows of four here — each centrifuge has 10 pods of four persons, for 40 people per flight. Visuals in the room include space suits and the ISTC logos all over the place. Time from entry to this point took approximately 30 minutes. At this point, we were told to put the camera away in order to get ready for the briefing and the ride.
More wall plaques. Photo by Vicki Groff.
The briefing starts, and we are greeted with the view of our instructor, portrayed by actor Gary Sinise. He told us of the history of training, and what we will be doing in very vague terms. I'm sorry, but if it wasn't for the expectation of the last 2 years it took us to get to this point, Gary would have done nothing to instill excitement.
Theming in the queue includes steel walls with painted signs.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
There are four positions in the pod. From left to right, they are navigator, pilot, commander, and engineer. We are told that we will be subjected to the rigors of flight including strong G-forces, and were given a chance to exit if we did not think we could handle it. The briefing ends and we waited, presumably for the last ride to end and exit. This took a few minutes, then the doors opened.
We were instructed row by row (5 and 6, 4 and 7, then 3 and 8, and so on) to exit the briefing room and walk around the large circular hall to our designated number. There, we waited until everyone was in place, then Gary returned with another, final, briefing. We were told, with lighted cues, what each of our roles were, and what we would be expected to do — I was the pilot, and Vicki was navigator. We would be instructed to press certain buttons at certain cues. This sinks in, and we are ready to go!
The control room. Photo by Vicki Groff.
On cue, we enter the pod in order. It's fairly open at this point, but in the pre-brief, we are shown that the instrument console will move closer. We are instructed to put our personal items in an enclosed area that is like a large glove box. This is a wonderful addition for the ride, and is much better than loose cargo nets like they use on Star Tours. We sit, and pull down the shoulder harness (the only restraint). Now, at six feet four inches tall, I'm a big guy, and the seat was pretty comfortable.
Or pod door closed and the console panel moves close. All of us were surprised at how close it comes. The console is filled with buttons, switches and knobs — enough to make any kid happy to start pressing and flipping. The two mission buttons are very visible on the console underneath the main view port. The viewport is the large monitor directly in front of you. There is a smaller monitor below that is slightly recessed, and which was impossible for me to see completely, but since this didn't seem integral to the experience, it was only a minor disappointment.
A mockup of an astronaut suit. Photo by Vicki Groff.
We hear Mission Control start the countdown, and we brace ourselves with anticipation for our ride to begin. We feel (and see through our “viewport”) that we rotate into launch position on our backs. The countdown reaches zero — the engines start and the pod rumbles. We cackle with joy at the start of our flight!
There is a waiting area set aside especially for children who are not yet tall enough to go on Mission:Space. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Spoiler Alert
What follows is a very detailed description of the ride… as much as I remember. If you prefer not to have your first ride spoiled with the following information, please stop reading now. You have been warned.
We are forced back into our seats as the viewport shows the tower quickly passing by. You are pressed deeper and deeper into your seat as the G-forces tell your body, “Hey! See what the astronauts get to do!” Although it is only 2+ Gs (2.5 from what we heard), it is the most I have felt since the the launch of California Screamin' coaster at Disney's California Adventure park, or Rock 'n' Rollercoaster at Disney-MGM Studios park. The difference, however, was that this was sustained for what felt like a full minute, although it was probably less. The cackles soon turn into squeals from the two teenage girls that are sitting in the commander and engineer positions.
The one warning you should really pay attention to is to always look straight ahead. I can attest to the importance of this, as I made the mistake of looking toward Vicki and paid for it with a bit of vertigo — quite disorienting.
Signage for the Space Base. Photo by Vicki Groff.
The flight continues… through the clouds… into Earth orbit. Main engine cutoff, then weightlessness! Or, at least very close: when you get used to 2+ Gs for a minute, the lack of that force feels like weightlessness. CapCom comes on the radio, and it's time for us to actually do some work.
“Navigator. You must activate the 2nd stage motor to send you on your way to Mars. Press the 2nd Stage Engine button on my command. Ready? Press now!”
The shoulder harness is a little restraining, but since the console was tilted quite close, Vicki can reach the button and press it on command. Whoosh! Back into our seats we're pressed with new G-forces. On toward Mars!
Visitors can enjoy the Mission: Space Race, an interactive area. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Other commands are issued and the appropriate crew member presses the appropriate button on command. Vicki and I had no problems with getting our tasks completed. The two teenage girls were surprised that they had to do anything, and didn't want to. With a little encouragement, though, we continued on the mission.
Before reaching the Red Planet, we ran into an asteroid field. This is where the comparison to Star Tours is quite appropriate — left… right… up… down. We dodge and move without running into anything; we have no control, as Mission Control does the flying. However, we have to deploy the shields to safely get through the danger. Thunk! Blackout! Something hit us and knocked out most of our electrical. This can be fixed by the push of a button. Click! Back up.
Mars. Red. Big. And getting bigger. Retro rockets! Click! More G-forces as we descend.
Disembodied Mickey head or another souvenir?
Photo by Vicki Groff.
Up until this point all of the controls on the console can be pushed or flipped without affecting the mission (except the two primary buttons for each position). When Vicki and I got in the pod, we wondered about the joystick that each position had: We were about to find out.
Apparently, the “thunk” we heard damaged our auto-landing system, so all four of us had to work together to safely land the craft at the base. With hands on force-feedback joysticks, we followed the instructions: “Pull up!… Go left!” Dodging Mars canyon walls and boulders all the way. Ah-ha — the landing strip! All lined up, the only thing left is to put it down.
The problem is we are way too fast. We touch down, but are commanded to pull back, to flair properly and try to stop before going over the cliff at the end of the runway. Farther and farther down the runway, passing the end of it, we fast approach the final berm before going over the cliff. We hit the berm, and finally come to a stop.
If visitors like the Fab Five painting on the shop wall, they can take astronaut Mickey home in the form of these coffee mugs.
Photo by Vicki Groff.
We wait a few precious seconds, then “boom!” The weight of our craft has caused the cliff to give way. We pitch forward, thrown into the shoulder harness looking down a deep canyon. Mission Control comes on and warns, “Don't move a muscle! We'll get you into proper position.” Slowly we are pulled back and righted into a normal landing position, and we realize we are at the end of the ride.
As we get out of our pod, we see others emerge from theirs. Wobbly legs seem to be the order of the day. We head on out and see many cast members apparently checking us out for reactions. Both Vicki and I each give big thumbs up. This has been the culmination of over 2 years of waiting for this ride, and we were ecstatic and giggling with glee.
Visitors wishing to spend money on a slick souvenir can pick up this fancy leather jacket for Mission: Space. Photo by Vicki Groff.
Our other reactions: Vicki normally has problems with any kind of computer 3D motion, but she had no problem with Mission: Space. On the other hand, I play 3D computer games all the time, and experienced some disorientation. However, I would say that this was caused by my moving my head during the launch sequence. My own fault. Listen to — and follow — the warnings, and you should be OK.
Out we go, away from the ride and into the post-ride area.
…and immediately we want to go back and do it again!
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