I may get to ride this after all.
Less than a month after a second person died after riding Mission: Space, Walt Disney World is reworking its hazardous but popular Epcot ride to offer a Mission: Space-lite option for some people.
The thrill ride simulates a spaceship launch, flight and landing with a combination of centrifugal and other motion forces and audio and video "virtual-reality" effects. There are four separate centrifuge systems in the ride building, each with 10 pods that can hold four riders each.
Disney announced Tuesday that it will turn off the centrifuge on at least one system, so that riders who don't want, or should not try, the spinning may still ride.
The new option would be available by early summer.
A company spokeswoman said the change is not being made because of the April 12 death of a German tourist, Hiltrud Blumel, the death last summer of a 4-year-old boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, or numerous other illness complaints.
Instead, Disney is characterizing the nonspinning ride as an exciting new option.
"By offering a second adventure, we hope to broaden the appeal of Mission: Space and enable even more guests to experience the attraction," Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in a prepared statement.
The Rest of the Story
Less than a month after a second person died after riding Mission: Space, Walt Disney World is reworking its hazardous but popular Epcot ride to offer a Mission: Space-lite option for some people.
The thrill ride simulates a spaceship launch, flight and landing with a combination of centrifugal and other motion forces and audio and video "virtual-reality" effects. There are four separate centrifuge systems in the ride building, each with 10 pods that can hold four riders each.
Disney announced Tuesday that it will turn off the centrifuge on at least one system, so that riders who don't want, or should not try, the spinning may still ride.
The new option would be available by early summer.
A company spokeswoman said the change is not being made because of the April 12 death of a German tourist, Hiltrud Blumel, the death last summer of a 4-year-old boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, or numerous other illness complaints.
Instead, Disney is characterizing the nonspinning ride as an exciting new option.
"By offering a second adventure, we hope to broaden the appeal of Mission: Space and enable even more guests to experience the attraction," Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in a prepared statement.
The Rest of the Story
