Need advice about Mission:Space

[laurajetter]

For the longest time I've been so excited to go on Mission:Space with my husband on our upcoming trip in September. That is, until I recently read in detail about what happens during the ride--now I'm trying to figure out if I should go or not and I was hoping for some advice from those of you that have experienced this ride!

A little background: I love rollercoasters, but HATE the feeling you get in your stomach on the first drop--after that, I love it, but I usually avoid most roller coasters because I don't want to get that horrible feeling. At carnivals, I love those circular, spinning rides where you stand up and the force of it spinning holds you in place even as the the ride begins to angle upward, causing you to rotate almost vertically.

I know Mission:Space spins rapidly to create the G-forces, yet if you look straight ahead at the monitors it will feel as though you are moving in a straight line. Now, my big question is this: How would you describe the G-forces you feel? Are they similar to that feeling I hate when going down the drop on roller coasters or is it comparable to the spinning carnival ride I described? Or is it a different feeling altogether? And what about the weightlessness feeling? Is that due to a sudden drop? When the ride starts descending onto Mars does that have any resemblance to the dropping roller coaster feeling?

Sorry for so many questions, but I would love to experience this ride but would like to know whether it's something I can handle. Thanks for any input you may have!

Laura

 

[iceskatejen]

Ok--I'm a roller coaster lover and to me there's nothing better than the first drop but Mission space is more like the spinning rides. The weightless feeling I think comes more from the ride not spinning anymore than from any drop (there's no place to put a drop in the rooms where they have the simulators anyway). I don't think it's so much weightlessness as it is a return to only 1 g. The landing part involves more spinning when you get into Mars' gravity and then it's like Star Tours--you have to go through a canyon to get to the landing site.

 

[yasuern]

More like the spinning rides! Let me just say that I can go on rides like the one you described and the teacups and spin and spin and never feel sick - I can ride any coaster over and over again and never feel sick - but Mission Space made me feel sick - so much so that I won't go on the ride again. that said DH, DD9 nepews both 9 SIL/BIL and neice 14 LOVED THE RIDE! but my friend and other SIL HATED IT!


Have Fun

Sue

 

[DizBelle]

There is no "drop" feeling on Mission:Space. It is exactly like that spinning, circular carnival ride you describe. It spins faster to produce more force though. You are also in an enclosed "vehicle" so you don't get any spinning effect because you don't see your surroundings going by at a high rate of speed. It starts and stops that spinning to produce force 3 times during the ride. The first is more intense than the other two.

The "weightless" feeling is produced by simply tilting the seats forward a little so you are not supporting your weight on your butt but you are supporting it with your chest against the restraint. You just feel gravity in a little different way than you are used to so it "fools" you into feeling weightless.

On this ride, you never leave the horizontal plane - no ups, no downs, no drops. It's all created by altering your perception.

If you can handle the carnival spinning ride, you should be able to handle this no problem. Just remember that the force will be greater because it spins faster.

It is a definite must see!

 

[buzz2400]

Here's another question. I have been to disneyquest where you create your own roller coaster. Is mission space like that.

 

[meganbear]

First let me say that I'm a lot like you---I HATE big drops on rollercoasters and I refuse to ride one if they have a big drop. I almost missed out on Mission Space, I read where a lot of people were saying that they got dizzy or felt a little sick on the ride. So my DH, 9 yr old son, 8 yr old niece and my sister went on MS---I refused to ride it, after they got back and none of them felt bad and they all loved it I decided to try it~~and I LOVED it, it was so different from any ride I've ever been on. Yea, you are spinning but if you look straight ahead you never know that you are spinning (and I was so interested on what was on the screen in front of me I had no desire to look around). Also let me say that I also get very dizzy and about half sick on the canival rides that spin, but I felt no ill effects from this ride at all (and I even have high blood pressure).

It was my family's favorite ride out of all four of the parks! Do not miss it!

 

[iceskatejen]

I did Cyberspace Mountain at DQ too and it's nothing like Mission Space. In CSM if you program loops into your coaster you actually go upside down and feel it (unlike a real coaster where loops are barely noticable--CSM doesn't create the same kind of G-force). I would say M:S is more like a spinning ride combined with Star Tours at the end.

 

[rileyroosmom]

I did Mission Space and I felt sick for hours, so did my 10 year old son. It's a small "vehicle" for 4, all sit in a row. A harness comes over your shoulder and the space is kind of tight. You are told to look straight ahead at all times, which I did. Cool air blows on you. When experiencing the G-force, your face is pulled back and you feel like someone is sitting on your chest, it's diffiuclt to breathe. I never felt like I was spinning but I knew I was starting to feel "funny". It ended at just the right time, but as I said, I felt sick for a good 2 hours. Good Luck in your decision!

 

[TCKK]

Is there a chicken exit for Mission Space? I'm not interested in riding but my kids are. They prefer not to stand in line by themselves. Can I wait in line with them & then exit when it is time for them to ride?

 

[KittyCat]

While I love roller coasters, I cannot do any kind of ride that goes in circles-- even a merry-go-round. I did Mission Space and followed "The Rules" look straight ahead at the monitor at all times and keep your head all the way back. I was fine!!!

 

[DizneeCM]

I don't usually handle spinning rides well. I've managed to do Star Tours a few times, but I had to look at the wall so I wouldn't feel sick. I also feel carsick if I try to read or look at a map in the car. I also have a hard time looking at racing type video games. Does it sound like I should rule out Mission Space?

 

[corinascot]

I asked about the chicken exit in an earlier post. Several folks assured me there was one on Mission Space. I plan on doing the preshow with ds and dh, using the exit, and meeting them in the "postshow" area. I feel nauseated just reading the posts about this ride!!!LOL!

 

[TexasTom]

I rode it on 14 May. Before getting into the vehicle, they told us not to get in if we did not feel up to it. I almost did. But my whole purpose of going to Epcot was to ride Mission:Space, so I went in. I had on me an electric wristband for motion sickeness. I turned it up to 5 (Maximum) and did not feel sick. They provided motions sickness bags inside the vehicle.

 

[RickNWendy]

here is the big thing- trust me, I have had to sit through so many aerospace physiology classes I can help here. Guys like me pull 9Gz (yes, G sub z) on a daily basis (although it is in a jet aircraft), but we did not start out being able to do this. It takes time for your 'head' to become accustomed to g-forces, acceleration, AND being able to move your head around.

so as not too get technical- there is a gland that is like a caterpillar with feet attached to your head. It 'floats' in a liquid, and transmits the feeling of the fluid moving down the caterpillar's legs to your brain. When you move your head from side to side, you are giving the brain an input that says 'I am moving this way' - this usually will directly conflict with what your eyes are saying, which is 'No, we are definitely going this way' = the result is that you feel motion sickness.

So, to come back to the real world here, you won't get that feeling in the pit of your stomach that you are falling, but you DEFINITELY do not want to move your head from side to side during the ride. (the above is true for all the spin me around type rides- if you want to look around, turn your head VERY slowly AND methodically- or just avert your eyes.) If anyone wants to know more, let me know and I will email details so as not to bore you.

As a side note- this is my EPCOT answer for the week. You learned something and didn't even know it til the end!

 

[RickNWendy]

Oh yes, my father recently got back and said there are MULTIPLE opportunities to slip out the back gracefully. But once you are in... Hold on!