Space mountain with lights on

[mco65]

Tip for fellow chickens: I can do Space Mountain if I sit in the front. That way you can see the track in front of you from the little bit of light and it's not so scary and maybe a little bit fun! When you get to the loading spot just ask politely if you can ride up front. I've never been denied. But I agree that I think riding it fully lit would be really scary.

I can't sit in the front because there is NO ROOM for my legs... my knees end up being pinched against the lap bar.. ugh.. and i am barely 6'..

 

[ErinsMommy]

Remember that Disney rides are loaded with safety sensors. Some to make sure the cars are in the right place and some to make sure idiots don't try to get out of the rides while they are running. IF any sensor detects a problem the ride cannot run. They have to make sure the sensor did not detect a real problem before they start out.

The Imagineers have allocations of time that the ride is allowed to be down per month during park open hours. I know that Dinosaur in AK has a limit of 20 minutes down per month! If it is down more than that they have to do major maintenance to correct the problem to get it back to higher reliability.

I wonder then why they haven't shut down FEA and I don't mean for an hour here or there, I mean permanently until whatever the issues the ride is having are fixed once and for all. From the posts here on DIS, its inoperable more than its operable.

 

[networkpro]

Wild Mouse roller coasters did not exist when Matterhorn was built. They came after Matterhorn proved steel-tracked coasters were viable. Space Mountain's track system (except for the computerized block braking system), ride vehicle, loading zones, and lift hill layout were lifted almost directly from Matterhorn. The rest was designed specifically for the 1975 version of Space Mountain, with no reference to Franz Mack's 1960s carnival coasters. Except for the initial, single 180-degree turnback after the lift hill at the beginning of the ride, there is no similarity to a Wild Mouse track layout at all. It is very easy to learn the difference between the feel of a Wild Mouse in the dark and any version of Space Mountain. The Dark Knight coasters at Six Flags parks are Wild Mouse coasters in the dark, and they're awful.

Mack produced wooden wild mouse rides two years prior to Disneyland opening in 1959.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Disneyland opened in 1955. Matterhorn opened in June 1959 as part of the New Tomorrowland expansion. Design began in fourth quarter 1957. The steel track system and track layout were aimed specifically at mirroring the feel of bobsleds sliding on ice and were not based on any other ride.

 

[Virtucomp]

I wonder then why they haven't shut down FEA and I don't mean for an hour here or there, I mean permanently until whatever the issues the ride is having are fixed once and for all. From the posts here on DIS, its inoperable more than its operable.

I know we tend to over-react when a ride is down. On our last trip we were in EPCOT for three days and every time I walked by FEA it was up and running. That's not to say it does not go down often but the down time is probably more tolerable than shutting this new attraction down for days to change the system. Most likely they sensors are not correct for how they are being used and they are working on a new way to keep the ride safe. Then they could install the fix one time.

It is also possible the problem is that riders keep tripping sensors by not keeping their hands, arms, feet and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

 

[starjazz]

There's no real risk of hitting your hands on anything in Space Mountain, right??? Surely Disney, nor their insurers, would allow that. Right???

 

[Jerseyprincess317]

We got stuck on Space mountain once and got to ride it with the light on. It was scary.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

Looks like Space Mountain's blue collar cousin: Factory Mountain

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

I also know the ride CMs for it love to get a ride in with lights completely off (my understanding is much darker with no possible way to see anything at all)

It is terrifying! You really do see nothing at all. Now I know some of you will think you could just close your eyes and it's the same thing, but it's not. When your eyes are closed, you have the security of knowing that when you open them you will be able to see something. It's the sensory deprivation that makes it so frightening. We were lucky (unlucky?) enough to get to do this back in 2010. The lights went out just as we took off.

I've ridden it with the lights on, too, when I was a kid back in the 90's. That was terrifying in a completely different way. It made me recall just how old Space Mountain really was/is, and wonder if those tinker toy tracks would really deliver me back to safety.

Yes, I'm a chicken. SM is at the extreme end of my roller coaster tolerance.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

There's no real risk of hitting your hands on anything in Space Mountain, right??? Surely Disney, nor their insurers, would allow that. Right???

Wrong, unfortunately. There are legacy posts on other forums of people (generally taller than 6 feet) who had their fingers smack into overhead objects while they had their hands up during the ride.

 

[Thiago Acquaviva]

OMG I always wanted to ride SM with lights on! it must be really nice to be able to see how the whole thing works and the track layout right in front of your eyes. I love those kinds of backstage things lol

 

[starjazz]

Wrong, unfortunately. There are legacy posts on other forums of people (generally taller than 6 feet) who had their fingers smack into overhead objects while they had their hands up during the ride.

That is shocking.

 

[monkyby87]

It was really interesting riding People Mover when the lights were on in Space Mountain. Conversely, once on People Mover the lights were off and the ride stopped. That was kind of scary as we couldn't see anything, just hear Space Mountain going on.