Space Mountain

Disney's engineering division, WED, constructed this version of the famous Disney coaster.  The enclosed roller coaster is practically identical to the Space Mountain found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.  The coaster track located within this building is 26 meters (85 feet) tall and 1,052 meters (3,450 feet) long.  The building itself is a cone measuring 36 meters (118 feet) tall and 60 meters (200 feet) wide.

The Space Mountain coaster is not very wild.  Surprisingly, its largest drop is only a little over 5 meters, or 17 feet.  If you were able to ride with all of the lights on inside the building, I don't think it would be very scary.  The cars reach a top speed of slightly less than 50 kilometers per hour, or 30 miles per hour.  But since the ride takes place in darkness, the surprise is increased.  Riders really have no indications that they will be dropping or turning, as the track is painted black and nearly invisible in the darkness.  Trains pass by supports and duck underneath segments of track, which can barely be detected, but if a little illumination gives hints to the locations of these structures, it is actually pretty intimidating.  Knowing that you are speeding past metal, but not being able see how close you are to colliding due to the darkness, makes the ride a little scary at times!

©2022 Joel A. Rogers.