Space Mountain (de la Terre a la Lune)

Report by Jean-Marc Toussaint

Attention FAQ readers, the following section contains SPOILERS for Disneyland Paris's fortieth and newest wonder, Space Mountain. The ride is located next to the Nautilus lagoon in Discoveryland, and is themed on Jules Verne's book "From the Earth to the Moon". For those of you who still wanna read more, welcome to the fastest ride ever built at a Disney Park!

Going to the station is a very good teaser, since you have to walk a long and very dark corridor through the entire building, and you may see some portions of the ride and sets through large openings in the walls. There is also a 'chicken' route which allows you to view the pre-show without actually going on the ride.

Once inside the station you board one of the trains (6 cars, 4 seats per car) themed like sci-fi vehicles designed in the 1900s, featuring over-the-shoulders restraints. After a long turnaround inside a tube, you reach a sudden drop that leads you to the bottom of the cannon. A hook attaches itself under the train and you are pulled into the enormous Columbiad Cannon.

A very loud detonation is heard, smoke fills the cannon and the train is catapulted into the circuit. A short drop is followed by a long downward helix in complete darkness. You dodge some little asteroids and then you plunge into the looping. Leaving the first inversion, the train rushes through a huge "space mining" machine and a series of trim-brakes which lead you into the core of a melting asteroid. Then comes another sudden drop into the corkscrew. After a 360 degree inversion, the train "hangs" briefly at a 90 degree angle before a fast section of track to the second lift. The train climbs the hill very quickly - a 'road sign' says "to the Moon: 50,000 km" - and you reach the Moon, which looks like the one in George Melies' 1902 film.

The train drops suddenly as you leave the satellite orbit and rushes through some other meteorites. The train negotiates a "horseshoe" (a flat standing upward turn) and gains speed as it reaches another downward helix with dark light effects simulating re-entry into the atmosphere. The train hits the brakes through a shower of sparks inside the "Electro de Velocitor" machine, and then goes back gently back to the station.

Needless to say, this ride is excellent - the best at the park and the best steel roller coaster in France. Special effects and sets are superb. The soundtrack (a bit John Williams-ish) is magnificent, and the onboard audio system is CD quality.

I've been on the ride dozens of times now (the cast members think I'm a bit deranged, and pretend that I hold the world record!) and it is still pure amazement.

Bienvenue a Paris, space travellers!

Special thanks to: Cast members Aurelie, Jamie, Isabelle, Kirsten and Monte for smooth dispatch, excellent ride operation and long and passionate chats about Disney and roller coasters. All the cast at the Star Traders shop for ultra kindness.

Update notes: On-ride photos are now available. In the queue area there are several monitors (similar to Star Tours) on which a lady informs you about requirements for the ride in English with French subtitles.

Building statistics
Diameter	62 metres
Height	43 metres
Depth	5 metres below ground
General Ride Statistics
Construction started	March 1993 (Vekoma)
Ride opened	1st June 1995
Length of track	1 kilometre
Thrill elements	360 degree "sidewinder" loop "corkscrew" loop 80 degree "tongue" loop
Speed	Up to 70 kilometres per hour at peak speed, 30% faster than any other Disney thrill ride
Ride controls	Redundant programmable logic controller based system, employing six main computers and 1,300 impact/output points
Rocket ship vehicles
Launch system	Electric-motor-propelled catapult (similar to system used for aircraft carrier launches)
Seating capacity	24 (6 rocket ships, 4 passengers each)
Audio	6 built-in speakers per seat. Digital audio with automatic playback speed adjustment to synchronise the musical score with key elements of the show. Music written by movie composer Steve Bramson
Columbiad Cannon
Acceleration	Up to 1.3g during the catapult launch (approx. 1.8 seconds to the top of the mountain)
Launch capacity	One rocket ship every 36 seconds
Length	22 metres
Inclination	32 degrees
Weight	15.5 tons
Width of barrel	5 metres
Special Effects	Steam smoke system, synchronised lighting and audio "boom"
Decorative cladding	24 kt. Gold leaf on the archer, sun-face and moon-face

Space Mountain Merchandise

(Many of the following items have now been discontinued, so look for remainders. Logo T-Shirts, Wool jackets and coffee mugs are still generally available)

T-Shirt A: Dark blue or grey. SM logo transfer on front (FFr 95)

T-Shirt B: Dark blue. "Space diagram" transfer on front; "I survived... did you ?" and SM logo transfer on back (FFr 150)

Long sleeve shirt: Dark blue. SM logo embroidered patch on chest (FFr 225)

Rain jacket: Dark blue. SM logo transfer on chest, "Space diagram" transfer on back (FFr 250)

Wool jacket: Dark blue. Disneyland Paris logo embroidered on chest, large SM logo embroidered on back (FFr 850)

Baseball cap: Dark blue & suede, with SM logo embroidered patch (FFr 120)

Sticker: Round, SM logo (FFr 5)

Postcard: Four exterior views of building and cannon on one card (FFr 3)

Key Chain: Transparent plastic. Round, with SM logo (FFr 15)

Pen: Silver & dark blue with SM logo (FFr 30)

Mug: White & dark blue with shooting stars and SM logo (FFr 35)

Also seen, but not for sale

Cast member watch: Dark blue. Plastic, with SM logo and "June 1995". (Note: it is believed that if another watch isn't designed, this one could make it to the stores)

Cast member button: SM logo with "Entrez dans la legende - Juin 1995" ("Be part of the legend - June 1995)

Bumper sticker: "I survived", with colour drawing of train rushing through the meteors (as seen on the control booth window)

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