Mission: Space
Mission: Space is one of Epcot three super headliner attractions and is considered one of the Walt Disney World’s best attractions. The pavilion is sponsored by Hewlett Packard (HP) and was created through collaboration with NASA. The simulators you ride in are very similar to simulators used by astronauts preparing for actual space travel. Upon arriving at the entrance to Mission: Space, you are asked to choose between the Green Team and the Orange Team. One is considered the “full” ride (Orange) and one is the “toned down” ride (Green). According to a Mission: Space attendant, the difference is this: “Do you want to feel like you’re going to Mars or do you want to watch a movie?”. The theme is that you are preparing for a mission to Mars. You enter a briefing room, where you are introduced to the mission commander, actor Gary Sinise. He explains the mission and prepares you for boarding. You are then led from the briefing room to a hallway outside the simulator room. In both the briefing room and the hallway, there are the numbers one through four on the floor. These correspond to the four positions inside the spacecraft. The positions are navigator, pilot, commander, and engineer. Once you enter the capsule, you sit down and pull on overhead harness system down around you. The capsule door then closes and the controls lower to you. Your mission begins and you feel the blast off from Cape Canaveral. Your spacecraft enters space and you are put into a time sleep mode. Upon reawakening, you are entering the Martian atmosphere. The landing becomes quite an event. At the end, Gary Sinise congratulates you on a job well done. Each person is asked to push a button during the flight to help the mission. Of course, the mission will go whether you push the button or not! The Green Team will feel some pressure, will lay back at takeoff, and will be jostled a bit in their seats. That’s about it. The Orange Team will do exactly what the spacecraft does, flipping, spinning, and getting a real feel of weightlessness. The Green Team ride is fun for virtually anyone unless you are extremely claustrophobic. The Orange Team ride is one of Walt Disney World’s, and the world’s, most amazing theme park ride experiences, but is definitely not appropriate for anyone with health or fear issues.
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