I got sling-shot around the Moon

[marandken]

I was at EPCOT on Saturday and took the Mission:Space ride. This was a complete Mind FRELLING experience. There were 8 of us (including an actual rocket scientist) and when we learned in pre-flight that we were going to use the "slingshot around the moon" method for getting to Mars, well... I said WAIT A MINUTE. Isn't that what caused John Crichton to end up at the other side of the Universe on a Living Ship full of Escaped Prisoners? Let's GO!

But it was a trick. A trick complete with a large amount of g-forces as we were catapulted into space (screaming like banshees) and then; weightlessness (or at least what felt like it). Of course, we had to be awakened early from hypersleep due to an unexpected malfuntion and use manual controls to land on Mars. All I kept thinking was that FRELL, I still have to get back home... but then it ended.

Oy Vey! I needed a Drink after this experience. It was not a wimpy "star tours" simlulater ride. We were in a centerfuge. This is very similar to actual space flight training (remember, I said we had a real rocket scientist with us who was thru some flight training). There were airsick bags by every seat; and believe me, if I didn't take the throw up pills, I would have needed a bag. I didn't go on any other rides that day; this was the first and last one in the park for me.

Of course, there are warnings at the front of the line, etc. But there are warnings on the other rides too. It's like DIsney cried wolf cuz this time, the warnings were real.

I am a wimp, no doubt. Has anyone else been on this ride? How did you like it?

Other interesting thing related to FS in Orlando: We went as a private group to Unversal Studios with our own guide. She said that the staff was quite excited about the purchase of Universal by NBC. Apparantly, the execs have been to the park and were already changing things to make it better; from fixing the way people wait in line for rides, to changing the chairs in the offices to make it more ergonomic and comfortable. This purchase is a done deal.

[Jeff O'Connor]

Very cool. :aok:

I've been there, it rocks.

[Mike@Pilots Chamber]

I *think* I've been on this ride, many many years ago. I remember some sort of mission to Mars thingy, and I remember thinking it was pretty boring (but then I must've been about 7-8 at the time).

I don't remember the sick bags or pills though.

[MySideYourSide]

I *think* I've been on this ride, many many years ago. I remember some sort of mission to Mars thingy, and I remember thinking it was pretty boring (but then I must've been about 7-8 at the time).

I don't remember the sick bags or pills though.
I'm not positive what ride you're thinking of, but I'm pretty sure that the ride marandken is really new. It's called "Mission: Space" or something. It wasn't at Disney World last time I was there (two years ago).

I must say, it sounds like an awesome ride. (and yes, Star Tours is very lame)

[UTChick]

I *think* I've been on this ride, many many years ago. I remember some sort of mission to Mars thingy, and I remember thinking it was pretty boring (but then I must've been about 7-8 at the time).

I don't remember the sick bags or pills though.

'This is new!!! It only opened last year. It's over in Epcot near the Transportation center (the GM Fasttrack). It's supposed to be really, really cool. The whole arena was said to be top notch - one of Disney's best. The Mars thing you're talking about was over in Magic Kingdom & it was basically a kiddie ride - so yes, it was lame, too.

If it's that bad on motion sickness, I doubt I could do it. DREN!! I'd really love to, too, but I just don't relish seeing my food twice!!

Thanks for the report - glad to know you liked it.

[marandken]

Yep, it opened in Feb 2004. Disney is heavily promoting it. The building that houses the ride is Fantastic! Did I take a picture? No. But, probably if you go to the Epcot website, you can see it.

UTChick: I don't know if I would have gone on it knowing how it really was.. I think that since I've now had the experience once, I won't need it again :D

[Clarsax]

Sounds like a lot of fun.

[Doc Holiday]

Actually it opened in September 2003 at EPCOT. Gary Sinise does the pre-show and I have went on it six or seven times. It is a mind frell. Mission to Mars was a simulator at The Magic Kindom in Tommorowland. It was replaced in 1993 by The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter a George Lucas made sensory thriller in the style of Alien. And as for Star Tours. It was the most advanced theme park simulator when it originally opened. Saying it is lame is like saying that Super MArio Bros. sux because the graphics are not up to par to today's standards.

[marandken]

DocHoliday: I would never say that Star Tours was lame. It just seems so...so...so...underwhelming... now that I've been slungshot (past tense ;) ) around the moon.

[Doc Holiday]

Yeah I know how that is but just try to respect it for what it is.

[jet]

I live in the area and just heard on the news (yesterday, I think) that they are considering tweaking/changing that ride as several people have had to go to hospital with chest pains and dizziness after riding it. Frell...
I'd better save up my money fast to go ride it before they make it another crappy "People Mover" ride.

-Jet

[Doc Holiday]

"people Mover" LOL. I think changing the name from the "People Mover" to the "Tomorrowland Transit Authority" was a good move because the name just sucked.

[marandken]

I live in the area and just heard on the news (yesterday, I think) that they are considering tweaking/changing that ride as several people have had to go to hospital with chest pains and dizziness after riding it. Frell...
I'd better save up my money fast to go ride it before they make it another crappy "People Mover" ride.

-Jet

I will say that when we came out of the ride, they had some woman sitting down and taking her blood pressure.....she looked worse than me :D

Like I said, they've spent so much time warning us about rides that we just don't take it so seriously.

[Doc Holiday]

They shouldread the warning sign. They have plenty of chances to "opt out" of the ride.

[marandken]

They shouldread the warning sign. They have plenty of chances to "opt out" of the ride.

Hey... I am a Neurotic Jewish Mother. I read all warning signs. The signs are not effective if they look like every other warning sign in the park; and they do.

I'm just sayin...

[GeneralBraca]

I used to work at Johnson Space Center in Houston on the ISS project. From that perspective, I thought you might be interested in reading a personal "review" I wrote for a friend after visiting Mission:SPACE...

(I wrote this back in December, a few weeks after the ride)

---

It is a simulation of a space mission. Unlike regular simulation rides which show you a moving image and buck around in time with the image, this was much smoother - more realistic. It uses a centrifuge to give you the feeling of accelleration, and there are only four people in each compartment (most simulation rides these days seem to carry 30 or so people at a time).

Four people to a capsule. Each is assigned a role (Engineer, Navigator, Pilot, Commander) and has buttons to push during the mission (although if you forget the computer takes over for you... this is a ride, after all, not a simulation). I was Commander (randomly).

I think they spin six capsules on each centrifuge simultaneously. They have at least two centrifuges.

Based on the old centrifuge room at NASA from when I worked there, I'd say their centrifuges are one-third the size (you never see the whole thing, so it is hard to tell for sure). Of course, at that small of a rotational radius, you really do feel the coriolis forces and can tell you are not just accellerating, but also moving sideways. Definitely more disorientation than an astronaut would be subjected to. I took dramamine in the morning before my "flight".

They advise you to not move your head and to stare straight ahead at all times at the monitor in front of you. You should not close your eyes. They blow cool air on you all the time. There are air sickness bags.

There is a goofy "pre-show", of course (narrated by Gary Sinise), but it is not as silly as their usual stuff. In fact, it was nerve wracking for several people allotted to our centrifuge.

Once you are in your capsule, it tilts backwards to put you in "launch position". The monitor in front simulates a window, you start off seeing horizontally and then eventually straight up, looking out the top of the tower. I don't believe we were fully on our backs, but maybe at a 45 degree angle. Then they start the spin (and I believe transition us to upright, so it is just a normal centrifuge position). You feel the centripetal accelleration and are strongly pushed into your cushion (apparently 2 to 2.5 g, althought if you go to the Astronaut Hall of Fame near Kennedy Space Center, you can get in a centrifuge that will spin you at 4 to 4.5 g, but without all this extra stuff). The launch is great, but you DO feel the sideways motion a bit. The more you concentrate on the screen, the easier it is to ignore the sideways feeling. So I felt the sideways motion more at the beginning, and it went away as time went on.

I think if the centrifuge was larger, you wouldn't feel that off-axis motion as much.

One of my jobs as Commander was staging (separating the first stage of the rocket, ignited the next stage). It is only a 2-stage rocket. Once the engines cut out in orbit, they quickly break the centrifuge and even slowly tilt the capsule very slightly forward to make you feel like you are leaving your seat (or at least pushing against the restraints a tiny bit). It isn't free-fall, but it is probably about as convincing as you can get on the surface of the earth... especially right after the accelleration. The illusion is convincing.

Then there's another engine burn to take you to the moon (VERY quickly) followed by a slingshot around it. Another high G manuever in the centrifuge, possibly stronger than the initial launch. By this time you're giddy with excitement, though, so it is much less disorienting.

Then back in "zero gee".

Your trip is a long one to Mars, and so they put you into hibernation at this point. It's funny during the pre-show when Gary Sinise explains this and tells you "don't worry, even though it will be several months, it will only seem like seconds to you").

It gets colder, and the viewscreen ices over. Then the whole capsule goes pitch dark for 2 or 3 seconds.

It lights up and they're "waking you up" on approach to Mars...

Of course, like all simulator rides, something goes wrong. There's a bunch of asteroids in the way and you're required to pilot through them and get down to the surface. For some odd reason, there's already a runway down there and of course the brakes don't respond well and you smash into a snowbank (or was it a sand dune?) at the end of the runway. You think the ride is over, but then you see that they built the runway at the edge of a cliff and the cliff edge is collapsing in front of you. The capsule tilts a bit over the edge, and Gary Sinise says "no one... move... a... muscle..." That got a good laugh from me. The craft settles backwards on stable ground, and the ride is over. You get out and explore a sort of exhibit hall about space with interactive exhibits and games (supposedly on Mars, I guess).

I highly recommend it. :)

[GeneralBraca]

Forgot to mention that the "hibernation" sequence is actually pretty convincing for how simple it is (I guess that "immersive feeling" is what Disney is great at). The chill, the silence, the darkness - - you can almost believe it.

[UTChick]

I have always admired Disney for their ability to completely immerse you in the illusion at whatever level of tech is available at that time.

Question for you - I get motion sickness, if I'm on a boat that's anchored at sea - if the boat is moving forward - I'm fine. I'm fine on roller coasters, but not the ones that spin. So, where does this fit in? If most of the illusion is forward, I might be able to do the ride. I did fine on the Star Tours ride & got really sick on the Body Wars ride!!

I would love to experience something like this. It sounds so cool - maybe I'll consider double dosing dramamine :D

We might have the opportunity to visit Disney the end of June & that would be one area we wouldn't want to miss!!

[GeneralBraca]

Question for you - I get motion sickness, if I'm on a boat that's anchored at sea - if the boat is moving forward - I'm fine. I'm fine on roller coasters, but not the ones that spin. So, where does this fit in? If most of the illusion is forward, I might be able to do the ride. I did fine on the Star Tours ride & got really sick on the Body Wars ride!!

Motion sickness is a funny thing. It affects everyone a little differently and in different situations.

If spinning is a problem for you, you should definitely take some form of motion sickness medication before riding Mission:SPACE, which is essentially one huge spinny-ride, even if visually it appears that you are not spinning. Do NOT close your eyes, stare straight ahead. If you feel ill, breath deeply. Look at the viewscreen and concentrate on BELIEVING that you are shooting forward - it is well worth the effort.

Personally, spinning isn't so much a problem for me... nor is basic accelleration. But quickly changing accelleration and decelleration can make me motion sick.

As a side note, there is some anecdotal evidence that if you tend to get motion sick on earth, you are less likely to get motion sick on orbit (and if you never get motion sick on earth... watch out in space!)...

Before I worked at JSC, I was an ocean engineer (the transition from marine environments to space environments is not as strange as you might think). So since you mentioned boats, I should mention that if you are feeling ill on a boat, you need to try to find the vessel's center of gravity and get as close to it as you can. First step is getting to the middle (i.e. not too far to port or to starboard, not too far fore or aft). What deck you need to be on depends on the ship (I've never heard of the CG being higher than the middle deck), but trial-and-error can help... and so can crew members! Ask! Finally, if the boat is pitching (tilting forward and back), you may need to adjust how far aft you are. A fast moving smaller boat usually will have less motion further aft.

[UTChick]

Nice information, GeneralBraca!! Hummmm - Sounds like I need to go to outerspace!! Your comments about the boat make alot of sense. I've never been on anything of real size. The largest I've been on were the whaling tourist boats out of Providence, Mass. I find for those sizes - I've done best right up on the bow (Imagine titanic's scene - hanging off the front!!) That seems to work. Outside also helps. I also did the ferry from Cape Henlopen, DE to Cape May, NJ. Again - if I was outside, I did fine - inside - well, let's just say - even though it was raining & cold - I stayed outside!! :D

Well - it looks like Dramamine & an empty stomach will be my companions on Space mission ride - I've got to try it once. I sure do appreciate the heads up - much prefer to be prepared in that case!!

[marandken]

UTChick: I was SICK; but didn't need the airsick bags..... However, some of the warnings and suggestions say that being properly hydrated will help. I wasn't. Hadn't had more than a glass of water all day. I think it's worth the trip but my suggestion is to make sure that you've had plenty of water and take dramamine. Personally, I take Meclazine (generic); it's called Bonine as a 'brand name'. Doesn't make you as drowsy. My Dr. said that it actually is more of an antihistamine so it kinda dries out your inner ear (where the motion sickness is). If you ask the pharmacist directly, they have the generic version usually behind their counter, but it may not need an Rx; and it's cheaper that way. I buy the stuff by the hundreds.

Funny story: I was with a friend whom I've known for many years; originally from Chile. Her English comprehension is still a bit off. We're waiting in line, I'm reading all this stuff and say, "I'm gonna take a throw up pill, who else want's one." Norma holds out her hand, takes the other half pill and we both swallow. Then, she says, :eek: "Wait a minute... is this going to MAKE me throw up???"

Go on this ride last....

[GeneralBraca]

Nice information, GeneralBraca!! Hummmm - Sounds like I need to go to outerspace!! Your comments about the boat make alot of sense. I've never been on anything of real size. The largest I've been on were the whaling tourist boats out of Providence, Mass. I find for those sizes - I've done best right up on the bow (Imagine titanic's scene - hanging off the front!!) That seems to work. Outside also helps. I also did the ferry from Cape Henlopen, DE to Cape May, NJ. Again - if I was outside, I did fine - inside - well, let's just say - even though it was raining & cold - I stayed outside!! :D

Well - it looks like Dramamine & an empty stomach will be my companions on Space mission ride - I've got to try it once. I sure do appreciate the heads up - much prefer to be prepared in that case!!

Yep, I definitely understand that. A cool stiff breeze always helps me feel better if I'm feeling motion sick. (They have cool air blowing on you in the Mission:SPACE ride!) However, if you can get to the spot on a boat that moves the least, you may not get motion sick in the first place. Of course, its hard to have fun on a boat if you stick in one spot...

My wife was disappointed in herself during our trip... she used to thoroughly enjoy rollercoasters... but now we had to spread out our experiences on things like Space Mountain, the Aerosmith roller coaster, the Tower of Terror, and coasters at Universal... with plenty of rest in between. HOWEVER, she had the least amount of trouble on Mission:SPACE, if that's any comfort! We got off the ride lightheaded and dizzy, but exhilirated (like I said, the most I felt sick was only in the very beginning). We only needed a little "hang out and do nothing" time in the exhibit area after the ride.

I agree with marandken - either go on this ride last... or be prepared to take some "quiet" time afterwards. At EPCOT, that's not hard to do, since there's plenty of less action-oriented stuff there. However, be warned that this is a POPULAR ride, and your best bet to get in and out quickly may be the very first thing in the morning.

Now, to bring this back on topic a bit, let's try to imagine what a Farscape ride would be like... :) :) :)

I picture using the centrifuge from Mission:SPACE to simulate your launch on Farscape "2", followed by a trip through a wormhole. Then a more standard simulation ride when your module is ejected into normal space in the middle of a huge space battle between Peacekeepers and Scarrans. You are "captured" by PKs, and you get out of the capsule and are entertained by theme park employees in costume, pretending to be PK troops. You are taken on a tram through the impressive Command Carrier set (with 3D glasses... maybe like the Spiderman or MIB rides) when another set of actors/castmembers dressed as Moya's crew comes in and "rescues" you, and you get shot into another wormhole ride back to Earth (at this point, guests can choose "hard core" in the centrifuge, or "no motion" if they're too overwhelmed). Finally, outside of the ride, a cool giftshop and cafe shaped like Moya's interior, with tons of cool Farscape-themed stuff (buy your own IASA flight suit or Moya comms or D'argo mask)...

[UTChick]

that's Cool!! _ Uhh, you forgot one part - a spin in the Aurora Chair!! Great idea - :lol

[Spedoinkel]

Whoo sounds like fun. I do ge dizzy on the tea cups though, but on larger things like that thing at fair where you are in pretty much a giant top, resting against sliding tracks on the walls I am fine, so I guess it has to do with how close to the axis I am. I whent on Star tours in the mid eighties and thought it was cool, I whent when I whent to Euro disney about four years ago, and they suprisingly still had it. One of the four rides there. I thought it was fun for nostalgia. I here Lucas wants to remake it, like everything else.

I whent on the GM test track before it officially opened and that thing was frelling awesome, so I whent again. The singles line is your friend.

I want to hear what a real astronaught who's been to space would have to say about this.

[Scaper-Wannabe]

Man there is this one thing, i can't remember what it's called, it looks like a grain silo, and it spins about 20 people at a time, and your all in there stuck to the wall, they drop the floor down about a foot. It's really fun. I like G-Forces...

[GeneralBraca]

Whoo sounds like fun. I do ge dizzy on the tea cups though, but on larger things like that thing at fair where you are in pretty much a giant top, resting against sliding tracks on the walls I am fine, so I guess it has to do with how close to the axis I am. I whent on Star tours in the mid eighties and thought it was cool, I whent when I whent to Euro disney about four years ago, and they suprisingly still had it. One of the four rides there. I thought it was fun for nostalgia. I here Lucas wants to remake it, like everything else.

I whent on the GM test track before it officially opened and that thing was frelling awesome, so I whent again. The singles line is your friend.

I want to hear what a real astronaught who's been to space would have to say about this.

Definitely. The further you are from a spin-axis, the more it will feel like accelleration, and the less it will feel like spinning. I imagine the Mission: SPACE centrifuges are as big as they could make them (while still being cost effective) because of that fact. Of course, if they were bigger they'd be less motion-sickness-inducing, but they would be harder to maintain, more expensive to build, and so on.

As far as a real astronaut, when Mission: SPACE premiered, Dan Barry was there (he's a NASA astronaut) and said "it felt very familiar."

So it's definitely a must-ride for anyone who wants to feel like John Crichton!