Greetings family, friends and Disney buddies. Today's rambling is about a little known opening day Disneyland Tomorrowland attraction that beat Russia's Sputnik satellite into "space" by two years.........Bill
Disneyana
SPACE STATION X-1
Space Station X-1 sounds more like one of those 1950’s science
fiction movies like Forbidden Planet, Destination Moon, or Rocket
Ship X-M ,than a Disneyland opening day attraction. The
simulated view of the United States from an imaginary orbiting
manned satellite joined Trip to the Moon and 20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea as the only three non-sponsored Tomorrowland
attractions on July 18, 1955.
After turning a ten cent ticket over to the space suited cast
member and entering through a darkened tunnel, guests stepped
into a large round room, onto a slowly revolving platform to seek a
spot close to one of the large viewing windows. “This is Moon
Watch Disney Reporting” a recorded voice announced describing
the experience where “you will witness a satellite view of
America”.The convincing effect of orbiting the earth and crossing
over the country at an altitude of about thirteen miles, from sunrise
to sunset, took about three minutes.
There were no satellites in 1955 and no one had seen the earth
from space when Walt Disney’s assigned Imagineers Claude
Coats and Peter Ellenshaw to create a low cost believable “space
platform” attraction. They came up with a highly detailed circular
panoramic aerial view painting on canvas that surrounded the
perimeter of the room. Cloud and smoke, black light, and pinhole
star effects were created as inspirational music played in the
background. Except for a first few busy months of operation, the
attraction wasn’t very popular and lost out to Disneyland’s other
more thrilling and technologically advanced ride options. The re-
naming to Satellite View of America following the launch of
Russia’s Sputnik and America’s Explorer didn’t help increase
attendance and Space Station X-1 made it’s final orbit in 1960.
-Bill 1/24