The pavilion, like others at Epcot, features a VIP lounge for HP employees called The Red Planet Room. Industry estimates put the cost of developing the new attraction at US$100 million. Construction began on Mission: Space shortly thereafter. Horizons closed permanently in 1999 after a few years of seasonal operation. This concept would be rejected in favor of a more thrilling attraction and it was decided that Horizons would be fully demolished in favor of a fresh start.
#Mission space drop simulator#
Inside would be two attractions: a dark ride focused on the history of how man has observed, explored and imagined the stars and the Speculator, a simulator attraction taking a surreal imaginative journey through the cosmos with a theme that the only thing as vast as the universe is our own minds. Early designs for this Space Pavilion, seen in a 1996 pitch document, would try to repurpose and add onto the original building, turning the exterior into a pyramid with an astrolabe as an entrance icon.
However, the high projected cost, the continued lack of a sponsor, and shifting priorities would result in these concepts being repeatedly shelved.Īround 1994, it was decided that the Space Pavilion would become a replacement for Horizons, a dark ride that explored the history of futurism while offering its own optimistic predictions of things to come. Another of these early concepts, developed in conjunction with science fiction author Ray Bradbury and one that would serve as a template for several subsequent attempts, would focus on a massive spacecraft launch facility that would feature a simulated launch up to a space station where guests could embark on a variety of different activities. A Space Pavilion had been proposed for Epcot from the beginning of the park's development lifespan in the late 1970s, though it had trouble finding a sponsor, with Kodak briefly being considered in 1979 with a proposal emphasizing new space imaging technologies and space telescopes, though they would choose to sponsor Journey into Imagination instead.
0 kommentar(er)
