Imagineers were impressed with his design of the Expo ’67 American pavilion in Montreal, and wanted Spaceship Earth to have a similar look. Notably, Fuller designed several geodesic domes, but was never able to design a completely spherical one like Spaceship Earth!
Photo Credit: britannica.com
With the help of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Imagineers successfully created a complete sphere by constructing it as two separate pieces. The top 3/4 of the sphere is supported by a table at the top of it’s six legs, while the bottom 1/4 is actually hanging from the bottom of the table.
Photo Credit- The Walt Disney Company
At 180 feet tall, Spaceship Earth is constructed of two spheres- the inner sphere that houses the attraction and the outer sphere that is covered by 11,324 individual aluminum alloy triangular panels made by a company called Alucobond. The inner sphere is protected by a thick, black, rubber like blanket.
Not only was each aluminum alloy panel individually fitted, but their unique design allows any rain water to run through the inch gaps between each panel down down into a gutter system located at the belt line of the sphere. The water is then funneled straight down into World Showcase Lagoon. Next time it rains while you are there, stand below Spaceship Earth to test if the system really works. It does, I promise!
Knowing all of this, it is hard to imagine an entire moving attraction within the inner sphere. The ride system snakes through, twisting and turning inside of the sphere. While you are riding the attraction, it is impossible to keep track of where you think you are within the sphere. Understandably, the hidden backstage corridors are a maze themselves. It is rumored that maintenance workers have to draw pencil lines along the walls to help find their way back to where they started.
Spaceship Earth is an engineering wonder in many ways, it’s complexity going beyond the attraction inside. Next time you travel to Epcot, take a moment to take in Spaceship Earth and appreciate the outer workings of this architectural achievement. ❤️Tara
Wow! That’s so awesome! Love that ride inside!
It really is so incredible! The ride makes it even more unique and a must do each and every trip!
I have been there a few times and never knew the inside working of Disney. so thrilled to hear about all those wonderful things going on. what a great job Tara has done with checking out all thses works and letting us know about them. Great info. Love it.