Test Your Knowledge on Spaceship Earth!

So close-

Geodesic domes were created by Buckminster Fuller, an American architect born in 1895. Fuller wanted to design a lightweight, stable structure that could withstand a substantial amount of external pressure. 

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!

Disney does not skimp on any details. Not only are the hieroglyphics real, but they also match the time frame and type of images that a pharaoh would read. 

At 180 feet tall and 150,000 square feet around, it is hard to believe that it can fit inside the tank of The Living Seas Pavilion, but it is true! 

So close! 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.

Oh snap, good guess! Once you see Planet Earth, you have reached the very top of Spaceship Earth and your ride vehicle turns around and travels backwards down to the bottom. In the early days of the attraction, a Cast Member had to stand at the top to manually turn each ride vehicle around. Thankfully, it is all done automatically now! 

The attractions history of communication spans back 40,000 years! To ensure the information was correct, Imagineers consulted with many academic resources, including various universities and the Smithsonian Institute. 

Good guess but incorrect. The final "scene" ends in the 80s with a young man, presumably Bill Gates, working on a computer in his garage. 

The attraction covers communication and technology throughout the ages; including, caveman drawings, early Egyptians & hieroglyphics, papyrus, the alphabet, group philosophy, plays, paintings, books, printing press, movies, telephones, telegraphs, radio, televisions, and computers. 

As it is less costly to reuse existing models, rather than creating brand new molds, many of the audio-animatronics for Spaceship Earth are repurposed from Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents. Next time you ride it see if you can spot any presidents! 

• John Adams- a monk
• Dwight D. Eisenhower- a mandolin player
• Franklin Pierce- a scholar
• Teddy Roosevelt- a Roman senator
• William Taft- an Egyptian priest
• Zachary Taylor- a centurion
• John Tyler- a Turk citizen 

Not for the faint of heart, Imagineers put in a trap door on top of Spaceship Earth for Cast Members to utilize when doing maintenance.

While James Earl Jones did not narrate the attraction, another Lion King alumni did; Jeremy Irons, the voice of Scar was the last narrator before Judi Dench.