On January 15, 1975 the coaster of the future debuted at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Park. Join us as we take a look at the iconic ride!
2,000 guests including several astronauts attended the dedication. Festivities included a high school marching band, fireworks, and the release of 50,000 balloons 
Apollo 15 Astronaut James Irwin (pictured) was the first official passenger
Space Mountain cost $18 million dollars to build- that is one million more than it cost to build Disneyland!
Space Mountain had a theme song called “Here’s to the Future” that would play while waiting in line
Early concept art showed the concrete support beams inside the structure. Imagineer John Hench insisted the beams be placed on the outside to create forced perspective and to also allow for a smooth surface for the star field and meteor projections inside the building
When it debuted, Space Mountain was the first roller coaster to be placed inside a darken building
It was also one of the first major E-Ticket attractions to debut at Walt Disney World and not Disneyland 
The building is 183 feet tall and 300 feet around- It’s purposely 5 feet shorter than Cinderella Castle so not exceed the castle in height
The ride reaches a max speed of only 28 mph and its steepest drop is on a 39 degree angle
Individual Lightening Lane entrances are available for Space Mountain. Pricing and availability varies.
It was the first coaster to use computers to control the ride experience- algorithms calculate the weight of each ride vehicle which controls its speed throughout the ride.
When Imagineers designed the attraction in the 60’s, they had to wait over a decade for the technology to catch up
It is easy to see why Space Mountain has continued to be so popular! It may not be the fastest thrill at the Magic Kingdom, (Thunder Mountain maxes out at 30 mph while the drop on Splash Mountain reaches 40 mph) but the dark ride is one-of-a-kind and out of this world!
What were you most surprised to learn about this iconic ride? Share in the comment section below!
