The queue winds past a mission control-like operations room and into the dispatch area. Guests break into teams of four and proceed to the ready room. Here, they receive their assigned roles and learn about the training flight from the capsule communicator (Capcom). Hey, it's none other than Forrest Gump's Lt. Dan! (Aka actor Gary Sinise, who also appeared in--whaddya know?--the film, Mission to Mars.)
From the ready room, the recruits, now designated as commanders, pilots, navigators, and engineers, continue to the pre-flight corridor. After some additional instructions, the hallway doors open and it's time to board the X-2 training capsules.
Disney has made no attempt to hide the technology behind the magic. While climbing into and leaving the capsules, guests can plainly see the large centrifuge in the middle of the room and the ten capsule pods arranged around it. There are four of these ride bays in the Mission: SPACE complex. The lack of pretense plays into the story; Imagineers based the centrifuge and simulators on actual NASA training methods.
G-whiz
Once cleared for liftoff, the capsule tilts back. Crewmembers see the launch platform through the pod's windows (actually high-definition flat-screen LCD monitors), the countdown commences, and--yeow!--the capsule rumbles, the G-Forces create an odd and giddy sensation, and it's up, up, and away. It's an astounding illusion. Even though you know the cabin is spinning around and tethered to the ground, everything is conspiring to convince you that it is moving towards the heavens.Pinning guests to the seats, the liftoff's powerful positive Gs decrease as the capsule "slingshots" around the moon to accelerate towards Mars. At various junctures, the crewmembers receive instructions from Capcom to perform their specific duties, and the capsule responds convincingly to their interactive input.
At one point, Capcom informs crewmembers that they've reached 0Gs, or weightlessness. I believe the centrifuge slows or stops spinning. While the capsule and its occupants are actually experiencing the earth's normal gravitational force of 1G, the sudden drop from sustained higher G-Forces tricks the body into feeling a twinge of hang time--or, at least that's my theory.
Inevitable theme park attraction calamities ensue. Before arriving at Mars, the crew must fend off an asteroid field. And a safe landing goes horribly wrong when the ground beneath the capsule crumbles. Crewmembers must use their manual joystick controllers to navigate through some gut-wrenching maneuvers.
Speaking of gut wrenching, Disney has gone to great lengths throughout the queue to warn guests prone to motion sickness or sensitive to spinning and motion simulators that Mission: SPACE may not be for them. Is it for you? Only you can decide, but it is a breakthrough attraction with an experience unlike anything you've ever encountered. If you're on the line, you may want to consider popping a Dramamine to give it a whirl.
Next page: Whirl and hurl? Will you be able to handle Mission: SPACE?
