Space mountain with the lights on

[JMazz]

I'm in my late 30s and have been on Space dozens of times, and I still haven't seen it with the utility lights on. The older I get, the more I want to see this. I also wouldn't mind a "walk off" (the higher up, the better).

Thx all for posting pics and vids.

[DLandFansAZ]

I'm in my late 30s and have been on Space dozens of times, and I still haven't seen it with the utility lights on. The older I get, the more I want to see this. I also wouldn't mind a "walk off" (the higher up, the better).

Thx all for posting pics and vids.

Hang in there, I was in my late 30's too when it finally happened.

[kirstenh]

Do you actually walk off if you are in the cars up high? From the pics it doesn't look like there is any safe place to step out of the cars onto; I think that's why someone mentioned that the CMs had to push them.

Nevermind, just watched the video; you just couldn't see the walkway from some of the still shots.

[B2D]

That last video was quite fascinating. I love the ride as is but I also like looking at the engineering and the structure of the whole thing.

When they did the last extensive refurb in 2003 I know they replaced the entire track and redid the foundations... did they redo the ENTIRE internal structure? A lot of that framing does look quite new. Or maybe it's just been well taken care of and protected from the elements outdoors. Either way that must've been a toughie to do without removing the dome.

[FormerDiz]

But I guess the CMs decided that since it was the end of the night and Disneyland was going to close soon, there was no point in trying to get the attraction running again for the day. So they decided to evac us all, including the people inside the space part.

Actually, if your rocket stopped on the lift, it was more than likely a pretty big mechanical problem. Trust me, they'd reset the ride before the end of the night if they could.

Rockets don't stop in that spot typically.

[MarkILIS]

I got to see it with the lights on a month ago yesterday. I knew something was wrong as soon as I got in the main ride room. A recorded announcement could be heard saying something like, "Attention Space Mountain riders. Your ride will resume momentarily," even though my vehicle continued regularly for about half of the ride before screeching to a halt. The lights remained off for a minute or two before they turned them on. Having always wondered what it looked like, I was surprised by several things:

• How clean and new looking it is in there.
• That CMs came and gave us a push to coast back to the loading area.
• That they didn't have to close down the ride and they let us stay in our seats and go around the correct way immediately.

Here's a short video I made:

[mark]

I'm surprised the track is not painted black.

[KiMcHeEfOrLiFe]

Actually, if your rocket stopped on the lift, it was more than likely a pretty big mechanical problem. Trust me, they'd reset the ride before the end of the night if they could.

Rockets don't stop in that spot typically.

Oh, how interesting! I didn't know that! If the attraction stopped due to a non-mechanical problem (let's say a guest held up a rocket at the loading station and caused the attraction to stop), what would the rocket on the lift be doing? Would it keep going up until their next stop point?

[xFoolishMortalx]

I got to see WDW's SM with the lights on. It broke down while I was in line so I ran out and hopped on the TTA to get a good look. It was pretty cool!

[WoC 95]

I have always wanted to be in space mountain with the lights on. One day.

[FormerDiz]

Oh, how interesting! I didn't know that! If the attraction stopped due to a non-mechanical problem (let's say a guest held up a rocket at the loading station and caused the attraction to stop), what would the rocket on the lift be doing? Would it keep going up until their next stop point?

Yes, that's called a cascade stop and that's the more typical breakdown. You experienced a full on emergency stop which stops everything ASAP. Either a CM hit the e-stop button or the computer detected something wrong and shut it down (most likely).

[Coasterjunkie]

I only got to see SM with the lights on only once and that was years ago at WDW. We were on what was then called the WED Way People Mover when all the lights were on.

Here's a onride POV of SM at WDW thanks to furcast on YouTube. I believe it was taken during on of ACE's CoasterCon events. Space Mountain (WDW) with the lights on POV! - YouTube

[Big Phil]

I wouldn't want to ride it with the lights on. My wife was actually skeptical of riding it originally and I showed her a Youtube video of the lights being on and how the coaster really only goes 28mph. It honestly does not go very fast in the video. So she rode it knowing that it wasn't all that bad.

However, the experience is all about riding it in pitch black. Not knowing where you are going, hearing the screams and thinking they are right next to you. It is pure Disney magic that makes it feel faster but that's the point. I have been on dark coasters before. Stuff like the Exterminator in Kennywood, Flight of Fear in King's Island, etc. and while they are more intense rides than Space Mountain I can honestly say that you can see the track a lot more than in Space Mountain. I can never see the track in Space Mountain and I think that is what gives you the most thrill.

[JMazz]

I'm surprised the track is not painted black.

Ya know, me too. It was the first thing I thought of when I saw my very first lights on youtube vid several years ago.

[JesterMn]

I"m surprised that no one has brought up the time when they did the "Rockin' Space Mountain" (or whatever they called it) a number of years ago, when they added a lot of nightclub-esque light effects inside, effectively lighting it up. Most people agreed that it made the ride more dull when you could see the track... it really destroyed the illusion of speed.

For those wanting to see a layout, they used to have a full model on display in the gallery a long time ago. I'm sure someone has pics of it.