March 16, 2006: The American Space Experience

[Werner Weiss]

The word space has shown up in several Disneyland attractions over the years... Space Station X-1, Space Mountain, Adventure Thru Inner Space. Epcot has Mission: Space.

Now Yesterland has The American Space Experience.

Link to The American Space Experience.

Please discuss it here.

[UncleTom]

Was the X-33 model always in there? I don't remember it all.

Awesome as usual Werner.

[matterhornmaniac]

what was there before this? i seem to recall a big shop like the star trader, but i don't really remember.

[danyoung]

I think back in the days of CircleVision this area was the post show (or pre-show?) area, with the hands free phone booths that were so cool before we all got used to speakerphones.

[NASAMan]

This is still a great idea, but perhaps housed as part of Innoventions. There have been so many ties between Disney and NASA it would be a shame to to reference them in some way. Never got to see this exhibit, but being a NASA educator I didn't see anything that was unique to me. The analogy to Alamagordo is very apt!

[BlueSkyDriveBy]

Never got to see this exhibit, but being a NASA educator I didn't see anything that was unique to me.

Actually, there was one little item that folks always passed by (even Werner didn't mention it), that I feel was the best part of the exhibit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/faq.html#aerogel


Aerogel is trippy stuff. Most people don't know it even exists. And you can purchase your own little samples from various sources, ranging from coin size for $30 to small 3 inch cubes for around $700.

Science in action.

That's what Tomorrowland means to me.

[PragmaticIdealist]

I'd like to see the Jet Propulsion Laboratories present an attraction for the general public in the desert airfield of the California park.

The main reason for the relative failure of this exhibit was the design and not necessarily the content.

[TDSTOM]

You missed the BEST part!!

The moon rock that had a Mickey Mouse blemish on it!! Straight from NASA itself.



Thomas

[filmfreak11]

I recorded a couple minutes of video of this exhibit for some reason. I'll eventually put it up on my youtube some day.

If I decide to, anyone have any music suggestions?

[2DieFR]

If I decide to, anyone have any music suggestions?

Maybe something from Mission: Space would be fitting.

[hollywood1939]

Wow great stuff as always. Something I missed before my hiatus. Something that I actually found to have been interesting in Tomorrowland of '98.

[Athlonacon]

"By the way, NASA’s X-33 program, which began in 1996, was cancelled by NASA in 2001—even though construction of the prototype was around 85% complete."

...and people wonder why NASA is costing American taxpayers so much money.


Personally, I'd rather see a space exhibit in that area than Buzz Lightyear and his cartoonish lime-green atmosphere. In my opinion, the cartoonish nature of that area undermines the theme of Tomorrowland and cheapens its look. Sure, 10-year olds probably love it, but compared to the real Tomorrowland's attractions, it's not too exciting for adults.

Very interesting article though, I forgot that Yesterland can contain fairly recent attractions too. When I saw it I thought, "Wow, they had some advanced displays in the 1960's" but then I read how it was the space exhibit that I had forgotten all about.

[mserenity]

Although this exhibit was small and short lived I have fond memories of visiting it back in 99 with my soon-to-be exgirlfriend,and in o2 with some of my friends and my wife. It was a bit of a pit-stop but interesting in both cases. I remember joking with my friends about our weight on the scale.

[Werner Weiss]

I updated the article about The American Space Experience with two additional picture:

Link to The American Space Experience.

[Alchimedes]

My dad would have loved to have seen this NASA Exhibit. He works with the high school clubs that are into H.A.M radio operating. NASA has an antenna on the current space station.
It is really too bad that Pressler was around, it might have had a little more detail and interest with a different mindset behind this.

Thanks Mr Weiss, I enjoyed your new additions.