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Astro Orbitor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Astro Orbiter | |||||
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| Land | Tomorrowland | ||||
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering | ||||
| Attraction type | Centrifugal | ||||
| Theme | Space | ||||
| Propulsion method | Combination of hydraulics and pneumatics | ||||
| Opening date | 1974 | ||||
| Hosted by | none | ||||
| Music | none | ||||
| Vehicle type | Rockets | ||||
| Vehicle names | Rockets | ||||
| Vehicle capacity | 2 | ||||
| Cars per vehicle | 12 | ||||
| Guests per car | 2 | ||||
| Site area | Tomorrowland sq ft | ||||
| Sponsored by | None | ||||
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| Astro Orbitor in Disneyland | |||||||||||
| Disneyland | |||||||||||
| Theme | space | ||||||||||
| Opening date | 1966 | ||||||||||
| Hosted by | none | ||||||||||
| Music | none | ||||||||||
| Ride duration | 1:30 minutes | ||||||||||
| Total height | 26 ft (7.9 m) | ||||||||||
| Track height | 35 ft (10.7 m) | ||||||||||
| Maximum speed | 10 RPM mph (Expression error: Unrecognised word "rpm" km/h) | ||||||||||
| Number of lifts | none | ||||||||||
| Audio-animatronics | none | ||||||||||
| Sponsored by | none | ||||||||||
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| Magic Kingdom | |
| Opening date | 1974 |
| Ride duration | 1:30 minutes |
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| Star Jets | |
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| Star Jets at Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
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| Orbitron, Machines Volantes | |
| Disneyland Park (Paris) | |
| Ride duration | 2:00 minutes |
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| Orbitron | |
| Hong Kong Disneyland | |
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Astro Orbitor is a rocket-spinner attraction featured at all five Magic Kingdom-style parks at Walt Disney Resorts around the world. Although each ride may have a different name, all share the same premise of rockets spinning around a central monument, commonly a large rocket. As each form of the attraction appeared, new designs and locations have been implemented to fit with changing schemes of several Tomorrowlands.
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In 1956, the first rocket-spinner attraction opened at Disneyland and was known as the Astro Jets. The attraction was made by Klaus Company Bavaria and similar to several versions found in traveling carnivals. The "jets" made a 50-foot circle around a large red-checkered rocket and guests were able climb upwards of 36 feet in their ride vehicles from the ground level they were boarded at. The attraction stood between the Submarine Voyage and Flight to the Moon.
The name Astro Jets was changed in 1964 when United Airlines, a new sponsor for the park (specifically "The Enchanted Tiki Room"), disputed the name was free advertising for American Airlines' coast-to-coast jet-airline service. After this dispute the name was changed to Tomorrowland Jets. The name lasted until September of 1966, when the attraction was closed to make room for the new renovated Tomorrowland.
The attraction returned in August of 1967 as the Rocket Jets. This version was located on top of the new PeopleMover platform, and was accessible from ground level via an elevator. The focal point of this version was its replica Saturn V/NASA-themed rocket in the center. This version remained open until 1997, when it closed for renovations with the rest of Tomorrowland. The new form of the attraction opened one year later as Astro Orbitor. The new version is a replica of the Orbitron, Machines Volantes at Disneyland Paris.
The Astro Orbitor was planned to be placed where the Rocket Jets were, but weighed too much for the current building. Instead, it was relocated to the entrance of Tomorrowland, and placed on ground level, thus making the ride the new focal point as guests step from the main plaza of Disneyland into Tomorrowland. One concept drawing had guests boarding the attraction underground and others had the center of the attraction featuring a water moat (similar to the "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" attraction in Fantasyland). Both ideas were never carried out.
The mechanism for Rocket Jets on top of the PeopleMover was dismantled and a kinetic satellite-themed sculpture known as Observatron was built out of the ride's skeletal structure. The Observatron was originally planned to come to life every fifteen minutes and appear to summon signs from the skies, while a selected soundtrack (such as selected music pieces from Space Mountain and Le Visionarium at Disneyland Paris) would play over Tomorrowland. However, the mechanism has been prone to failure and occasionally will be inactive for periods of months or play sporadically on certain days.
However, the future of the Astro Orbitor may change. Since it retained the 1998 gold and bronze color scheme when most of Tomorrowland was repainted blue and silver in 2005 and 2006, reminiscent of the white and blue 1967 paint scheme, the attraction may be repainted in the future. Rumors on some Disney fan sites are that along with a return of the Peoplemover, a new version of this ride will be placed upon the Peoplemover platform. Reasons to support these rumors are due to controversy among Disney fans that it obstructs the view of Tomorrowland's main thoroughfare, and takes up space that could be used for the frequently overcrowded viewings of Remember... Dreams Come True fireworks show.
No form of the attraction existed in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World until 1974, three years after the park's opening, when Tomorrowland underwent a massive expansion including the creation of the first Space Mountain, a new location for the Disneyland-attraction the Carousel of Progress, a new WEDWay Peoplemover, and of course the Star Jets also opened.
This version of the attraction was based on the Disneyland version, in both location (on top of the Peoplemover platform) and in style (both feature a large Saturn rocket). However the attraction vehicles were different than any other previous form as they were much larger and featured a flatter back-end and larger tail fins. This form of the attraction lasted until the 1994 rehab.
In 1994, the Astro Orbiter opened when "The New Tomorrowland" premiered. The land was now a haven for retro-futurism with a 1920's view of the future. The attraction featured a highly stylized iron-work tower in lieu of the center rocket along with various planets on the outside of the attraction as to appear as if the rockets were weaving between the planets and guests feel as if they are going much faster than they appear to. The ride at the Magic Kingdom does 11 rotations per minute and averages 1.2 million miles a year.[1]
- List of current Disneyland attractions
- Magic Kingdom attraction and entertainment history
- Tokyo Disneyland attraction and entertainment history
- ^ Astro Orbiter. WDWHistory.com. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.
| Disneyland Park (Paris) Attractions | |
|---|---|
| Main Street U.S.A.: | Disneyland Railroad - Main Street Station | Horse-Drawn Streetcars | Main Street Vehicle Discovery Arcade | Liberty Arcade | Dapper Dan's Hair Cuts |
| Frontierland: | Legends of the Wild West | Big Thunder Mountain | Phantom Manor Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing | Rustler Roundup Shootin' Gallery | Pocahontas Indian Village Disneyland Railroad - Frontierland Depot | The Chaparral Theater | River Rogue Keel Boats |
| Adventureland: | Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin | Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril Pirates of the Caribbean | Adventure Isle | La Cabane des Robinson | La Plage des Pirates |
| Fantasyland: | Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle) | Le Carrousel de Lancelot | La Tanière du Dragon Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains | Les Voyages de Pinocchio | Peter Pan's Flight | Alice's Curious Labyrinth | Le Pays des Contes de Fées Casey Jr. - le Petit Train du Cirque | "it's a small world" | Dumbo the Flying Elephant | Mad Hatter's Tea Cups Disneyland Railroad - Fantasyland Station | Le Théâtre du Château | Fantasy Festival Stage |
| Discoveryland: | Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast | Space Mountain: Mission 2 | Star Tours | Honey, I Shrunk the Audience Les Mystères du Nautilus | Autopia | Orbitron | Disneyland Railroad - Discoveryland Station | Arcade Alpha, Arcade Bêta | Videopolis |
| Entertainment: | Disney's Once Upon a Dream Parade | Disney's Fantillusion | Wishes Candleabration | Disney Characters' Express | The Tarzan Encounter | The Legend Of The Lion King |
| Hong Kong Disneyland Attractions | |
|---|---|
| Main Street U.S.A.: | Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad | Main Street Vehicles | The Disneyland Story | Animation Academy | Santa's Workshop |
| Fantasyland: | Sleeping Beauty Castle | Mickey's PhilharMagic | Dumbo the Flying Elephant | Cinderella Carousel Fantasyland Train Station | Fantasy Gardens | Mad Hatter Tea Cups | The Golden Mickeys at Disney's Storybook Theater The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Sword in the Stone | Snow White Grotto | "it's a small world" (coming soon - year 2008) |
| Tomorrowland: | Space Mountain | Stitch Encounter | Orbitron | UFO Zone | Autopia | Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters |
| Adventureland: | Festival of the Lion King at Theater in the Wild | Rafts to Tarzan's Treehouse | Tarzan's Treehouse | Liki Tikis | Jungle River Cruise |
| Entertainment: | Disney on Parade | Disney in the Stars | The Dapper Dans |
| Seasonal Entertainment: | Mickey's WaterWorks | Glow in the Park Halloween Parade | Let It Snow Christmas Parade | Sparkling Castle Lights |