The reason why it closed so suddenly is because the extra weight of the on-ride audio system added to the ride vehicles in 1996 caused the track and supports to wear out prematurely. If the ride was allowed to operate any longer in this state, it would've experienced a complete structural failure.
No, the soundtrack just wasn't working. Yes, it had a soundtrack. Unfortunately, poor maintenance on the audio systems led to many of them failing. You'd be extremely lucky to get a ride with audio in 2003 since about 3/4 of the speakers were busted!
Space Mountain had even more problems than that by 2003. The extra weight that the onboard audio system installed in 1996 put on the rockets caused the tracks to heavily fatigue to the point that if the ride was left running any longer, it would have led to an even more fatal accident than the one that happened earlier that same year on Big Thunder. (The same accident that ultimately forced Paul Pressler to step down and be replaced with Matt Ouimett as the resort's president.) For that reason, the total overhaul that happened between April of 2003 and July of 2005 was actually done pretty much out of necessity! All the new theming and special effects were basically additional elements to help justify the extended downtime.
@@bluedragon9925 If it was allowed to open the day it closed, a major structural failure would have occured, leading to a few deaths, several injuries, and a whole bunch of lawsuits.
@@bluedragon9925 Here's something else I found regarding the soundtrack problems. This is a reply to a comment on this video: ua-cam.com/video/aq2FWo_XEUY/v-deo.html the reason this would happen is when the trains are parked at night, the ride operators had to stop them at just the right spot so the train would hit some charging contacts on the track underneath it. this would charge the onboard batteries and that was how the music would play. it was a challenge for many cast members to accomplish this for every single train every night, as there was no feedback to let you know when you were there.
@@andrewschannel4259 That problem could have easily been solved if they either put some visual guides on the floor next to the storage track telling them where to park the rockets or having charging plates in the station platform, similar to how the old Universe of Energy traveling theater cars would recharge their onboard batteries when the ride was loading and unloading.
Thanks for sharing and for sharing what SM was before the refurbishment. It's a Bummer the Ride Viewing window is gone and also the fact, the whole People Mover as well. Used to Love how the People Mover took you right through Space Mountain or at least parts of it.
Even better, they used computer aided design to iron out all the bumps while still keeping the original layout intact, making the ride significantly smoother than it was pre-refurb as a result.
@@olileoli2788 They had to replace everything from the top of the 3rd lift to the back of the station because when they added the on-board audio system in 1996, it made the trains much heavier, which in turn caused the track and supports to wear out prematurely.
@@CharlesReinmuth I agree. to be honest, I don't think Disney really cares if you bring a high tech camera into a ride or even your phone, as long as people aren't complaining about it.
Taking a camera or a phone on rides? Yeah, I have done it on a few at Disneyland. But I don’t think I would want to try it at some place like Magic Mountain. I can definitely see why they wouldn’t want you doing it there.
@scar259 The soundtrack to the original space mountain was composed by surf guitar legend Dick Dale. I recommend checking out this track as it is far superior to what they have now.
The soundtrack wasn't working. It had a soundtrack but the audio systems were poorly taken care of and often failed. The cast members also failed to charge the batteries for the sound systems as it was hard to line the rockets up with the charging contacts on the track.
This version had music, but poor maintenance caused almost all of the speakers in the cars to fail. In addition, the cars had charging contacts on the underside to charge the batteries when in a certain spot on the track, but it wasn't easy to park them in the right spot because there was no marking or beep to let cast members know when they were lined up.
Dang! Its a good thing they added audio. It already pales in comparison to the one at Disney World, but the audio atleast makes it a better ride. Boring roller coaster, but a nice ride.
Actually from this video you could hear the onboard audio system struggling to work - it failed because of the improper charging. Even worse that audio system led to the structural compromise of the ride
This version actually had the on-ride audio before the WDW version, being added in 1996. The reason this wasn’t heard in this recording is due to the difficulty to charge this earlier system, leading to many trains losing power early in the day.
, since the refurbishment they upgraded to more speed! Hyperspace adds about a additional of 6 mph . Compared to the 2004 to the earlier versions the 05- version is about 12mph quicker if not more.
I like the 1997-2003 Sign Much better than today. The Letters or way cooler than today . Today sign letters suck not very futuristic at all. I like the old Soundtrack and Old Space Mountain it was more futuristic than it is today. Back then it was like a real story line with aliens . Today no storyline just plain Space Mountain and not as fun as it used to be. I like the old space mountain better. No aliens for space mountain today just boring . I do like Ghost Galaxy better not boring at all.
The older version of Space Mountain had a cold and eerie feel to it...Does anyone remember the giant red glowing ball at the beginning?
Of course.
yes i literally have been searching for a video of the red ball!! no one remembers it! lol you’re comment is the only mention of it ive found! lol 🤯
2003 to 2005, the ride was closed for major refurbishment which gave us the version we have now. Since 2005, the ride hasn't changed.
Felt bad for anyone who went in 2004
The reason why it closed so suddenly is because the extra weight of the on-ride audio system added to the ride vehicles in 1996 caused the track and supports to wear out prematurely. If the ride was allowed to operate any longer in this state, it would've experienced a complete structural failure.
you have the best POVs i have ever seen!
From the early 2000s.
No, the soundtrack just wasn't working.
Yes, it had a soundtrack. Unfortunately, poor maintenance on the audio systems led to many of them failing. You'd be extremely lucky to get a ride with audio in 2003 since about 3/4 of the speakers were busted!
Space Mountain had even more problems than that by 2003. The extra weight that the onboard audio system installed in 1996 put on the rockets caused the tracks to heavily fatigue to the point that if the ride was left running any longer, it would have led to an even more fatal accident than the one that happened earlier that same year on Big Thunder. (The same accident that ultimately forced Paul Pressler to step down and be replaced with Matt Ouimett as the resort's president.) For that reason, the total overhaul that happened between April of 2003 and July of 2005 was actually done pretty much out of necessity! All the new theming and special effects were basically additional elements to help justify the extended downtime.
@@bluedragon9925 If it was allowed to open the day it closed, a major structural failure would have occured, leading to a few deaths, several injuries, and a whole bunch of lawsuits.
@@andrewschannel4259 That's exactly what I was implying. ;)
@@bluedragon9925 Here's something else I found regarding the soundtrack problems. This is a reply to a comment on this video: ua-cam.com/video/aq2FWo_XEUY/v-deo.html
the reason this would happen is when the trains are parked at night, the ride operators had to stop them at just the right spot so the train would hit some charging contacts on the track underneath it. this would charge the onboard batteries and that was how the music would play. it was a challenge for many cast members to accomplish this for every single train every night, as there was no feedback to let you know when you were there.
@@andrewschannel4259 That problem could have easily been solved if they either put some visual guides on the floor next to the storage track telling them where to park the rockets or having charging plates in the station platform, similar to how the old Universe of Energy traveling theater cars would recharge their onboard batteries when the ride was loading and unloading.
Thanks for sharing and for sharing what SM was before the refurbishment. It's a Bummer the Ride Viewing window is gone and also the fact, the whole People Mover as well. Used to Love how the People Mover took you right through Space Mountain or at least parts of it.
they replaced the track when they refurbish'd it into todays version. thank god its an indentical track
Even better, they used computer aided design to iron out all the bumps while still keeping the original layout intact, making the ride significantly smoother than it was pre-refurb as a result.
They also did the whole ride structure
@@olileoli2788 They had to replace everything from the top of the 3rd lift to the back of the station because when they added the on-board audio system in 1996, it made the trains much heavier, which in turn caused the track and supports to wear out prematurely.
@@andrewschannel4259 yep
i love that ride hhaha me and my friends found a glitch in the fast pass things and we got loads of fast passes for that ride haha
I'm impressed that you managed to sneak a camera onto that ride without being caught or kicked out of the park. That would NEVER fly nowadays.
DLSea Music nah, they actually allow recording of their rides..
@@Bradly105 yeah , they just say to hold on to any loose articles
Disney has a generous camera policy. You can bring anything from a phone to a large semi-professional DSLR
@@CharlesReinmuth I agree. to be honest, I don't think Disney really cares if you bring a high tech camera into a ride or even your phone, as long as people aren't complaining about it.
Taking a camera or a phone on rides? Yeah, I have done it on a few at Disneyland. But I don’t think I would want to try it at some place like Magic Mountain. I can definitely see why they wouldn’t want you doing it there.
Aww man I miss those creepy sound effects they used to play in the station. :P
Wow I wish I could have gone on this version! I was too scared to try it until 2013, now I love it.
I respect that.
I Rember Goind On This When I Was 5 Fricken Scary At The 2nd Lift
This was filmed immediately before the ride got a two-year remodel!
Cool footage
From 2003.
The retro "space station" sound effects you can hear in the station.
Gr8 job my friend, I really enjoyed this video!!
GHOST Seekers
I actually thought your footage was pretty good!
@scar259 The soundtrack to the original space mountain was composed by surf guitar legend Dick Dale. I recommend checking out this track as it is far superior to what they have now.
The current safety rules were heard at 3:14!
did it had moving stars or just stars and could you see the supports???
this one and the Paris space mountains are the best!
I agree
Cool!
Cool, was it as rough as the one at WDW?
any soundtrack on that ride back then i rode the space mountain of today but any soundtrack?
Yeah I can't hear it either, all I hear are the cars and people screaming
The soundtrack wasn't working. It had a soundtrack but the audio systems were poorly taken care of and often failed. The cast members also failed to charge the batteries for the sound systems as it was hard to line the rockets up with the charging contacts on the track.
Like the sound effect at 1:26
This is from the station.
I just want the ride to be darker and have music, other wise it is good as it is
Engineering Tyler It was nightvision
This version had music, but poor maintenance caused almost all of the speakers in the cars to fail. In addition, the cars had charging contacts on the underside to charge the batteries when in a certain spot on the track, but it wasn't easy to park them in the right spot because there was no marking or beep to let cast members know when they were lined up.
@@andrewschannel4259 Worst part was the heavier trains with the audio system actually caused the structural compromise of the entire ride
It was a little jerky, but compared to WDW it was as smooth as glass.
Today it'd be called rough, but hey it wasn't arrow who made it with their coat hangers
Dang! Its a good thing they added audio. It already pales in comparison to the one at Disney World, but the audio atleast makes it a better ride. Boring roller coaster, but a nice ride.
Actually from this video you could hear the onboard audio system struggling to work - it failed because of the improper charging. Even worse that audio system led to the structural compromise of the ride
This version actually had the on-ride audio before the WDW version, being added in 1996. The reason this wasn’t heard in this recording is due to the difficulty to charge this earlier system, leading to many trains losing power early in the day.
Are you by any chance related to the renound Michael Childers
cool;you ride it!!!awesome and i will send you a video of my new 1977 space mountain to your email.tell me what do you think about it.
You should have got some footage of the viewing area in the line.
this vid, youtube cant be take this vid down it was the last one of 1977 version plz youtube dont take it down
It had stars.
Yes, but it rarely worked.
I waited no more than 10mins. I used Fastpass.
moving stars?
I can't fit since the refurbishment. I prefer the old Space Mountain.
We get this.
which version is scraier 1977/2003 or 2005/-
2004-
What dose SOBAT stand for?
yes.
back in the 80s my parents told me tht space mountian was faster
, since the refurbishment they upgraded to more speed! Hyperspace adds about a additional of 6 mph . Compared to the 2004 to the earlier versions the 05- version is about 12mph quicker if not more.
No.
I like the 1997-2003 Sign Much better than today. The Letters or way cooler than today . Today sign letters suck not very futuristic at all. I like the old Soundtrack and Old Space Mountain it was more futuristic than it is today. Back then it was like a real story line with aliens . Today no storyline just plain Space Mountain and not as fun as it used to be. I like the old space mountain better. No aliens for space mountain today just boring . I do like Ghost Galaxy better not boring at all.
Ryan120420 are you a guy or girl?