Spaceship Earth

Travel in time and explore the history of communication on a ride that takes you from the Stone Age to the computer age.

“Remember how easy it was to learn your ABCs? Thank the Phoenicians…”

Inextricably linked to EPCOT, Spaceship Earth – aka The Big Golf Ball – is a structure that announces: “This theme park is unlike any other you’ve visited.” It beckons; it welcomes; it looms. Straddling the entrance paths to the park, the geosphere is unavoidable and for new guests, it exudes an aura of mystery of what may be inside. Unfortunately, the answer to that question is likely to leave some guests disappointed as it’s not a thrill ride or roller coaster of any type, rather, a slow-moving journey through the history of communication – from early cave paintings, to the invention of alphabets, the printed word via papyrus scrolls and the printing press, and ending in the relative present with the rise of digital communications in both the home and on a grander scale that helps steer the progress of evolving technologies. This is all bookended by a series of questions posted on a touch screen in front of you and later played back in a slightly amusing story form. 

Behind the Schemes:

Spaceship Earth is a prime example of Disney pushing architecture to its fullest potential. The ride itself is contained within a geodesic sphere (or geosphere) and not in a geodesic dome as often mentioned in descriptions of the attraction. The outside of the ride contains over 11,000 triangles covered in Alucobond panels for protection and contains a hidden gutter system that keeps guests below from getting drenched during rainy portions of the day and carries the water to World Showcase Lagoon.

The ride uses the Omnimover system with linked vehicles that are all connected through the entire track. Each vehicle can hold four guests – five if you have a little one and don’t mind squishing together. With so many vehicles in motion, Spaceship Earth is a monster of a “crowd eater” and its hourly capacity is one of the highest on property. In fact, at one point, Spaceship Earth was listed as having the most riders of any other attraction on property. Even if you see what appears to be a long line outside, keep in mind that the ride is constantly in motion – except when there are loading and unloading issues that must be addressed – so wait times are usually reasonable, and most importantly, the queue is almost completely shaded by the structure itself.

Since its opening in 1982, Spaceship Earth has seen an ever-changing roster of sponsors, updates, and narrators. The attraction was originally sponsored by the telecommunication company known as the Bell System until 1984 when it was splintered into a collection of seven smaller companies nicknamed the “Baby Bells,” which included the long-distance and international service provider, American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T) which became the new sponsor until 2004. The following year, the massive German conglomerate Siemens took over the reins and held on tight until 2017. At the time of this writing, the attraction has no sponsor.

In order, the roster of narrators has been Vic Perrin, best known for being the “Control Voice” on the TV series The Outer Limits (1982–1986); legendary television news anchor Walter Cronkite (1986–1994); Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons (1994–2007); and the current narrator, Oscar-winning actress Dame Judy Dench (2007–present). 

Reality Check:

The term “Spaceship Earth” is often said to be coined by architect, philosopher, and inventor Buckminster Fuller, but this assertion is not accurate as he merely popularized the phrase with his 1968 book, Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Fuller also popularized the creations of geodesic domes, and ultimate the geosphere, so it’s easy to see why people get confused.

Spaceship Earth marked the first usage of an invention known as the “smellitizer,” which blasts short bursts of scents into an area which helps bring an extra bit of verisimilitude to the scene depicting the burning of Rome. 

While the Phoenician alphabet – also known as Early Linear Script – was not the first to be created, it was arguably the first to spread throughout regions of the world due its origins in port cities that had a bevy of merchants going to-and-fro to carryout their trade businesses. The symbols were used in no less than six different languages and sentences were read from right-to-left.

Once we “sail into a bold new era” – the era or Reconstruction and after – we encounter a newsboy peddling his wares, but for some reason over the years, he has been turned around and faces the back wall rather than showing his face to guests as he cries out “Extra! Extra! New York Daily!”

The man working on computers in his garage is supposedly an amalgamation of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The 1976 Chevrolet Vega that sits outside his house is from a line of models that were manufactured from 1970–1976 and named after the brightest star in the constellation Vega.

The area found at the ride’s exit was once home to Earth Station which contained a Guest Relations stand, as well as World Key Information kiosks featuring two-way video that allowed you to talk to a Cast Member in the only area in the park where you could make reservations for restaurants in World Showcase.

The original theme song for the attraction, “Tomorrow’s Child,” has been a fan favorite for years.  A reminder of the many great songs that have been lost to history in EPCOT’s continued evolution.