Mission: SPACE

Mission: SPACE Review

It took five years for Disney Imagineers, with the help of 25 experts from NASA, to design Mission: SPACE, the first ride ever to take people "straight up" in a simulated rocket launch. The story transports you and co-riders to the year 2036 and the International Space Training Center, where you are astronauts-in-training about to embark on your first launch. Before you board the four-person rocket capsule, you're assigned to a position: commander, navigator, pilot, or engineer. And at this point you're warned several times about the intensity of the ride and the risks for people with health concerns. (Pregnant women and anyone with heart, back, neck, balance, blood-pressure, or motion-sickness problems shouldn't ride, and the ride-height minimum is 44 inches.)

Many people exit this ride feeling nauseated and disoriented from the high-speed spinning, which is what makes you feel as if you're rocketing into space. These effects are often cumulative. You may be OK after your first ride but totally ill after your second or third in a row.

For those who can handle the intense spinning, the sensation of lift-off is truly amazing. You'll feel the capsule tilt skyward and, on a screen that simulates a windshield, you'll see the clouds and even a flock of birds pass over you. Then you launch—a turbulent and heart-pounding experience that flattens you against your seat. Once you break into outer space, you'll even feel weightless. After landing, you exit your capsule into the Advanced Training Lab, where you can rejoin your little ones playing some very entertaining space-related games.

For people with disabilities: This ride requires a transfer from wheelchair to seat. Service animals aren't permitted to board. Video-captioning devices can be used on the ride; assisted-listening devices can be used in the post-show Training Lab. Arrive before 10 am or use Fastpass during peak season. Don't ride on a full stomach.