Mission: SPACE

Wally wanders the tight quarters of a rocket to Mars

- by Walter Octavius March, February 21, 2011

KUNGALOOSH!

My fellow adventurers, did I ever tell you that in my younger years I was an astronaut?

In fact, I was slated for the Apollo 18 mission, but it was canceled due to budget constraints and because the rockets were being used for the newly built space station. Our landing site, had we actually gone to the moon, might have been Copernicus, a beautiful cratered region upon its lunar surface.

A colleague, who also was supposed to travel on my flight, but then actually did make the trip on another mission, said it was unbelievable. I still envy him.

Although many years have passed, I still remember my training and I am ready for the next mission, if ever given the chance. To practice my skills, I sometimes wander over to EPCOT's Mission:SPACE.

Wally Prepares for His Mission

For those unfamiliar with it, Mission:SPACE is a fantastically exciting simulation of a future journey to Mars. As you enter, Cast Members dressed in ISTC uniforms ask whether you'd prefer the tame or the intense ride. Of course, as a former astronaut, I always take the orange, more intense ride - which is not beyond the skills or endurance of non-trained, thrill ride loving astronauts.

Winding through the queue, we pass mock-ups of space training modules and an actual Lunar Rover. Ah, to have been able to drive that baby on the moon.

I did train in a Lunar Rover and actually scored highest of my training group on parallel parking and the tricky serpentine driving. I used to be called the A.J. Foyt of the Lunar Rover. One time, the three of us got into our Rovers and started to race around Cape Kennedy, when...

I'm sorry, I digress. Back to today's mission...

After passing the Control Room, we see the plaques of Space Firsts: first man in space, first man on the moon, and so forth, then we arrive in the ready room where we're divided into teams of four. Each team member will have a specific job during our flight. I like to be the Engineer, as it suits my training, but I'm happy in any of the other roles, too: Commander, Pilot, Navigator. Once our roles have been assigned, we watch a short video to learn our assignments from Cap-Com and then we board the X-2 rocket for lift-off.

Wally Leaves the Earth Behind

Aboard ship, we have a short amount of time to orient ourselves to the very tight cockpit. As the countdown begins, I feel a rush of adrenaline - and then lift-off!

The 2.4 G force pushes us against our seats as we climb into the sky and clear the atmosphere. The Pilot engages our second-stage rockets, and we slingshot around the moon before going into hyper-sleep.

I always marvel at the similarity between this attraction and an actual space flight, and the talent it took to bring it to Disney World. But as I thinking these thoughts, the alarm sounds!

We find ourselves in a meteor storm taking evasive maneuvers. Our Pilot gets the shields up and the autopilot speeds us from danger. With that behind us, we're ready for our descent to the Red Planet.

But as we near Mars, I get the terrible feeling that something is amiss - and then we lose the auto-pilot and we must all grab our controls. Even with the four of us working together, we still crash through the barrier at the end of the landing strip before finally bringing our ship to a halt on the surface of Mars.

We congratulate one another upon sharing this thrill of a lifetime.

Wally Returns, a Hero!

As we exit the flight module, we enter the Mission: SPACE Advanced Training Lab and tinker with the interactive exhibits, though none are as exciting as our flight.

On my way out, I pass the mural of Mickey and the Gang on the surface of Mars, with a model of our space craft in front of it. I think to myself: "Now I know what my fellow astronauts meant when they said going to space was a life-changing experience."

Until next time, KUNGALOOSH! And keep your eyes open for Adventure!

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