Spaceship 
Earth is an opening day attraction and the icon of Epcot in Walt Disney World. The giant sphere is designed as a geodesic dome, a concept which came from author and futurist Buckminster Fuller, who also coined the term Spaceship Earth in his 1964 book, An Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.The name expressed a world view over the concern for overuse of the Earth’s limited resources, encouraging all of its inhabitants to act as a crew in order to work for the greater good – an idea that’s as relevant today as it was in 1964.
Spaceship Earth is featured during the fireworks flyover of Epcot during the finale of Soarin’ Around the World which is unique to this park (DCA’s Soarin’ Around the World, Soaring Over the Horizon, and Soaring: Fantastic Flight each have their own individual alternate endings).
Queue Details
- The mural at the entrance to the attraction was designed and painted by Italian artist Claudio Mazzoli. On its creation:
To begin I have to ask: Where did man come from? Where are we going? What are we looking for? I think the answer is power. The power of the universe. The good of the universe. It is the life, the electricity…. This is where we come from and I think… where we want to go. In this painting I try to make people understand how man communicates, the meaning of communication, [and] how important and powerful communication is.
Ride Details
- Author Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451) helped design the 180-foot-tall triangle covered, silver structure as well as the original storyline for the attraction.
- The orchestral score heard throughout the attraction was composed by Bruce Broughton. Mr. Broughton is also responsible for the iconic music of other Epcot attractions such as Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, and the Soarin’ Around the World (based on the original score by Jerry Goldsmith) as well as the scores for Disney films including The Rescuers Down Under, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco.
- One of the attraction’s scenes depicts Renaissance artist Michelangelo painting “The Creation of Adam” on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a building in The Vatican whose decorated ceiling took nearly four years to complete. This scene is historically incorrect, however, as Michelangelo did not actually lay horizontal when painting the ceiling.
- This location is mentioned in our blog post: Top 10 Places I Want To Sit But Can’t: Walt Disney World Edition
Official Information: WaltDisneyWorld.com
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