Now beaming to distant worlds

With Space Mountain having just closed for its lengthy refurbishment, I thought perhaps now would be a good time to look at a detail from inside the attraction, as it may or may not be there once the attraction reopens.After your flight through the cosmos, once you have landed, you must still make your way back into Tomorrowland. This task can be accomplished in short order by simply taking the FX-1 Teleport. For many, this sign is only a cleverly disguised indicator as to what direction leads you towards the exit. However, for those in the know, it is a reference to a long lost attraction of Disneyland.

From 1955 until 1958 Disneyland’s Tomorrowland included an attraction identified as Space Station X-1. A quick aside, the attraction would continue for another two years, until 1960, but under the name of Satellite View of America. This attraction featured a circular room with a slowly moving panorama of the globe beyond the safety of your space station. The earth would move from day into night and then back again and included nighttime lighting and shifting cloud formations. This platform space station, complete with tunneled entrances and exits, was a glimpse into our future in space several years before NASA was established.

As for the ‘F’ of the FX-1, simple, the ‘F’ marked Disney’s exploration of space and tomorrow in Florida.