A fan shared a fact he just learned about Disney’s Space Mountain that sounds fake…but is actually not far from the truth.
One of the best parts of going to a Disney Park is enjoying the incredible rides and attractions on offer. Of all these, Space Mountain is one of the most iconic Disney rides in any Disney resort, whether at the Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort in the United States or Disneyland Paris (where it’s the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain) or Tokyo Disney Resort.
Related: The History of Disney’s Space Mountain Accidents
Space Mountain is universally agreed to be one of the more iconic thrill and dark rides at the Disney parks. From its inception back in 1975 at the Walt Disney World Resort. Walt Disney was inspired to create the outer space-themed ride based on the success of the Matterhorn Bobsleds in Disneyland; it became a fast success and today, is one of Disney Park guests’ favorites to ride.
However, recently, one fan shared a fact that made him feel “betrayed by his own body.”
As Space Mountain is one of the more thrilling rides at the Disney theme parks, it can often feel like you’re zipping at enormous speeds through the indoor roller coaster track. Any Disney fan who has experienced the attraction can attest to this. But as Instagram user Max shared, Space Mountain is much slower than one might initially believe.
View this post on Instagram
Max compared the speed of Space Mountain to the kid coaster, The Barnstormer featuring Goofy the Great Goofini, and found that both coasters were practically the same speed.
Max explained, “Goofy’s Barnstormer, the child’s coaster, and Space Mountain are basically the same speed,” he then pointed to text on the screen that shared that Space Mountain runs at 27 mph and The Barnstormer runs at 25 mph. Max continued, “I’m going in thinking [Space Mountain] is 60 mph, it’s just dark.”
However, looking up the speed of Space Mountain, the story becomes a little complicated. Disney World's Space Mountain in Magic Kingdom is reported to be either 28.7 mph or 27 mph, all within the range of the number Max posited.
When it comes to Disneyland's Space Mountain attraction, the coaster reaches a slightly higher speed of 35 mph. So Disneyland Resort fans can rest assured that their Space Mountain is certainly faster than a children’s coaster.
Is Space Mountain Still in the Dark?
Space Mountain is as thrilling as it is because it’s a dark ride; however, over the years, rumors have swirled that Disney would make it a lights-on attraction due to a tragic accident. While that isn’t true, you can check out the origin of the rumor here.
