Rocket Jets was an attraction in Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California . This attraction opened in 1967 with the new Tomorrowland and closed in 1997 for the New Tomorrowland update in 1998. It was the third spinning rocket attraction in Tomorrowland and stood three stories above the ground. When Tomorrowland was redone for 1998, the Rocket Jets were replaced by a new attraction based on Orbitron at the entrance to Discoveryland in Disneyland Park Paris .
23-458: The Astro Orbiter is a "rocket-spinner", aerial carousel -type attraction featured at five Disneyland -style parks and Walt Disney Resorts around the world, except for Tokyo Disneyland . Although each ride may have a slightly different name, all share the same experience of vehicles traveling through space, spinning around a central monument. In most forms of the ride, the use of a joystick (or steering wheel, buttons, etc.) enables guests to adjust
46-578: A kinetic satellite-themed sculpture known as the Observatron, built from the same skeletal structure. The Observatron was originally planned to come to life every fifteen minutes and appear to summon signs from the skies, while a selected soundtrack (such as selected music pieces from Space Mountain and Le Visionarium at Disneyland Paris) would play over Tomorrowland. However, the mechanism has been prone to failure and occasionally will be inactive for periods of months or only play sporadically on certain days. It
69-550: A large Saturn V rocket as the centerpiece). However the attraction vehicles were different from any other previous form as they were much larger and featured a flatter back-end and larger tail fins. While Disneyland's Rocket Jets resembled actual rockets, the Magic Kingdom 's Star Jets appeared more like space shuttles. Each of the 12 open-air vehicles was attached to the central axis by a 20-foot arm. The vehicles held up to two passengers who circled round and round, 60 feet above
92-668: A massive expansion including the creation of Space Mountain , a new location for the Disneyland-attraction, Carousel of Progress , and the WEDWay PeopleMover . The Star Jets were considered the focal point of Tomorrowland due to its soaring, spinning rockets and central location. This version of the attraction was based on the Disneyland version, in both location (on top of the PeopleMover platform) and in style (both feature
115-512: A significant change in the design of Tomorrowland. Known as Discoveryland, the land took on a retro-science-fiction style inspired by some of Europe's greatest writers, such as Jules Verne and H. G. Wells . As such, Orbitron's central axis resembles a bronze 19th century rotating planetarium instead of a rocket. This design was exported to the Disneyland Resort in California when Tomorrowland
138-580: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rocket Jets The Rocket Jets remained in their place above the former PeopleMover station as the Observatron, a sculpture that was intended to spin and play music every fifteen minutes. There are only two tracks, from Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune (Space Mountain: From the Earth to the Moon) and Le Visionarium (The Timekeeper), both of which are defunct Disneyland Paris attractions (De la Terre à la Lune
161-411: Is known as Jet Packs at Shanghai Disneyland . It opened on the same day as Shanghai Disneyland opened, June 16, 2016. Aerial carousel Red Baron is an amusement ride that is primarily intended for small children. It's a common kiddie ride at many amusement parks , carnivals , and fairs . The rider can move the gondola up and down manually. Many ride manufacturers make this type of ride;
184-643: Is now Space Mountain: Mission 2, while The Timekeeper was also an attraction at the Magic Kingdom in Florida). The rockets were replaced by satellite dishes and the Saturn V rocket in the center was replaced by a laser-beam. However, the Observatron often malfunctioned, as the machinery was built to operate more frequently and to carry the rockets, rather than the satellite dishes they were replaced with. It appeared to have mechanical issues, sometimes only playing music every 15 minutes, or not doing anything at all. In late 2006,
207-566: Is unknown if the Observatron still functions. In April 2009, the Astro Orbitor at Disneyland closed for refurbishment and was stripped down to its skeletal structure. It reopened in June 2009 with a silver, blue, red, and gold trim color scheme. No form of the attraction existed in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World until 1974, three years after the park's opening, when Tomorrowland underwent
230-505: The Submarine Voyage and Rocket to the Moon. The name Astro Jets was changed in 1964 when United Airlines , as a new park sponsor (sponsoring " The Enchanted Tiki Room "), contended the name was free advertising for American Airlines ' coast-to-coast Astrojet service. After this dispute, the name was changed to Tomorrowland Jets . The name lasted until September 1966, when the attraction
253-605: The Zamperla 's "Mini Jet" is a common model of this ride. The "Mini Jet" ride comes in various themes such as bees, dragons, elephants, airplanes, helicopters, spaceships, etc. Some of the Red Baron kiddie rides are restricted to only children under 54 inches tall, such as the ones in Cedar Point , Kings Island , and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom . In quite a few other "Red Baron" type kiddie rides, adults and parents are allowed to ride on
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#1732859287134276-415: The Observatron received much needed maintenance which allows the Observatron to now rotate every 15 minutes while playing its music as originally planned. As part of the maintenance, the old speakers were replaced with new ones and new speakers were added. Since this maintenance, the Observatron rarely breaks down and operates on a daily basis as intended. The Saturn V rocket that the rockets were attached to
299-506: The center rocket along with various planets on the outside of the attraction as to appear as if the rockets were weaving between the planets. The ride at the Magic Kingdom does 11 rotations per minute and averages 1.2 million miles a year. In the 1994-2009 narration for the Tomorrowland Transit Authority , the ride was referenced as the "League of Planets Astro Orbiter." The version prepared for Tokyo Disneyland debuted with
322-465: The first rocket-spinner attraction opened at Disneyland and was known as the Astro Jets . The attraction was made by Klaus Company Bavaria and similar to several versions found in traveling carnivals. The "jets" made a 50-foot circle around a large red-checkered rocket and guests were able climb upwards of 36 feet in their ride vehicles from the ground level they were boarded at. The attraction stood between
345-548: The ground, while controlling their ascent and descent with a metal control stick. On January 10, 1994, the original Star Jets closed in order to undergo a complete makeover as part of the New Tomorrowland. The attraction was re-designed and re-opened on April 30, 1994, as the Astro Orbiter , part of the complete renovation of the park's Tomorrowland section. The attraction featured a highly stylized iron-work tower in lieu of
368-424: The height of their individual cars at will, usually within a range of no more than 10-15 feet. When the ride cycle comes to its completion, any ascended vehicles are automatically lowered for passenger exit and re-boarding. Over the years, with each new iteration of the ride debuting, new designs, thematic schemes, and locations have been implemented to fit with the changing themes of several Tomorrowlands . In 1956,
391-480: The park in April 1983, sharing its name ("Star Jets") and design with the first Magic Kingdom version. Even though the park does not have a PeopleMover attraction, designers nonetheless placed their attraction atop an elevated platform similar to that at Florida's Magic Kingdom. This attraction closed on October 10, 2017, and was replaced by The Happy Ride with Baymax . The opening of Euro Disneyland in April 1992 marked
414-527: The rest of Tomorrowland. The new form of the attraction opened one year later as Astro Orbitor . The new version is a replica of the Orbitron, Machines Volantes at Disneyland Paris . The Astro Orbitor at Disneyland was planned to be placed where the Rocket Jets were, but weighed too much for the current building. Instead, it was relocated to the entrance of Tomorrowland, and placed on ground level, thus making
437-524: The ride the new focal point as guests step from the main plaza of Disneyland into Tomorrowland. One concept drawing had guests boarding the attraction underground and others had the center of the attraction featuring a water moat (similar to the "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" attraction in Fantasyland). Neither ideas were ever carried out. The mechanism for Rocket Jets on top of the PeopleMover was re-used as
460-780: The rides, such as "The Busy Bees" and "Amazing Flying Elephants" at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee , or at the Red Baron Ride at Funderland in Sacramento, California . Another place where adults can ride on a Red Baron type ride is at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, where Dumbo the Flying Elephant has been a perennial favorite of not only toddlers, preschoolers and young children, but teenagers, adults and seniors as well, for many years (Disneyland has been around since July 17, 1955 and Walt Disney World since October 1, 1971). This article about an amusement ride or roller coaster
483-516: Was closed to make room for the new renovated Tomorrowland. The attraction returned in August 1967 as the Rocket Jets . This version was located on top of the new PeopleMover platform, and was accessible from ground level via an elevator. The focal point of this version was its replica Saturn V / NASA -themed rocket in the center. This version remained open until 1997, when it closed for renovations with
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#1732859287134506-624: Was renovated in 1998. This was also the first version of the attraction to be installed at ground level instead of atop an elevated platform. Like the other international Disneyland parks, Hong Kong Disneyland opened in September 2005 with its own version, known as the Orbitron , a modified version of the Parisian one. In order to improve the attraction's capacity, the rockets became "flying saucers" and were made large enough to accommodate an average of four riders per saucer, in two rows of two riders. It
529-547: Was sold on eBay by Disney Auction in 2005. One remains on display, along with Skyway gondolas, in "Little Green Men Store Command" with a space ranger design. During Disneyland's 50th anniversary, one of the satellite dishes was replaced by a 50 Mickey Mouse head. The Rocket Jets appear in a scene from the Disney animated film Meet the Robinsons alongside another Disneyland attraction, Space Mountain . The area they are shown in
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