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However, it was decided the mountain would be built outside the park, on the opposite side of the train tracks that act as the perimeter of the park. The Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland had the right amount of available land, and computing technology had improved significantly since the initial design phases.
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Ultimately, designers returned to designing Space Mountain. Ī new Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction was considered, but it wouldn't fit within Florida's Fantasyland. The Magic Kingdom's early success, and its unexpected popularity with teens and young adults, prompted WED to begin planning thrill rides for the new park shortly after its opening in October 1971. Walt Disney's death in December 1966 and the new emphasis on preparing for the newly announced Disney World project forced WED to put aside the design of Space Mountain indefinitely. The initial concept was to have four separate tracks, but the technology available at the time, combined with the amount of space required versus that which was available within Disneyland, made such a design impossible. WED partnered with Arrow Development Company, the same company that had helped design the Matterhorn's roller coaster systems years before. The Matterhorn's success had convinced Walt Disney that thrilling rides did have a place in his park. The Space Mountain concept was a descendant of the first Disney "mountain" attraction, the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, which opened in 1959.
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Other versions of the attraction were built at all other Disney parks except for Shanghai Disneyland Park.
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There are two tracks within this attraction, Alpha and Omega, which passengers can choose from. The original Space Mountain coaster opened in 1975 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Although all five versions of the attraction are different in nature, all have a similar conical exterior façade that is a landmark for the respective park. Space Mountain is a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at five of the six Disneyland-style Disney Parks.
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