LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Rising 183 feet above the futuristic Tomorrowland scenery, Space Mountain has taken millions of Magic Kingdom guests on a thrilling roller coaster ride through the cosmos since it opened at Walt Disney World Resort in 1975.

PRE-LAUNCH : As guests enter Space Mountain, they see windows that appear to look out into the universe, providing a sensation of walking through space and the anticipation of a spine-tingling adventure — a dark ride through space.

BLASTOFF : Guests board six-passenger trains that rocket through tunnels of flickering neon lights, then begin a rapid descent along an intricate and dark track. The spatial-effects lighting, sprinkling the inner-heavens with galaxies of stars, darting meteors and glowing space vehicles, sets the stage for an adventure as close to a cosmic voyage as most people will ever experience.

HISTORY : Space Mountain originated in the early 1960s when Walt Disney conceived the idea of a high-speed thrill attraction based on the excitement of the Space Age.

BY THE NUMBERS : Space Mountain