|
The information on this site may not
be reproduced in any form on the Internet or any other medium without
express written permission from EDC
This version of the Spaceship
Earth attraction opened on November 23, 1994.The
information on this site may not be reproduced in any form on the
Internet without express written permission from EDC.
Passing directly beneath the remarkable structure, we proceed up
a short ramp passing two posters, a sign, and a large mural before
entering the pavilion. The two posters on either side of the entrance
queue show a painting of Spaceship Earth with stars
in the distance behind it. Both say "Ride the Time Machine from
the Dawn of Civilization to the Beginning of Our Tomorrow. SPACESHIP
EARTH." The sign which is along the right side of the ramp reads
"Spaceship Earth is a slow moving attraction that explores the
history of human communications. Since travelers will be transported
to the furthest regions of our solar system, the attraction is not
recommended for those who experience anxiety in dark, narrow or enclosed
spaces." The mural depicts astronauts working on a satellite
with Earth in the distance. Surrounding them are smaller images of
cavemen, the Egyptians, the Romans, Gutenburg and his printing press,
and modern day people. These announcements are heard as we near the
entranceway:
Male Announcer:
Please take small children by the hand and look down as you step
onto the moving platform. The platform is moving at the same speed
as your time machine vehicle.
Female Announcer:
Please take small children by the hand and watch your step onto
the moving platform. The platform and your time machine vehicle
are moving at equal speed.
Male Announcer:
The moving platform is traveling at the same speed as your time
machine vehicle. Please take small children by the hand, look down,
and watch your step onto the platform.
Once in the small room, we board blue, constantly moving "time
machine" vehicles. Another announcement continuously plays over
speakers in the room.
Male Announcer:
Your time machine doors will close automatically. Please keep your
hands and arms inside your time machine vehicle and remain seated
throughout your journey.
Female Announcer:
The sliding doors on your time machine will close automatically.
Please remain seated and keep your hands and arms inside your time
machine vehicle during your journey.
Male Announcer:
Your time machine doors slide closed automatically. Please keep
your hands and arms inside your time machine vehicle and remain
seated while traveling.
The doors close and we hear the introduction.
Female Announcer:
AT&T welcomes you aboard Spaceship Earth. Journey
with us now to the dawn of recorded time as we explore the amazing
story of human communication.
The vehicle enters a dark tunnel and rises sharply upward. A starfield
appears and we hear soundbites from famous people such as Susan B.
Anthony's "We ask equality be guaranteed ...", JFK's "Putting
a man on the moon," and FDR's famous line "The only thing
we have to fear is fear itself." Along the walls, light surges
up colored "wires" towards the top of the tunnel. As we
near the top, we see a projection of purplish clouds and an occasional
lightning bolt as Jeremy Irons begins his narration.
 Jeremy Irons: Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed
through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been
among its many passengers. From the very beginning, we have always
sought to reach out to one another ... to bridge the gaps between
us ... to communicate.
Once at the top of the tunnel, images of early human pioneers (men
with spears or holding rocks) and mammoths are projected onto a large
screen. Every few seconds the images ripple with a wave and then reappear.
We then enter a cave and see a Shaman (medicine man) with a fur cape
and antlers on his head. Two men sit around the fire listening to
the Shaman. His large shadow is reflected by the fire onto the cave
wall. A woman is also listening while working with a fur. On the far
right wall, a man and a woman are painting a message on the wall.
The drawings are similar to those found in the Salon-Niaux cave in
Ariège, France (circa 10,000 B.C.).
Jeremy Irons:
Across a lonely, hostile planet, our early ancestors spread out
in search of food and shelter.
Jeremy Irons:
With the development of language came a vital key to our survival.
For the first time, we could share and learn from one another. We
bonded together in small tribes and prospered. No longer isolated,
no longer alone.
Moving into an Egyptian temple (representing 1567 - 1085 B.C.), a
man on the left is making paper out of papyrus. On the right, next
to an elaborate entrance to a building (the archways are decorated
with hieroglyphics), a man stands high upon scaffolding carving a
ventilation hole near the top of a tower. Further ahead on the left,
an Egyptian pharaoh is dictating a message as a scribe copies it onto
the new paper. His wife is seated next to him while a servant fans
them.
Jeremy Irons:
Ages later, the Egyptians invented the first written communication
- a complex language of hieroglyphic pictures and symbols. With
the creation of papyrus scrolls, came the world's first piece of
paper. Now, without ever leaving their palaces, pharaohs could deliver
proclamations and decrees to subjects across the land.
In the Phoenician scene (9th century B.C.), two ships meet in the
ocean to exchange goods. Another man on the larger ship (behind the
smaller ship) holds a rope that is connected to the smaller ship so
that both ships stay together. Fog surrounds the ships. Smoke rises
from small torches at both ends of the larger ship. To the right of
us is a wall showing the ocean going to the horizon and stars above.
Jeremy Irons:
Phoenician merchants established the earliest commercial highways
trading goods and information at distant ports of call. To aid in
record keeping, they created the first common alphabet and shared
this new tool across the Mediterranean.
Up next on the right, is the Greek Theater. Two men wearing masks
are performing "Oedipus Rex" written by Sophocles circa
428 B.C. Another man holding his mask is standing towards the back
of the scene probably waiting for his part to come up.
Jeremy Irons:
In ancient Greece, the spoken word was elevated to a fine art. Philosophers
debated with one another in plazas and storytellers found a new
forum for personal expression. The theater was born.
Ahead on the left, a young Roman man holds the reins to a two horse-drawn
cart. The man (dressed as if he is in the Roman army) who arrived
in the cart is now exchanging information with another man (dressed
in a toga). The man holding the reins is standing on the ground with
the horses, the army man is standing one step up, and the man in the
toga is standing one step up from there on a marble platform. He is
between four large columns, two on each side. Smoke rises from two
small fires in metal pots/stands on both ends of the scene. In the
back is a painted wall showing the streets of Rome. An animated horse-drawn
cart with a man riding in it dashes out of one street and off into
the distance. The sounds of drums can be heard.
Jeremy Irons:
The mighty Roman empire bridged three continents with a vast system
of roads; the fastest information highways the world had ever known.
East, west, north, and south - all roads led to Rome.
We then see a building in ruins with smoke rising from it. The smell
of the burning building fills the air.
Jeremy Irons:
But these same roads were turned against Rome by invaders whose
destruction left ages of knowledge and wisdom in the ashes that
would become the Dark Ages.
Jeremy Irons:
But all was not lost. For far across the land, from Cairo to Cordoba,
Jewish teachers and Islamic scholars continued the quest for knowledge.
In libraries of wisdom, they debated ideas and shared new discoveries
with all who would listen.
In the Islamic Empire scene, on the right, four men sit around a
table on pillows on the floor discussing topics. One man has two books
right next to him and another has a wooden book holder that holds
the book open to a specific page. On the left is a library with some
books on the shelves (they aren't stacked full). Two men (one standing,
one seated on pillows on an elevated platform) are reading. Standing
up high on the balcony on the right is an astronomer looking at the
stars through a quadrant (which is an exact replica of the real thing).
Further ahead on the left, two Benedictine Monks (11th and 12th-century)
are seated at their desks copying text. The one on the right has fallen
asleep at the job. His chest rises and falls as he breathes in and
out.
Jeremy Irons:
In western abbeys, Monks toil endlessly in lonely isolation copying
ancient books of wisdom and revelations for future generations.
Jeremy Irons:
Finally, from the depths of the Dark Ages came the Age of Enlightenment:
the Renaissance. And with this era, came a powerful new invention:
the moveable type printing press.
On the left, two men are working with a large wooden printing press.
Johann Gutenberg is studying a piece of paper that just came off the
press (1456).
Jeremy Irons:
Scientists, explorers, and scholars spread their discoveries in
books and essays. Poets, musicians, and artists fueled by the passion
of the age created timeless works of beauty and majesty.
Here in Renaissance Italy (1500s), on the right, one man is reading
a book to two listeners on the steps. Also, two musicians are playing
just beyond in front of a closed doorway. An Italian town can be seen
through the columns and arches in the background. On the left, in
an artist's studio, we see a man mixing paint, another painting some
fruits (with a bowl of fruit as a guide), and another chiseling marble
to create a statue. Sketches of the female subject are on the wall
behind him and to the left of him is a small statue that he also uses
as a guide. Further ahead and up on the left, we see Michelangelo
painting the Sistine ceiling while laying on his back high upon scaffolding.
Below, the stained glass church windows are illuminated with black
light. The same song that the Italian musicians were playing continues,
only it is now played on an organ. To the right, is a conveyance system
that allows buckets of paint to be hoisted up the scaffolding to Michelangelo.
Jeremy Irons:
On this wave of inspiration, we sailed into a bold, new era of communication
bringing an explosion of tools and technologies which would bridge
people around the world as never before. And as our appetite for
information and knowledge grew, the world began to shrink.
Now we move into the Age of Invention (19th and 20th centuries).
First we see a large steam powered printing press (by William Bullock
in 1863). Just like Gutenberg inspected his printed paper, a man stands
in front of the press and inspects a newspaper that was just printed.
Nearby, on a street corner, a boy stands with a stack of New York
Daily papers calling out to try to sell them.
Newspaper Boy:
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Radio, telephone links two continents.
Read all about it. Telephone crosses Atlantic. Get your evening
paper here!
On the right, one man is dictating a message and the other is using
a telegraph to send the message. Through the window and door behind
them, we can see train tracks crossing the plains to the mountains
in the distance. On the left, is a switchboard that three women (two
seated, one standing) are operating. Behind that are several windows
that represent homes and apartments throughout the town. Fiber optic
telephone lines stretch from the switchboard across poles to the homes.
We can hear conversations coming from the shadows of people in some
of the windows.
On the right, is a woman in a ticket booth. Above that and also spanning
above us is a lighted "Cinema" sign. Three screens to the
left of the booth show scenes from an old black and white movie about
a guy on a runaway trolley ("Stop that trolley!" is one
of the captions), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937),
and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The screen showing
the old movie is surrounded by red curtains and gold trim to look
like the fancier theaters of its time. Back on the left is the WDP
radio station (WDP is, of course, short for Walt Disney Productions).
A man and a woman inside the sound booth are live on the air acting
out a story. A man outside the booth is checking sound levels and
directing. To the right of that is a radio tower with a red light
blinking on top. On the wall behind it is a painting of another radio
tower in the distance. Surrounding its red light are drawings of the
radio waves spreading from the tower. Just beyond that is a family
(mother, father, and daughter) sitting in their living room around
the TV. The mother changes the channel using a large (by today's standards)
remote control. Three other TVs hang on the wall up behind the family
TV. The TVs are playing Ozzie and Harriet, the 1964 NFL Colts
vs. Browns Championship Game, and Walt Disney introducing an episode
of Wonderful World of Color.
Jeremy Irons:
Today, we possess the ability to connect with one another instantly
anywhere on the planet.
Ahead on the left, we see a boy laying on the floor of his typical
American room using his computer. He is talking with a Japanese girl
through the computer. Everything he says is translated into Japanese
for her to understand and everything she says is translated into English
(except once when she says "Jason, you are one cool dude"
in English). In Sept., 1999, the videos were updated to include a
written translation showing both languages (and the AT&T logo).
Before, the languages were only heard. She plays a video clip
of her baseball game for him to see. Fiber optics zip from his room
up and across the ocean to her room in Japan showing the transfer
of the information. She is sitting on the floor of her home in Japan
with a similar computer to the boy's.
Kaiko (?): Jason, do you want to see my team's winning run?
Jason: Cool. Launch it over.
Kaiko (?): OK, Wait.
Jason: Kaiko (?), it's you! Excellent! I knew you were a star.
Kaiko (?): Oh, no. ...
Missing lines here ....
Jason: Yeah, I can see. Hey, check this out!
Kaiko (?): Launch it over.
Jason: Hold on a second. There, ....
Missing lines here ....
Jason: Wait, wait. Watch this. (hit) Yes!
Kaiko (?): Oh, Jason. You're master of [ ? ] too.
Jason: You were right. You won the match.
Jeremy Irons:
A new communications supernetwork is being built before our eyes.
Spaceship Earth glows with billions of interactions
carrying news and information at the very speed of light.
Fiber optic lights then transfer the information to a large sphere
representing Earth. We pass through a sphere (that has little fiber
optic lights jumping from city to city and sometimes across continents)
into a tunnel that surrounds us with lights blinking and whirling
past. The sounds of jumbled conversations joins the music.
(1.4 MB) Jeremy
Irons: But will these seemingly infinite
communications become a flood of electronic babble? Or will we use
this power to usher in a new age of understanding and co-operation
on this, our Spaceship Earth.
The music picks up to a crescendo as the vehicle makes its way out
of the tunnel. At this point, we are at the top of the geosphere and
the vehicle turns 90 degrees to the right. We see the stars and planet
Earth in the distance. The vehicles then turn another 90 degrees to
the right so that we are now moving backwards. Slow moving clouds
are projected right above us.
Female Announcer:
Attention travelers. Please remain seated. Your vehicle is rotating
backwards for your return to earth.
Jeremy Irons:
Physical distance is no longer a barrier to communication. Today,
the entire world is our next door neighbor. Our news is their news,
their news ours. We share our hopes and concerns with the whole
planet. We truly live in a Global Neighborhood.
We pass below a large TV screen that displays news clips from around
the world. Every 10 seconds or so, the image switches to a different
anchor from a different part of the world. In October 2000, the video
images were updated to remove references to President Clinton and
include images from the 2000 Presidential Debates with candidates
Gore and Bush.
Jeremy Irons:
Wondrous new tools will help us learn more about ourselves, each
other, and the planet we share. Spaceship Earth
will become our virtual classroom.
Up to the left of the vehicles, a large screen sits behind a teacher
and three students. They are discussing several ideas and as each
is mentioned, it appears on the screen by use of a computer.
In September 1999, the video image was updated to include the English
words being spoken and included two smaller video conferences with
classes in Madrid and Brazil.
Teacher: The assignment was to create an Earth spider.
Girl 1: We need some way to explore it.
Boy: How about a flying car?
Girl 1: Try a flying butterfly?
Girl 2: It could be a bee.
Boy: Ever see bees building a hive?
Girl 2: Okay, let's make a beehive.
Teacher: Why not try a dragonfly?
Girl 1: What for?
Teacher: For a space shuttle.
Girl 2: Awesome!
Girl 1: First we need to shorten his wings.
Boy: And change his body shape.
Teacher: Let's see what you can do with an alien planet.
Boy: Mars!
Girl 1: Let's have a robotics bee vehicle.
Girl 2: Yeah, to move through the bee's hive.
Boy: Those are
fireflies!
Teacher: This is excellent.
Girl 1: We're going in!
Girl 2: We're underwater!
Boy: There's no water in space.
Teacher: The assignment was to create an Earth spider. (loop)
Jeremy Irons:
As we greet the 21st century, yet another revolution
in communication is upon us - as profound as all the progress that
has come before. By using our new communication tools to build better
bridges between us, we will discover we all share the common bonds
of hope and sorrow, dreams and joys.
On the right, we pass clouds, a star field, and an occasional lightning
strike. The vehicles, still descending backwards, pass four dioramas
each depicting how telecommunications will help people around the
world stay closer together. The first one shows a girl talking with
her mom via video phone. The daughter is sitting in bed with her father's
arms around her shoulders. The mother is in another place like a hotel.
Mother: Goodnight, sweetheart.
Daughter: Goodnight, mommy, I miss you.
Mother: I miss you too.
Daughter: Can you sing my song one more time? Please?
Mother: Of course.
Mother & Daughter singing:
Hush a bye
Don't you cry
Go to sleep
Our little baby (loop)
Dr. Nap receives her diploma while her grandparents are watching
her via video phone from their home.
Professor: Juanita Nap, Doctor of Clinical Psychology and class valedictorian!
(clapping) Congratulations Dr. Nap.
Dr. Juanita Nap:
Thank you, Professor, and thank you all my fellow classmates. This
means so much to me! And especially to grandma and grandpa who couldn't
be here! I did it! I did it! Thank you. (loop)
The third diorama shows a pregnant mother in a hospital bed. A nurse
is assisting the woman's doctor (who is at another location but is
directing the nurse via video phone) with taking a sonogram. The mother's
husband stands next to their son as the boy is talking to his mother's
doctor.
Tommy: Can we you see, Dr.?
Doctor: Well, this is not exactly what any of us expected.
The doctor shows the sonogram of the womb and they see that there
is more than one baby.
Tommy: Is my baby brother okay doctor?
Doctor: Surprise Tommy, your baby sister is doing just fine. Congratulations,
Mr. and Mrs. [Hawkins?], you have beautiful, healthy baby twins
on the way!
Tommy: When will they be here?
Doctor: Let me take a look. I think
you'll only have to wait another three more months. (loop)
The last diorama depicts an archeologist showing his fellow scientists
what he has found at the site. This screen was also updated
in September 1999 like the other ones earlier in that it contains
both the English and Spanish translations.
Man: From the hologram, it looks like a full mandible.
Eddy: It is. Except for this. How'd you like to get bit by a set
of these babies! Their cranial structure's almost perfect!
Woman: Es increible. Felicidades, Eduardo.
[It's incredible. Congratulations, Edward.]
Man: Great, Eddy. It's more than we ever hoped for.
These four dioramas are followed by two small sculpted scenes. The
first shows a person in a cave reviewing diagrams and the second shows
a woman in the jungle. Both are sending information through the network
to the vast, fiber optics filled, modern city on the waterfront beyond.
Fiber optic lights spread away from the city up and over the vehicles.
Jeremy Irons: Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has revolutionized
our lives and changed our world. We now have the ability and the
responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation
between us; to create a better world for ourselves and our children
as we continue our amazing journey aboard Spaceship Earth.
The fiber optic strands join into one line of lights that curves
from the upper left over us and around a model of Spaceship
Earth on the right. That line ends with little points of
light coming out of it. From there, three solid lines that criss-cross
above us change colors as we continue to work our way to the base
of the geosphere. Those lights end at a sign that has the AT&T
logo and says "Bringing people together anytime, anywhere."
The original final announcement went like this:
Female Announcer: AT&T thanks your for traveling with us. At AT&T,
we are dedicated to bringing people together providing you with
easy access to each other and the information you want and need
anytime and anywhere. We now invite you to sample the future of
communication in AT&T's Global Neighborhood.
Your vehicle doors will open automatically. Please gather your belongings
and watch your step on the moving platform.
That was changed to the following sometime during late 1996/early
97:
Female Announcer:
AT&T thanks you for traveling with us on the superhighway of
communications. We are dedicated to bringing people together providing
you with easy access to each other and the information you want
and need anytime, anywhere. We invite you now to preview the future
of communications at the AT&T Global Neighborhood. And then
at Innoventions, discover how AT&T is turning tomorrow's visions
into reality today. Your vehicle doors will open automatically.
Please gather your belongings and watch your step on the moving
platform.
That was changed to the following in November 1999:
Female Announcer (named
@ [at]): May I have your attention
please! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you are approaching
the New Global Neighborhood. Now that you've seen the future,
we invite you to experience it yourself. Soon your vehicle doors
will open automatically, please gather your belongings and watch
your step on the moving platform. Then, walk through the portal
to AT&T's New Global Neighborhood and a whole new way to communicate.
Come on, I'll meet you there!
A sign on the right read "Entering the
AT&T Global Neighborhood" until November 1999 when it was
changed to "Entering the New Global Neighborhood."
Through the windows, we can see parts of the exhibit area.
One more section of dialog is sometimes heard whenever
the ride stops because a guest needs assistance boarding or disembarking,
or there has been a malfunction.
Female Announcer:
Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated in your time machine
vehicle. We've had to make an unscheduled stop but will continue
our journey momentarily. Thank you.
Or the announcement is this (the announcements alternate
each time):
Male Announcer:
Ladies and gentlemen, our time travels have been momentarily delayed.
Please remain seated. Your time machine vehicle will begin moving
again at any moment. Please remain seated. We will resume our journey
shortly. Thank you.
And then, when the ride is about to start up again:
Female Announcer:
Please remain seated. Your vehicle will begin moving immediately.
Remain seated please. Our travels are resuming now.
Upon exiting the vehicle, we then proceed down the
ramp into the Global Neighborhood
where we can see some of the latest technological advances in telecommunications
through interactive exhibits.
Spaceship Earth Introduction | Spaceship
Earth Script - Original ('82-86) | SE
Script - Cronkite | "Tomorrow's Child" Lyrics
Spaceship Earth Script - Irons | Global Neighborhood | Spaceship Earth Fact Sheet
'Spaceship to Tomorrow' Article | SE Concepts and Construction Page
Return to: EDC Gateway
 If you have any questions, comments, or
corrections, please contact the EDC Webmaster.
© EPCOT Discovery Center
Created October 1, 1996 / Last modified
December 19, 2001
DISCLAIMER: Use of the EDC site signifies
your agreement to the terms of use detailed in the Complete
Disclaimer. This is a fan based site and
is to be a source of entertainment and information. This site is NOT
affiliated with or endorsed by the Epcot theme park and The Walt Disney
Company. All photos presented within this site are © Copyrighted
by EDC unless otherwise noted.
|
