Rocketry Launch

***Rocketry Launch*** is a space shot ride located in the Big History Universe area at Sato Land - Theme Park.

## Description

*"Prepare for takeoff and experience the thrilling sensation of launching 185 feet up into the sky!"*

## History

The use of Augmented Reality headsets on the ride was experimented with during the temporary "Rocketry Launch: Shoot for the Stars" overlay, which caused major problems in wait times. This short-lived experience saw guests launching from the desert straight into space, before getting sucked into a psychedelic space vortex that transports them back onto Earth.

## Experience

### Queue

After making their way through hallways riddled with educational posters of rocketry, guests will find themselves inside the premises of a large futuristic-styled rocket facility entirely illuminated in cyan/blue lighting. A gigantic recreation of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy Rocket (not to actual scale) hovers horizontally over this section of the queue above the guests. Surrounding the room are models of various rockets, propellant tanks, and rocket engines.

Guests will then enter into the "Preparation Room", where various tubes and pipes wraps around the room like vines. There are a total of six windows with a glowing button right below it. Behind each of the windows lies small rocket (each window has a different model with informational posters about the model to the right of it) on a table, sitting atop of a launchpad. Pressing the button will "launch" the rocket a approximately 2 1/2 feet into the air before falling back down (this effect is done using compressed air and a hidden track behind the wall that the rocket moves on, allowing it to always rise and fall vertically). Flat-screen TVs from the corners of the room play a looped instructional video. In this video, James Mills briefly introduces himself, prepares the guests to experience their very own rocket launch, and assesses them through instructions of boarding and each of the safety rules.

In between each loop, a short montage of different rocket launches and launches of the ride itself plays behind the Sato Rocketry logo.

### Ride

*\*[This description is from the P.O.V at night since the lighting is more prominent and effective]\**

Mist (simulating steam and smoke) starts to release and build up as the sound of the "engine" starts to increase more and more intensely. A robotic female voice initiates the countdown. The floodlights on the walls radiates its bright white glow as each number passes by.

> "*Prepare for departure in five... four... three... two...*"
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The lights and sounds suddenly completely cuts out. Nothing but the darkness, silence, and adrenaline...

> "*...one.*"
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With a bright orange light that quickly illuminates the entire area, the ride vehicle immediately launches 40 mph up the tower. The floodlights beneath the ride vehicle glows bright orange upon departure to simulate the engine blast. Afterwards, the floodlights beneath and above the ride vehicle glows bright cyan, but slowly starts to fade out as it reaches to top.

The guests will find themselves free-falling back down. Before the ride vehicle even has the chance to reach the bottom, it suddenly bounces back up. As this happens, the orange floodlights beneath the ride vehicle glows --- simulating the rocket engines igniting --- and fading out as soon as the ride vehicle falls back down. The ride vehicle bounces and falls two more times, before finally slowly returning to the ground.

## Soundtrack

### Exterior / Extended Queue

* David Bowie - "Space Oddity"
* Elton John - "Rocket Man" (I Think It's Going to Be A Long, Long Time)"

## Trivia

* The temporary VR overlay, "Rocketry Launch: Shoot for the Stars", had many references (some obvious and some hidden in plain sight):
	+ The SpaceX Starman can be seen not too far off in the distance once you arrive in space during the first launch, waving from his Tesla.
	+ A giant bottle rocket could be spotted in the distance once you arrive at the very top.
* Tapping the test launch buttons in the queue way too many times will only shoot the rockets a few inches from the platform and an error sign will flash.
* Sometimes Ed the Astronaut from any area of the park will wave to the ride vehicle as it's coming back down.