Rocket Jets
Encyclopedia
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 1998 New Tomorrowland. 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 Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park Paris.
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, 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.
This maintenance sparked speculation among the Disney fan community that the old Rocket Jets may return to their former spot atop the PeopleMover platform.
The Saturn V rocket that the rockets were attached to 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.
as well as another Disneyland attraction, Space Mountain. This area is known as "Todayland".http://www.orange.co.uk/entertainment/film/meettherobinsons/27374.htm?linkfrom=%3C!--linkfromvariable--%3E&link=link_3&article=entertainmentfilmmeettherobinsonsmorelinks
Disneyland Resort
The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
. This attraction opened in 1967 with the new Tomorrowland and closed in 1997 for the 1998 New Tomorrowland. It was the third spinning rocket attraction in Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland
- Tomorrowland 1955–1967 :The first Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland on July 18, 1955, with only several of its planned attractions open, due to budget cuts. The construction of the park was rushed, so Tomorrowland was the last land to be finished. It became something of a corporate showcase,...
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 Tomorrowland in Disneyland Park Paris.
Observatron
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. The rockets were replaced by satellite dishes and the Saturn VSaturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
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, 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.
This maintenance sparked speculation among the Disney fan community that the old Rocket Jets may return to their former spot atop the PeopleMover platform.
The Saturn V rocket that the rockets were attached to was sold on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
by Disney Auction in 2005. One remains on display, along with Skyway
Skyway (Disney)
The Skyway was a gondola lift attraction at Disneyland, at the Magic Kingdom, and at Tokyo Disneyland. Since all versions of this attraction took riders back and forth between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, the route from Tomorrowland was called Skyway to Fantasyland, and the route from Fantasyland...
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
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
head.
In popular culture
The Rocket Jets appear in a scene from the Disney animation Meet the RobinsonsMeet the Robinsons
Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American computer-animated family film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures on March 30, 2007. The forty-seventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, the film was released in both the United States and the...
as well as another Disneyland attraction, Space Mountain. This area is known as "Todayland".http://www.orange.co.uk/entertainment/film/meettherobinsons/27374.htm?linkfrom=%3C!--linkfromvariable--%3E&link=link_3&article=entertainmentfilmmeettherobinsonsmorelinks