| (1955–1967) The TWA Moonliner was a futuristic exhibit in the 1950’s that marked TWA product placement by Howard Hughes. At 80' it was the tallest structure in the park—8' taller than Sleeping Beauty Castle. Adjoining the rocket was the “Rocket to the Moon” exhibit/show. 100 guests at a time would enter either the Luna or the Diana (changed to Arcturus & Polaris in 1959) for a 10 minute trip to the Moon and back. Disney archivist Dave Smith recalls “Space flight was still years away when Disneyland opened in 1955 so the Rocket to the Moon experience was a big thrill for the Park Guest. They would sit in a pseudo rocket and live through a simulated trip to observe the far side of the moon. Projections above and below enabled guests to see where they were going and where they had been. It was always impressive to see Disneyland and then the earth getting smaller and smaller as the rocket left for the moon.”
Designed by John Hench, one of the original Disney Imagineers, with the help of rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, the Moonliner looked like a V-2 rocket and was supposed to represent what atomic space travel would be like in 1986. Its “retractable” legs were said to resemble TWA’s famed Lockheed Super Constellation. It featured port holes, a cockpit, and a boarding ramp. After Hughes left TWA, the airline pulled the sponsorship of the Moonliner and in 1960 became the Douglas Moonliner, after new sponsor Douglas Aircraft Company. The Moonliner stayed at the park until 1967 when the “New” Tomorrowland debuted and the attraction was retitled “Flight to the Moon.” Guests were able to “meet” the director of operations, audio-animatronic man Tom Morrow. By the 70's, traveling to the moon was considered old hat (since American Astronauts had already walked on the moon), so the show was changed once again, becoming “Mission to Mars” in 1975. Finally, in 1992, even this show was removed.
A scaled-down version with the familiar TWA red stripes (sans logo) was added as part of the new 1998 version of Tomorrowland and is used to promote Coca-Cola “Delivering refreshment to a thirsty galaxy.” It’s next to the building that used to house Rocket to the Moon, now Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port.
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TWA Moonliner, 1956)
TWA Moonliner, 1956)
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