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Disney To Offer Tamer Version Of 'Mission: Space' Ride

Tourists Can Ride Milder Version

POSTED: Tuesday, May 2, 2006
UPDATED: 6:18 am EDT May 3, 2006

Walt Disney World will offer a tamer version of the attraction thrill ride "Mission: Space" the company said Tuesday, less than three weeks after a woman became ill on the ride and later died.


SLIDESHOW: What Riders See

Beginning this summer, Epcot guests will have two options when it comes to the ride; they can either go on the current attraction or a new version which provides a milder experience, according to the report.

In the new version, the spinning centrifuge will be turned off for guests who are prone to motion sickness or have other conditions.

"By offering a second adventure, we hope to broaden the appeal of "Mission: Space" and enable even more guests to experience the attraction," said Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort.

Signs posted in the queue area of "Mission: Space" will outline the difference between the two adventures and provide health advisories appropriate for each experience.

"Providing a choice between two ride options will help to further encourage all Guests to carefully consider posted health advisories when making their decision," Weiss said.

Hiltrud Bluemel, 49, died April 12, one day after she went on the ride.

A preliminary report from the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office showed Bluemel died from bleeding of the brain. She also suffered from severe, long standing high blood pressure, according to the medical examiner's office.

Disney officials said the decision to offer a watered down version of Mission Space had nothing to do with Bluemel's death.

A spokeswoman declined to specify exactly how long the company has been working on the alternative version.

Also, last year, a 4-year-old boy died after riding "Mission: Space."

An autopsy determined Daudi Bamuwamye, of Sellersville, Pa., died of an irregular heartbeat linked to a natural causes. The boy had an abnormal thickening of the heart muscle that can throw heart contractions out of coordination.

People with the condition are at risk for sudden death throughout their lives, especially in physically or emotionally stressful situations, a medical examiner said.

Theme park consultants said Disney likely felt the pressure to make some changes to the ride after the two deaths.

"I think they felt they were kind of in the position where they've got to do something. All the warnings in the world have not prevented the tragedies," said Steve Baker, president of Baker Leisure Group Inc. "They've got to do more to warn. But the unfortunate thing is the people who had a problem didn't know they had a problem. So I don't know how you stop that."

Jerry Aldrich, president of Orlando-based Amusement Industry Consulting and a former Disney employee, said the move could widen the demographic drawn to the ride.

"I would imagine there's just a lot of people that may be hesitant to ride it because of all the warnings, or maybe they had some conditions which meant they shouldn't ride."

"Mission: Space" opened in August 2003. Since that time, 11.8 million rides have been given on the attraction.

The $100 million Epcot attraction simulates a mock spaceflight to Mars and spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity.

The alternative version is slated to start this summer and will run alongside the original ride.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this breaking news story.

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