How did they make the Epcot ball?

They chose a material called Alucobond which is polyethylene plastic sandwiched between two sheets of aluminum. They used aluminum pipe standoffs to create the gap between the inner and outer skins and attached the Alucobond facets to them. The inner shell's basic structure is an array of large triangles.

How was the Epcot ball made?

The panels are made of a material called Alucobond, which is essentially a sheet of polyethylene plastic sandwiched between two thin sheets of aluminum. The Alucobond website says that each panel of aluminum is 0.5mm thick, which is 0.02” thick aluminum.

How long did it take to build the Epcot ball?

Designed by the help of science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, Space Ship Earth is a complete sphere supported by three pairs of legs. The massive structure, which looks like a giant golf ball, is 18-stories high and took 26 months and 40,800 labor hours to build.

Is the Epcot ball a building?

If you've ever seen Epcot in person or in a photograph, it's almost a guarantee that you have seen it. That big ball is called Spaceship Earth. It is a structural marvel of engineering on the outside and it features a full ride for you to experience on the inside.

Is there anything inside the Epcot ball?

The EPCOT ball is typically called Spaceship Earth. The whole of the Spaceship Earth attraction is housed inside the ball, and you'll take a journey through time in a slow-moving vehicle when you board the ride. The name Spaceship Earth was given to the structure and ride by world-famous architect Buckminster Fuller.

History of the Disney Parks- Spaceship Earth

Where was the Epcot ball made?

Everyone knows that huge silver "golf ball." It's the icon of Epcot at Walt Disney World. But almost no one knows that world-famous symbol of an Orlando vacation was built here in Tampa. "In effect, we made a tinker toy set that we shipped to the job site," said Bob Clark, who runs Tampa Steel Erecting Company.

Why is the Epcot ball a golf ball?

It looks like a giant golf ball, but have you ever wondered exactly how it is constructed? Geometrically, it is a pentakis dodecahedron , which is constructed of 60 equilateral triangle faces, each of which is divided into 16 smaller equilateral triangles making 960 triangular panels altogether.

How many golf balls can fit in the Epcot ball?

The theme song was removed in 1994, when the ride underwent its second revision. Epcot's Spaceship Earth weighs as much as 158,000,000 golf balls.

How much of Spaceship Earth is in the Epcot ball?

Trivia (5) Spaceship Earth is 164 feet in diameter and could fit completely inside the tank in The Living Seas aquarium (EPCOT), which is 203 feet in diameter. If Spaceship Earth were a golf ball, the person hitting the ball would have to be approximately 1.2 miles tall (using the correct scale).

Do they clean the Epcot ball?

At the time, Disney claimed that the panels were "self cleaning" but, in reality, today they are pressure washed. From a thematic perspective, alucobond was selected so that during the day, it would mirror the sky and the landscape as well as glimpses of the guests on the walkways.

What does the Epcot ball stand for?

It's a geodesic sphere devoted to the future of communication.) Now, the story of Epcot (which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) goes back much further than its 1982 opening.

Is EPCOT outdated?

EPCOT Center has been dead for 23 years. Arguably, the original concept started disappearing with the name change, and has been gone 20 years ago, give or take. The current, disjointed incarnation of the park has now existed for longer than EPCOT Center did.

What does EPCOT stand for?

Epcot, in full Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, formerly called Epcot Center (1982–94), theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, near Orlando, Fla., that features many attractions centred on the advancement of technology.

Why is it called EPCOT?

The concept was an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, often interchanging "city" and "community." In Walt Disney's words in 1966: "EPCOT will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry.

Is Disney getting rid of Spaceship Earth?

evolve this unique attraction in a way that will resonate with the wide array of guests who visit Walt Disney World.” We saw some signs pointing to the possibility that Spaceship Earth would close for refurbishment back in February of 2020. Then Disney announced that Spaceship Earth would close on May 26, 2020.

What is Spaceship Earth made out of?

Spaceship Earth is made out of alucabond, a carbon – aluminum compound, which is easily cleaned and can withstand the Florida climate. Spaceship Earth is actually two spheres, one inside the other. The outer shell houses the inner core and ride system.

Why does water never pour off Spaceship Earth?

Whenever it rains over Spaceship Earth, the water is stored, filtered and funneled away to the exhibits that use freshwater instead of salt water. If you're wondering why they would need to keep adding water to this indoor exhibit, well, it's the simple laws of evaporation.

How many golf balls does it take to fill a 747?

At three cubic inches per ball, a 747 could hold 10,368,000 balls. However, spheres do not fit perfectly together.

How many golf balls can you fit into a Boeing 777?

Battison: But if we have an airliner, we do have those seats that can't hold the golf balls. Josaphat: 56,784 cubic feet divided by 12 cubic feet. That total answer would be 4,732 golf balls.

Is EPCOT a dodecahedron?

Epcot Spaceship Earth

The pentakis dodecahedron is quite famous by its Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) "Spaceship Earth" version at Disney World in Tampa, Florida (USA): 50 m / 165 feet diameter.

How many dimples are on the Epcot ball?

In theory, there are 11,520 total isosceles triangles forming 3840 points. In reality, some of those triangles are partially or fully nonexistent due to supports and doors; there are actually only 11,324 silvered facets, with 954 partial or full flat triangular panels.

What is a penta dodecahedron?

In geometry, a pentakis dodecahedron or kisdodecahedron is the polyhedron created by attaching a pentagonal pyramid to each face of a regular dodecahedron; that is, it is the Kleetope of the dodecahedron. It is a Catalan solid, meaning that it is a dual of an Archimedean solid, in this case, the truncated icosahedron.

How many sides does a pentakis dodecahedron have?

The pentakis dodecahedron, the dual of the truncated icosahedron, consists of 60 edge-sharing triangles. It has 20 six- and 12 five-fold coordinated vertices, with the former forming a dodecahedron, and each of the latter connected to the vertices of one of the 12 pentagons of the dodecahedron.