View of Space Mountain under construction at Walt Disney World. (Sentinel file)

Walt Disney World opened its new $15 million Space Mountain attraction Jan. 15, 1975, and on hand for the ceremonies were (left to right) astronauts Gordon Cooper, James Irwin and Scott Carpenter (all standing) with Robert Sarnoff, chief executive of RCA, which sponsors the attraction, who is seated next to Mickey Mouse in Lunar Rover. (Sentinel file)

Blue LED lighting fills the ‘Starport’ as guests blast off on Space Mountain during a soft-opening preview at the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Nov. 16, 2009. The ride, which will officially re-open Nov. 22, has been updated with new theming, queue enhancements and coaster technology improvements. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Space Mountain at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom on Sept. 18, 2015, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

A sign indicates the soft-opening for Space Mountain during preview at the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Nov. 16, 2009. The ride, which will officially re-open Nov. 22, has been updated with new theming, queue enhancements and coaster technology improvements. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Fireworks over Space Mountain, as scene from the new California Grill at Walt Disney World, Sept. 5, 2013. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Space Mountain’s ride line is practically empty as Disney annual passholders get a peek at the coronavirus-inspired changes inside the Magic Kingdom on July 9, 2020. (Sentinel file)

Blue LED lighting fills the ‘Starport’ as guests prepare to blast off on Space Mountain during a soft-opening preview at the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Nov. 16, 2009. The ride, which will officially re-open Nov. 22, has been updated with new theming, queue enhancements and coaster technology improvements. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

The NASA 747 ferrying the space shuttle Endeavour gains altitude to leave central Florida, as seen passing over the spires of Space Mountain at sunrise, at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, Sept. 19, 2012. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Judy Zorn, a student from Seminole Community College, works at Space Mountain in 1978. (Sentinel file)

Guests exit the gift shop after riding Space Mountain during a soft-opening preview at the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Nov. 16, 2009. The ride, which will officially re-open Nov. 22, has been updated with new theming, queue enhancements and coaster technology improvements. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

A robot appears to be running the post-show after guests ride Space Mountain during a soft-opening preview at the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Nov. 16, 2009. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Alex Wright, a senior show designer with Walt Disney Imagineering (center), talks about the Space Mountain updates at the entrance to the ride during a soft-opening preview at the Magic Kingdom, at Walt Disney World, Nov. 16, 2009. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

Scenes of the scale and colors of the new Tron Lightcycle / Run roller coaster, with Space Mountain at right, during a preview for invited guests at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, in Lake Buena Vista, March 14, 2023. The semi-enclosed coaster, based on the Tron movie franchise, is Disney’s fastest with speeds of nearly 60 mph. The ride officially opens on April 4. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)