Mission: SPACE

Opening Date: 2003

I’ve been on every Disney attraction on this list, with the exception of Mission: SPACE. And that’s by choice, because centrifugal force and I don’t mix.

Mission: SPACE is a simulator of a space shuttle liftoff and orbit, via the use of a massive centrifuge contraption that exposes its riders to 2.5 Gs—more than twice the Earth’s gravity. The ride opened in 2003, and within its first three years, 12 people were hospitalized and two people died, although both had pre-existing health conditions. A more in-depth study of the ride, conducted from June 2005 to June 2006, uncovered some additional, alarming statistics: Paramedics treated 194 people for sickness resulting from the ride. Of those people, 25 passed out, 26 had breathing difficulties, and 16 reported chest pains or irregular heartbeats.

Shortly after it opened, Disney began including barf bags on the ride, to account for how many people were getting sick. And in June 2006, it began running two versions of the ride: the original “orange” version and a modified, tamer “green” version that did not spin. The ride continues to operate today with these additional safeguards in place.