Space Shot (ride)

Space Shot is a type of amusement ride manufactured by S&S Worldwide.

The ride is a drop tower type attraction that uses compressed air to rapidly propel riders up the tower then gently lower them with a series of air-cushioned bounces back to the loading platform.

The first space shot to be built in the United States was the Detonator at Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. It was also the first in the world to feature twin-towers. The tallest space shot in the world is the La Venganza del Enigma in Warner Bros. Movie World Madrid (115m)

The mechanism consists of a central tower around which rows of seats are placed with the riders facing outward away from the tower. In the center of the tower is a large columnar pipe system. Threaded through the main pipe column is a cable that is attached to a piston on one end, looped over a pulley at the top of the tower and attached to the seat carriage on the other.

In the loading position, the seat carriage is at the base of the tower and the piston is at the top of the pipe column. Once the ride has been loaded, the seats are lifted slightly off the ground and loaded seats are weighed in order to calculate the amount of air pressure needed to safely propel the seats up the tower. Upon charging the air system to the correct pressure, compressed air is injected into the central column pushing the piston rapidly downward. As the piston moves down, it pulls the cable downward over the pulley at the top, propelling the seat carriage up the outside of the tower.

Upon exhausting the air from the pressure system, the carriage descends, drawing the piston back up the pipe column. As the piston moves up, the air inside the pipe column alternately compresses and expands, causing the carriage to bounce several times. With each bounce, a pressure relief valve at the top of the pipe column releases some of the compressed air making each successive bounce smaller until the carriage reaches the loading platform.

Below is a visual representation of the ride cycle:

Carriage and piston at load positions

Injection of air into column

Piston descends, pulling carriage up

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