Space Mountain ride, 1977. Nice looks of terror from the stylish young couple!

Disneyland’s Space Mountain ride opened in 1977 and blew our little childhood minds. The opening was attended by numerous astronauts, including Sen. John Glenn and Alan Shepard, and helped Disneyland set an attendance record over the long Memorial Day weekend. The ride was, and still is, fast and fantastic. The lines, however, were incredibly long for years after launch. I could barely stand to wait in them but I did. Two hours wait for a two minute, 45 second trip.

Catch a Space Mountain TV spot from 1977 below.

If you’d like you can also grab a look at a Disneyland Thunder Mountain spot we posted a few days back.