@ Disneyland, CA
January 2020
Unveiled to the public in July 1955, when Disneyland opened, was a 76 foot tall rocket. The Moonliner was designed by Disney Imagineer John Hench, with the help of famed rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. Original sponsor was Trans World Airline (TWA) with a promise that the air carrier “would send passengers to the moon in 30 years”. TWA claimed the trip would take about eight hours with flight speed of 172 mph (not sure how that math worked out…) In 1961, TWA dropped their sponsorship and Douglas Aircraft took over, repainting the rocket with Douglas Aircraft’s colors. In 1967 it was removed for a “New Tomorrowland” and stored as late as 1981. Moonliner II was a 22ft tall version that was placed on top of TWA headquarters in Kansas City, MO. In 1998 a new but scaled-down Moonliner III was added as part of the New Tomorrowland and used to promote Coca-Cola and Pizza Planet. iPhone 8 photo.
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