ALTON TOWERS has announced a brand-new rollercoaster – dubbed Galactica – which combines a physical flying rollercoaster ride with a virtual reality experience into space.
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| Thrill-seekers ride along the 840-metre long while wearing virtual reality headset |
Alton Towers Resort this morning offered a sneak peak into its new rollercoaster Galactica – a ride entirely dedicated to virtual reality, a world first.
Set to open to the public in April 2016, Galactica thrillseekers wear a virtual reality headset which displays footage synchronised to the ride's thrilling twists, turns and loops.
Virtual reality footage combined with the sensation of hurtling round the rollercoaster, Galactica allegedly supposed to recreate the sensation of hurtling through space with a G force more powerful than a real rocket launch (astronauts usually experience a maximum G-force of around 3gs during a rocket launch, whereas riders on Galactica will be put through a maximum G-force of 3.5gs).
Each rider wears a specialist VR headset. Through this, an on-board artificial intelligence guides them from the launch pad up into space, flying and looping beyond the stars, banking through wormholes and speeding across undiscovered galaxies, revealing the wonders of the cosmos in stunning clarity.
Visitors will ride in a prone position along the 840-metre long (2,760 ft) track, to recreate the feeling of flying.
Galactica's epic space theme is set to be hugely popular following Tim Peake's maiden voyage into space in December 2015.
Its stunning, high-quality visuals deliver an immersive experience that feels breathtakingly realistic.
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| The VR footage is synchronised to the twists and turns in the rollercoaster ride |
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| The new ride is set to open in April 2016 |
Space exploration will continue to dominate the news agenda in 2016 with a NASA mission to Mars and a spacecraft landing on Jupiter, a journey that has taken five years.
Speaking of the new attraction, Gill Riley, Marketing Director at Alton Towers Resort said: "Galactica uses ground breaking technology to give riders a breathtaking and completely unique rollercoaster experience.
"Tim Peake captured the imagination of millions of Brits last year when he set off on his mission to the International Space Station - and now our visitors can become astronauts too.
"There is nowhere else in the world that people can experience the feeling of a flying rollercoaster combined with soaring through the universe.
"For two minutes, our guests will be transported into space and we believe Galactica showcases the future for theme parks around the world - it's a complete game changer!"
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| Alton Towers' VR ride is believed to be a world first |
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