astronomy

Tour of the Universe

Tour of the Universe is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tour of the Universe rather than just read about it. In short: Tour of the Universe was a Space Shuttle simulation ride located in the basement level of the CN Tower. Operating between 1985 and 1992, it was the world's first flight simulator ride.

Key takeaways

Tour of the Universe belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tour of the Universe to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tour of the Universe from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tour of the Universe was a Space Shuttle simulation ride located in the basement level of the CN Tower. Operating between 1985 and 1992, it was the world's first flight simulator ride. The ride was the idea of Moses Znaimer and designed by SimEx. The name of the ride, Tour of the Universe, and its content were adapted from a work of the same name cowritten in 1980 by Robert Holdstock and Malcolm Edwards, who sold the rights for the ride. Construction began in 1984 and the ride began operations in 1986. Built by Showscan Film, the ride used two Boeing 747 simulators designed and built by Redifusion Ltd in Crawley, UK. Showscan designed and built the spacecraft themed cabin that seated the 40 passengers. Director, special effects expert and Showscan owner Douglas Trumbull produced the show film. The ride system and its controls were later the basis for Disneyland's Star Tours ride. The ride was replaced in 1992 with a similar attraction entitled "Space Race." It was later dismantled and replaced by two other SimEx rides in 1998 and 1999. Similar rides were proposed for Japan and Australia.

Story The ride featured a round trip spaceflight to Jupiter. Passengers first boarded an elevator that took them into the depths of the CN Tower and forward to the year 2019, arriving at Spaceport Toronto. Operated by CP Air Interplanetary (or Canadian Interplanetary after CP Air was absorbed by Canadian in 1987), the shuttle resembled the US Space Shuttle, but instead of a cargo bay the ship had a passenger compartment. Before boarding their flight, passengers moved through various themed areas of the spaceport such as Customs, Security and Medical. Passengers would be able to print out their tickets and be inoculated against space diseases such as "Ganymede Rash". When aboard the interplanetary shuttle, passengers were launched upward through the hollow core of the CN Tower, arriving at a space station in orbit, and traveling to Jupiter while dodging an asteroid.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tour of the Universe

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tour of the Universe claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tour of the Universe before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tour of the Universe ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tour of the Universe

In research: Tour of the Universe appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tour of the Universe in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tour of the Universe is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amusement rides closed in 1992, Amusement rides introduced in 1986, Closed amusement attractions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tour of the Universe outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tour of the Universe in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tour of the Universe means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tour of the Universe out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tour of the Universe in simple terms?

Tour of the Universe was a Space Shuttle simulation ride located in the basement level of the CN Tower. Operating between 1985 and 1992, it was the world's first flight simulator ride.

Why does Tour of the Universe matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tour of the Universe?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tour of the Universe.