In 1968, R. Buckminster Fuller wrote an operating manual. We’ll touch on the full title later. He also was referenced in Jeff Bridges’ Golden Globes acceptance speech of the 2019 Cecil B. DeMille award.
Fuller was a theorist, futurist, inventor and visionary who lives from 1895-1983. According to the Buckminster Fuller Institute, he worked as a ‘comprehensive anticipatory design scientist.’ He held 28 patents, received 47 honorary degrees, and his most famous artifact (he called his inventions “artifacts”) was produced over 300,000 times.
So, what did he invent? “Lightweight, cost-effective, and easy to assemble, geodesic domes enclose more space without intrusive supporting columns than any other structure.”
Our June 2019 WDW Radio Hall of Fame Inductee is Spaceship Earth.
Disney Legend John Hench, in his “Designing Disney” book, talked about the inspiration of Spaceship Earth. He stated, “We assumed from the beginning that we needed a large sphere for the Epcot icon, and we wanted one with enough space inside for an attraction. We were familiar with architect Buckminster Fuller’s experiments with building the geodesic dome he had invented in the 1940s, including the one he had constructed for the Ford headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1953.”
Fuller’s architectural design was not the only inspiration for the ride.
As I referred to earlier, R. Buckminster Fuller wrote an operating manual. The title, “Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.”
“I’ve often heard people say: “I wonder what it would feel like to be on board a spaceship,’ and the answer is very simple. What does it feel like? That’s all we have ever experienced. We are all astronauts on a little spaceship called Earth.” -R. Buckminster Fuller
In the book, he writes about how the Earth is a mechanical vehicle that requires maintenance. If “the astronauts” don’t keep it in good order, it will cease to function.
You can find out more about R. Buckminster Fuller via his Institute’s web site at https://www.bfi.org/. Photo Credits:
- Photo Credits
- R. Buckminster Fuller and His Domed City – Steve Yelvington, Wikipedia 4.0 Creative Commons License
- Spaceship Earth “Plaque” and Spaceship Earth with Monorail- Author’s Library
- Spaceship Earth (looking up) – Flickr User BrownPao, Flickr 2.0 Creative Commons License
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