Astro Storm

Astro Storm is an enclosed, sit down roller coaster at Brean Leisure Park in Brean, England, created by German amusement ride manufacturer Zierer. It used to be located at Pleasure Beach Blackpool in Blackpool, England where it was known as Space Invader 2.

Astro Storm
An aerial overview shot of the Astro Storm (then Space Invader 2 as pictured in 2007)
Brean Leisure Park
Coordinates	51.286078°N 3.008076°W / 51.286078; -3.008076
Status	Operating
Opening date	23 July 2011 (2011-07-23)
Astro Storm at Brean Leisure Park at RCDB
Pleasure Beach Blackpool
Coordinates	53.789738°N 3.054250°W / 53.789738; -3.054250
Status	Removed
Opening date	August 21, 1984 (1984-08-21)
Closing date	September 2008
Astro Storm at Pleasure Beach Blackpool at RCDB
General statistics
Type	Steel – Enclosed
Manufacturer	Zierer
Designer	Werner Stengel
Model	Four Man Bob
Lift/launch system	Chain Lift Hill
Drop	60 ft (18 m)
Length	1,490 ft (450 m)
Speed	40 mph (64 km/h)
Inversions	0
Duration	1:35
Max vertical angle	36°
G-force	3.0
Height restriction	48 in (122 cm)

History

Space Invader opened on 21 August 1984, and was Blackpool Pleasure Beach's fourth steel roller coaster. The ride itself was constructed by Zierer, a German ride manufacturer. The original ride was similar to the ride as it is today. In 2000, a young boy died after reportedly unbuckling his safety belt in a panic. It was refurbished in 2003 by Kumbak Coasters and reopened in 2004 as "Space Invader 2". In September 2008, the ride closed following a failed evacuation during operating hours. It was removed in June 2010 and announced to be sold to Brean Leisure Park in July 2010. The ride was refurbished and renamed 'Astro Storm' prior to its opening in 2011.

The ride

After leaving the station, the cars make a 90° turn to the right and are carried to the top of a chain-lift hill; the cars then descend a 59ft drop in the dark, at an incline angle of 36°. The ride then has several drops, banked turns and helixes, before cars reach the brake run and return to the station to be unloaded.

Astro Storm operates with single-car trains. Riders are arranged in three rows for a total of three riders per car with a T-bar restraint. When it was the Space Invader at Blackpool, the ride used cars which were able to carry 4 people and riders were restrained by a seatbelt.

Theming

When it was Space Invader 2, the ride was themed around a journey through space and was decorated with glow-in-the-dark pictures of stars, planets, and aliens. The queue and loading area were themed around a space station, with various signs telling riders the wait time to board their ride vehicles. Parts of the queue were themed around the Star Wars films, such as a statue of Han Solo stuck in carbonite.

Astro Storm however has a different approach with regard to theming. The outside queue area is themed and has a queue line video. A video tells you that "Astro Tours" is going to take you on a journey through space. Once the train starts, riders proceed through a set of doors followed by a screen with a man exclaiming "Abort!". The shouting continues as riders continue up the chain lift. At the apex, the rider is met with strobe lights and sirens while the rest of the ride is in pitch black, except some slight lighting effects on the trim brakes.

Incidents

On 21 July 2000, 11-year-old Christopher Sharett died after he fell out of the ride vehicle. Authorities ruled his death as 'accidental' since he panicked and unbuckled his seatbelt before being hit by another cart.