Battlestar Galactica (roller coaster)

Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon
An overview of the nested tracks of Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon.
Location	Universal Studios Singapore
Park section	Sci-fi City
Coordinates	1°15′14.92″N 103°49′20.27″E
Type	Steel- Dueling- Inverted
Status	Operating
Opened	18 March 2010 (2010-03-18)
Manufacturer	Vekoma
Model	Custom
Lift/launch system	LSM
Track name	Cylon (Inverted)	Human (Sit-down)
Height	140 ft (42.7 m)	140 ft (42.7 m)
Inversions	5	0
Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon at RCDB Pictures of Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon at RCDB
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Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is a pair of steel, dueling roller coasters at Universal Studios Singapore. One half of the ride features an inverted roller coaster track in blue, and the other half features the traditional seated roller coaster track design in red. It is the tallest dueling coaster in the world; tipping at 42.5 metres (139 ft). The roller coaster trains are launched from their stations at high speed instead of the traditional chain lift. Linear Synchronous Motors (LSM) are used for high-acceleration speed during launching. In a similar style to the Dragon Challenge at Universal's Islands of Adventure, these coasters will feature several near collisions mere inches apart. Additionally, part of the ride takes place over the park's central lagoon. The coasters are the first Vekoma coasters that aren't the Flying Dutchman model to feature four-abreast seating, similar to the coasters by Bolliger and Mabillard and Premier Rides.

History

• 18 March 2010 - Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon is one of 16 attractions that opened during Universal Studios Singapore's soft opening.
• 25 March 2010 - Both coasters were closed due to a technical glitch in one of the rides, barely a week after it opened. Both rides remain closed for about 11 months thereafter.
• 20 August 2010 - The cause for the grounding of Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon was revealed to be cracks found in the welded joint of the seat-post supports of the Human coaster car.
• 21 December 2010 - Battlestar Galactica: Human vs. Cylon have entered their final testing stage with newly-reinforced coaster cars for both the Human and Cylon coasters. Both rides are slated to re-open in the first-half of 2011.
• 4 February 2011 - the ride has been opened unofficially for "Technical Rehearsals".
• 21 February 2011 - The anticipated official re-opening of both the Human and Cylon tracks.

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon

The ride's entrance.

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon is a suspended roller coaster and travels on an inverted blue track.

The Cylon coaster is a coaster designed like the Cylon Raider suspended from the track with legs free that performs intense maneuvers including several inversions in the form of a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, corkscrews and vertical loops. The Cylon coaster also plunges into a 5-metre (16 ft) deep pit filled with artificial fog to give thrill seekers the sensation of a near miss with the ground. It also includes sudden turns close to buildings emphasizing the sensation of a near miss.

Battlestar Galactica: Human

Battlestar Galactica: Human features a seated roller coaster and travels on the red track.

The Human coaster is designed for riders who want a roller coaster experience without inversions. The trains use lap restraints giving the rider total upper body movement. According to Universal Studios Singapore engineers, riders on the Human track experience more G-forces than those on the Cylon track.^{[citation needed]} At certain point of the ride, the coaster reaches speed of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 mph).

Problems

Just a week after its soft opening on 18 March 2010, Universal Studios Singapore identified a problem in a ride vehicle during routine testing. The ride closed for repair on 25 March 2010. In August 2010, Resorts World Sentosa publicly addressed the reason for closure of the rides, stating that the problem lies with the design of the ride vehicles and not the track layout. Higher than anticipated stress and vibration levels caused fatigue cracks to develop in a welded component on the ride's seat-post supports. The redesigned component will eliminate the weld entirely and will also be installed with additional strength-reinforcement parts. Extensive ride testing cycles and inspections have been conducted since September 2010. The ride will need to be re-certified before it reopens to the public. In early February 2011, Universal Studios Singapore announced the rides would re-open on 21 February 2011, although it was opened unofficially for "technical rehearsals" on 4 February 2011.

See also

• List of amusement rides based on film franchises
• Universal Studios Singapore
• Battlestar Galactica