The photo of the thrill ride ‘Space Roller’ was taken on Messeplatz in Kleinbasel. The high-rise to the left is ‘Messeturm’. It is one of the highest buildings in Switzerland and houses a hotel with a restaurant, numerous offices and almost at the very top a popular bar.
The main component of the Space Roller is a large boom with a six armed satellite on one end, and a counterweight on the other. The six arms of the satellite are where the people sit, situated in rows of five.
When the cycle begins, the support arm moves up a couple of meters to raise the satellite off the platform. The satellite then starts to spin and the boom begins to rotate in the same direction; the combined motion makes for some pretty high lateral Gs.
The seats can flip at random which makes this ride extremely unpredictable. As the riders legs are free and there is no surrounding cabin, the sensation of flying and performing loops is greatly enhanced.