View source for Technocosmos

[[Image:Expo85 tecno.jpg|thumb|Technocosmos]]
'''Technocosmos''', later renamed '''Technostar''', was an {{Convert|85|m|ft|adj=on}} tall giant [[Ferris wheel]] that was built for the [[Expo '85]] [[World Fair]] in [[Tsukuba, Ibaraki]], [[Japan]]. It carried almost 3 million passengers during the exposition.<ref name="Anderson">[https://books.google.com/books?id=SkFQ5tgWKfEC&q=Ferris+wheels:+an+illustrated+history Ferris wheels - an illustrated history, Norman D. Anderson]</ref>

==History ==

Technocosmos had an overall height of {{Convert|85|m|ft}},<ref>[http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=330408 Reinventing the wheel]</ref> a diameter of {{Convert|82.5|m|ft}}, and took 15 minutes to complete a revolution. Each of the 48 passenger cars could carry 8 people and was equipped with solar panels to power its air conditioning.<ref name="Anderson" />

When it began operating, Technocosmos was the [[World's tallest Ferris wheel|World's tallest extant Ferris wheel]]. At that time, the tallest Ferris wheel ever built was the {{Convert|100|m|ft|adj=on}} [[Grande Roue de Paris]] (built for the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|1900 Exposition Universelle]] in [[France]]) which was demolished in 1920. In 1989 the {{Convert|107.5|m|ft|adj=on}} [[Cosmo Clock 21]] opened for business in [[Yokohama]] and succeeded both Technocosmos as tallest extant Ferris wheel and Grande Roue de Paris as tallest Ferris wheel ever built.

===Renamed as Technostar in Suita===
[[Image:Expoland Ferris wheel wide shot.jpg|thumb|Technostart wheel from Expoland in 2008.]]
After Expo '85, Technocosmos was relocated in 1986 to the [[Expoland]] amusement park in [[Suita]], [[Osaka Prefecture]], and renamed Technostar.<ref>[http://worldvisitguide.com/salle/MS05092.html Guide, map and view by satellite of Osaka]</ref>

Expoland has since permanently closed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090210p2a00m0na013000c.html |title=Expoland theme park gives up on revival, shuts doors for good after fatal accident |publisher=Mainichi Shimbun |date=2009-02-10 |accessdate=2009-02-10 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213141214/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090210p2a00m0na013000c.html |archivedate=2009-02-13 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Work began on dismantling Technostar in November 2009, and it had been removed from the Osaka site by the end of the following month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://osaka1shop2channel.jp/blog-entry-469.html|title=エキスポシティの観覧車は3代目だった!?知られざる観覧車の歴史 (in Japanese)|publisher=万博記念公園エリアの地域情報サイト, 6 September 2016|accessdate=2 January 2023}}</ref>

In Suita city, a new wheel was opened in 2016 called the [[Redhorse Osaka Wheel]];<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1023474-d10640748-Reviews-Redhorse_Osaka_Wheel-Suita_Osaka_Prefecture_Kinki.html|title=Redhorse Osaka Wheel|publisher= tripadvisor.com|accessdate=2 January 2023}}</ref> as part of Expocity created in 2015.

==Coordinates==
*Technocosmos, [[Expo '85]], [[Tsukuba, Ibaraki|Tsukuba]], [[Ibaraki Prefecture]], [[Kantō region]]: {{Coord|36.061203|N|140.073055|E|type:landmark|name=Technocosmos}}
*Technostar, [[Expoland]], [[Suita]], [[Osaka Prefecture]], [[Kansai region]]: {{Coord|34.803772|N|135.535916|E|type:landmark|name=Technostar}}

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== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Ferris wheel}}

[[Category:Former Ferris wheels]]
[[Category:Tsukuba, Ibaraki]]