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Two reality TV shows are in the works that would provide a first for viewers by taking them inside the ISS, as an audience member will receive a multi-million dollar experience in space as a grand prize of the two. The Discovery Channel is considering “Who Wants to be an Astronaut” while a competitor, “Space Hero”, hopes to land elsewhere.
The “Who Wants To Be An Astronaut” premise is simple and builds on traditional reality TV tropes. Here on Earth, the candidates will compete for an all-expenses-paid trip to live on the ISS for eight days. The as yet unknown “variety of extreme challenges” are designed to determine which competitors have what it takes to be a true astronaut, and passage into space will be provided by Houston-based space broker Axiom Space. While NASA has not confirmed that Axiom Space will even be able to secure a seat on a commercial rocket, Discovery is confident in its plans. The media company even enlisted the advice of former astronaut Mike Massimino.
Unlike most astronauts, Massimino is no stranger to filming for entertainment purposes in space. During a Hubble Telescope repair mission in 2009, he personally shot footage on the ISS for the Hubble documentary, using IMAX cameras to give viewers a realistic, up-close look at what is happening in the process. telescope repair. “A lot of our training is what we call Photo TV training,” said the astronaut. “And it’s just to share the experience with the rest of the world to get some documentation on the planet.”
Massimino envisions a future where more people with special non-astronaut skills – like filming – will be trained for missions. “I hope we get better movies and better entertainment out of it… that’s what I hope,” he said.
But a typical terrestrial film crew cannot be recreated in space. The ISS is narrow and cramped; it wasn’t built with big cameras in mind. “You can’t have a whole crew. You can’t send 50 people to the space station,” Massimino said.
That said, construction on the space station began in 1998 and since then advances in camera technology and the reduction of barriers to space travel have broadened the scope of what is possible on the station. “Years ago, that really wasn’t an option. There really wasn’t an opportunity for people to do it, for people to participate in so many different ways… And it’s not just the astronauts. from NASA That’s why I think we “feel a lot more interest because more people can participate,” added Massimino.
“Who Wants to Be an Astronaut” is based entirely in the United States, but “Space Hero” attempts to bring a global component to the television industry in space. Creators Deborah Sass and Thomas Reemer, originally from England and Berlin respectively, have been business partners for years, and they have a plan to ensure space travel isn’t limited to countries that already have a stake in the ISS.
The privately funded “Space Hero” plans to start with 24 applicants from around the world. “Twelve men and twelve women, twelve from underdeveloped countries and twelve from developed countries,” says Sass. “And they will be placed in a Space Village, much like the Big Brother house, but with wearable technology and biometric testing.”
In the “Space Hero” house, activities and challenges will narrow the list of candidates until only one person remains. Naturally, the global public will be encouraged to vote for their favorite future astronaut. Reemer, the co-executive producer of the project, projects that the demand for an astronaut from lesser-known countries is there: “There is Nigeria with two hundred million people, never had an astronaut. This is where the hunger comes from. India, the last Indian astronaut dates from 1985 … It means something to be the first astronaut in your country. “
Traveling beyond the ISS, with the participation of several countries, seems like moonlighting right now, but the minds behind the global reality show have already started to cross borders to foster relationships with other space agencies. Space Hero claims that several agreements have already been reached internationally, while already securing a seat for the passage into space with Axiom Space, scheduled for early 2023.
NASA apparently agrees with expanding the uses of the ISS. Former Senator Bill Nelson, who was recently sworn in as a NASA administrator, is open to different uses outside of routine research.
“As we go into space, we want to encourage entrepreneurs to do new things. And to use the extraordinary zero G of space to do all kinds of science, as well as entertainment,” he said. he declares.
“Who Wants to Be an Astronaut” is currently accepting applications through its online portal. The Space Hero app will open on December 21, 2021.
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