04.10 Reality TV Meets the Final Frontier in
WASHINGTON, October 4 (RIA Novosti) Fans of reality television are accustomed to shows set on remote tropical islands, but a new series is going out of this world with Space Race, in which participants compete for a trip to space, US television network NBC announced this week.
The network said Space Race is being developed through a deal with reality show producer Mark Burnett and British tycoon and private space flight entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
The scope of this endeavor is so staggering, that it took these two titans to even imagine it, said Paul Telegdy of NBC Entertainment, in a press release.
The term 'trip of a lifetime' has for once been delivered on! This will be a remarkable experience for anyone who has looked at the night's sky and dared to dream of space flight, he added.
The winner will get a trip into space on board Bransons Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, a space vehicle the company describes as a glider with a rocket motor attached.
It is 60 feet (18 meters) long with a 90-inch (229 cm) cabin, enough room, the company says, for two pilots and six passengers. And yes, they each get a guaranteed window seat. Two windows, in fact, with one to the side and one overhead.
Virgin Galactics mission is to democratize space, eventually making commercial space travel affordable and accessible to all.
