Space Cadets was a British television programme made by Zeppotron for Channel 4. Presented by Johnny Vaughan, it was aired across ten consecutive nights beginning on 7 December 2005
The concept of the show was that a group of twelve contestants - who answered an advert looking for "thrill seekers" - were selected to become the first British televised space tourists, including going to Russia to train as cosmonauts at the "Space Tourist Agency of Russia" (STAR) military base, with the series culminating in a group of four embarking on a five-day space mission in low Earth orbit.
The show and space mission contained aspects of Reality TV, including hidden cameras, soundproofed 'video diary' rooms and group dormitories. However, the show was in fact an elaborate practical joke, described by Commissioning Editor Angela Jain as Candid Camera live in space.
Steve
I didnt actually realise this show had so many suits in it,do you know where the suit in the last/bottom pic is originally from?
ReplyDeleteQuite by chance I stumbled across something rather interesting in an old book I was reading,it was a still from 1972s solaris and in that still one could clearly see a spacesuit in a locker,now I`m not able to scan the pic at the moment and I`m not sure where the scene is in the film,I`ll have to look,but I was able to find a partial pic online so you can see for yourself,check out the left of the pic
http://www.thedorkreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/solaris-1972-1.jpg
And I`ve just found a better pic
http://calvertjournal.com/images/uploads/thumbnails/2015_September/Space/_large_crop/url2.jpg
I can't be sure, but one thing that struck me about the spacesuit in a locker from Solaris is that the hose connections had been removed, leaving holes in the fabric of the suit.
DeleteI would bet a doughnut it was a real suit, used for training, and that the connectors were removed for reuse before letting the movie people have it.
I can't prove that, though.
The old book isn't Sci-fi Now by any chance, is it? As soon as I started reading your words the image jumped into my mind. Oddly the book is on the desk in front of me so I've just given it a butchers and there it is. page 38/39 I've only owned the book since I was ten, an essential bit of kit then and now. I'll search some images.
ReplyDeletethe last suit above was also seen in Doctor who waters of mars and I think its a from a costume hire company that specialises in space suits. I did blog them but its too late to get my brain working properly.....it will come to me.
Yes it is!,I got it when I was 8.
ReplyDeletehttp://strangeengland.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/sci-fi-now-1978-part-1.html
DeleteDidn't see the show but I'm really iffy about the ethics involved.
ReplyDeleteNow, the idea of seeing how twelve random people would handle simulated astronaut training might be interesting.
Agree and agree, John
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