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NASA Looking to Host a Reality TV Show to Send a Civilian to Space in 2023

News Astronomy
by Eben Diskin Olivia Harden Apr 19, 2021

There are many coveted vacation spots around the world, but there is one no tourist has ever been to before — space. NASA is partnering with Space Hero, a US-based production company, to produce a reality TV show and the lucky winner will spend 10 days alongside professional astronauts at the International Space Station.

The reality television show would take on 24 contestants in a “space village” where they would be tested for mental, physical, and emotional strength, and train similarly to professional astronauts in preparation for the trip. The show has already begun pre-production, searching around the globe for contestants “who share a deep love for space exploration,” according to Deadline. The grand prize is valued at over $55 million.

Nothing is set in stone yet. Even though the trip to the space station has not been formally approved, the agreement between Space Hero and NASA is meant to assess its feasibility. Axiom Space, a private developer, has signed on to provide the “vessel” that would send the winner into Earth’s orbit.

Companies like Space X, Axiom Space, and the Sierra Nevada Corporation, and other investors are already in pursuit of creating privatized space flights and space stations, according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Space Hero hopes that going the reality TV route will help space travel feel accessible to everyone so you, too, could see yourself traveling to space.

A version of this article was previously published on September 21, 2020, and was updated on April 19, 2021, with more information.

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