Channel 4 are about to boldly go where no UK television station has gone before, taking one small step for TV and one giant leap for manking with a live 2 hour show from the International Space Station. The broadcast will be the culmination of a series of space exploration documentaries that look at the inner working of the Space Station and the lives of the astronauts, boffins and engineers that make it tick.
The Live from Space season is scheduled to air in March 2014 on Channel 4 and will be made up of three shows providing a unique insight into the inner working of NASA and it’s astronauts. Each of the three programmes are being created by Arrow Media, which will also be syndicating the season on the National Geographic Channel in 170 countries outside of the UK, so no matter where you’re from, you should be able to catch the broadcast.
Channel 4 and Arrow Media have also announced that X-Factor host Dermot O’Leary will be presenting the three shows to make it as approachable to the masses as it will be to space loving science fans. Hopefully Dermot will be able to do what Dara O’Briain has done for his Science Club show, while channeling a little of Professor Brian Cox’s insight into the mysteries of outer space.
The 2 hour special, Live from Space: Lap of the Planets, will be a live broadcast led by Dermot as it follows the International Space Station during its completion of a full orbit of the earth in just 90 minutes. Interviews with the astronauts on the space station will be a big feature of the show along with coverage from Mission Control and a whole lot of visuals of earth from outer space.
The aim of the show is to provide access to all into the daily life on a Space Station, while also showcasing some of the latest scientific breakthroughs that keep it in orbit 250 miles above the earth. Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Kiochi Wakata will be on board the station talking to Dermot back at Mission Control as they spin around the earth at a staggering 17,500 mph. Professor Stephen Hawking will also be taking part in the groundbreaking broadcast, along with British astronaut Tim Peake, who will be heading out the the Space Station himself next year, so will be on hand to talk about the preparations he’ll need to go through before heading up.
The Live from Space season will also feature an hour long show dedicated to the astronauts that man the ISS, called Astronauts: Living In Space. It’s set to show the truth about living in outer space and the reality of the long-distance relationships they have with their families back on earth. It’ll also explains the scientific research that Rick and Kiochi conduct from the Station, and the effects of microgravity on their bodies.
It’s backed up by a ground-based equivalent, Astronauts: Houston We Have A Problem, that delves into the work of the NASA technicians, flight controllers, medics, scientists and engineers of Mission Control who help keep the lives of the crew of the Space Station ticking along just fine.
It sounds like it’s going to be a very impressive season of space techie television in March and definitely a must watch for science loving future-thinkers everywhere.
