Mir flight offered as TV show prize

NBC TV is launching a programme called "Destination Mir" in which the winner of an adventure competition will fly to the Russian space station.

Twelve US citizens will undergo cosmonaut training as part of the deal with MirCorp. The company, which is commercialising the space station, has already booked its first tourist, Dennis Tito, to fly to Mir next year for $20 million.

Each week a participant will be eliminated and, in the last two-hour programme, finalists will be assembled on the launch pad and the winner will immediately board a Soyuz and blast off with two professional crewmen. The mission will be followed live on NBC.

"The entertainment and media sectors offer exciting revenue generating potential for Mir," says Chirinjeev Kathuria, a major MirCorp shareholder (Flight International, 12-18 September).

Source: Flight International