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Old bits, I know… But I just don’t read “Spaceflight Now Magazine” as much as I used to…

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0008/10mirsurvivor/

-Ian.

——- TV show ‘Survivor’ plans future series around Mir MIRCORP NEWS RELEASE Posted: August 10, 2000

  Mir orbiting Earth. Photo: NASA   MirCorp has announced that it has signed an agreement with Mark Burnett, executive producer of the internationally known Survivor television series, for the creation and marketing of a TV program in which the winner will travel to Mir.

“Much of America and international followers of the Survivor series have been awaiting word on what Mark will do once the current Survivor program ends,” MirCorp, President Jeffery Manber said. “We are delighted that Mark Burnett is joining the MirCorp family, and we are extremely pleased to be working with the best producer in the TV industry today.”

The Holland-based MirCorp was formed to operate as a direct link between commercial users of Mir and the space station’s Russian operators. Earlier this year, MirCorp funded the world’s first truly commercial manned mission to a space station, during which two Russian cosmonauts spent 73 days on board Mir to prepare for the flights to follow.

“Destination Mir” will be a multi-week televised story of the selection process that the TV program’s civilian “guest cosmonauts” will undergo. Russian space officials will make the determination of who has “the right stuff.”

Mark Burnett said: “Space provides the ultimate adventure. The fact that we will allow several ordinary people to undergo cosmonaut training at Star City, Russia, and one will be selected to actually travel in a Russian spacecraft to Mir is extremely exciting to me and will make great dramatic television.”

“Today, MirCorp brings space travel and exploration within reach of the ordinary person,” said Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, director and a major shareholder in MirCorp. “We expect the television series that we will develop with Mark Burnett to be the highest rated program in television history.”

Mark Burnett’s decision to join forces with MirCorp validates the media and entertainment value of the Mir space station, according to MirCorp’s Manber. “I am particularly pleased that the media and entertainment aspects of MirCorp’s business model are coming to life,” Manber added. “This interest bodes particularly well for our Internet initiative and the other ventures we are pursuing.”

MirCorp is a joint venture that is 60% owned by RSC Energia and 40 percent owned by two well respected Telecom and Internet Entrepreneurs, Walt Anderson’s Gold & Appel and the Kathuria family. RSC Energia is the one of the world’s oldest and most respected space companies that launched Sputnik, sent the first man in orbit, built the Mir Space Station, and a lead contractor for the International Space Station.

“The Russian Space Program has the safest track record in manned space exploration with no fatalities in over 25 years,” further commented Dr. Kathuria.