Mark Burnett, Richard Branson’s reality TV show prize? Space travel

NBC is hoping to get a space-travel reality show off the ground this time.

The network is teaming up with producer Mark Burnett and billionaire Richard Branson to make “Space Race,� a competition series that would send the winner up in SpaceShipTwo, a commercial space-travel service from Branson’s Virgin Galactic.

The series could offer Virgin a key opportunity to plug its services.

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“Virgin Galactic’s mission is to democratize space, eventually making commercial space travel affordable and accessible to all,� Branson wrote in a statement. “‘Space Race’ allows us to extend this opportunity of a lifetime to as many people as possible right at the start of our commercial service – through direct experience and television viewing.�

However, “Space Race� may be weighed down by more than just gravity. Previous attempts to do space-related reality series haven’t worked. That includes “Destination: Mir,� a Burnett project from 2000 that hoped to send the winner to the Russian space station. The series had to be abandoned when the Mir was deorbited.

What do you think of “Space Race�? Would you watch?

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