Space Cadets

Dorsk 81 · Post by **Dorsk 81** » 2005-12-07 04:46pm

I'm not so sure Moose, these people do appear to be rather fucking stupid, suggestible fools. I was hoping that drama queen on the bridge was going to miss the water though...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-12-07 04:51pm

El Moose Monstero wrote:
I bet there'll be someone who'll rumble something - regardless of whether they've weeded out the experts, someone's bound to spot something which isn't quite right. A british airways flight passing over head or a view of space which doesn't look right. The people are pissing me off already, but I think I'll stay with it. It's rather diverting from this air pollution essay I'm supposed to be writing.

Unless they're telepathic or have a telescope, they won't notice the difference between a BA flight and an Aeroflot one. As far as they're concerned, they all use Boeing and Airbus aircraft anyway, and that's the only way to distinguish something at 37,000 ft. As for a view from space, you assume they'll be able to nitpick real space charts. Good luck with that when no one has such knowledge as per the files.

I'm actually wondering how they'll simulate going to space then, if they go that far.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-12-07 04:57pm

Dorsk 81 wrote:I'm not so sure Moose, these people do appear to be rather fucking stupid, suggestible fools. I was hoping that drama queen on the bridge was going to miss the water though...

Which one? The woman named "Freddie", or the incredibly limp wristed guy?

Dorsk 81 · Post by **Dorsk 81** » 2005-12-07 05:00pm

The last bloke who made a huge song and dance about it, didn't catch his name.

El Moose Monstero · Post by **El Moose Monstero** » 2005-12-07 05:06pm

I loved the last shot after they boarded the plane, the one which catches Johnny Vaughn breathing out and having a quiet smirk about what he knew that they didn't. I don't watch much in the way of reality tv, so I do forget how false people can be at times, the few bits I've caught of Big Brother have reminded me of that, as did the few bits of this where they showed the contestants.

Pezzoni · Post by **Pezzoni** » 2005-12-08 01:56pm

What about the whole 'gravity' thing?
I'm assuming they've just chosen exceptionally stupid people...

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-12-08 02:37pm

Pezzoni wrote:What about the whole 'gravity' thing?
I'm assuming they've just chosen exceptionally stupid people...

I'm thinking the gig is up when they go for a microgravity walk in the shuttle. That's probably when it ends and they find that their spacecraft was simply the most authentic shuttle mock-up built and stuck in the middle of a gas turbine test hangar.

Dorsk 81 · Post by **Dorsk 81** » 2005-12-08 04:07pm

Nope, seems they've got to be convinced they're in space for them to get the pay off.

Shouldn't it have raised some of their eyebrows, that they're on their way to Russia, yet none of them has a passport?

Edit: Oh wait, maybe they do have their passports.

Pezzoni · Post by **Pezzoni** » 2005-12-08 04:15pm

Surely the people would realise that they're not weightless immediately after the launch has completed?
Unless, of course, they're severely lacking in basic physics knowledge.

Raxmei · Post by **Raxmei** » 2005-12-08 04:34pm

I thought they were only faking the training for going into space, not the actual launch. There's no need to simulate the conditions of space as long as you aren't trying to pretend you're in space.

Dorsk 81 · Post by **Dorsk 81** » 2005-12-08 04:41pm

Channel4.com wrote:What happens at the end?
That depends on whether Channel 4 pulls it off or not. There is a cash prize. The cadets who finally go on the 'mission' will get £5,000 for every day they spend 'in orbit,' which is every day they spend in the shuttle, so potentially five days equaling £25,000.

Pezzoni · Post by **Pezzoni** » 2005-12-08 04:43pm

Nope, they're saying that they're actually sending them into space, hence the choice of gullible / mentally inept people.

Dorsk 81 · Post by **Dorsk 81** » 2005-12-08 04:59pm

They've been told that they won't be going high enough to experience weightlessness. So yea, they're really stupid.

The Guid · Post by **The Guid** » 2005-12-08 05:56pm

Ladies and gentleman I am afraid I have to point something out. The show is hosted by Johnny Vaughan and is therefore incredibly annoying. I want to ask you all a question - what is his accent?

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2005-12-08 05:59pm

And they said stupidity wouldn't make you rich. Damn my teachers in school, if they'd been of the low standard English teachers seem to be i'd be in with a shout for £25 grand.

Fuckers

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2005-12-08 06:00pm

The Guid wrote:Ladies and gentleman I am afraid I have to point something out. The show is hosted by Johnny Vaughan and is therefore incredibly annoying. I want to ask you all a question - what is his accent?

He is a Londoner IIRC.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2005-12-09 03:56am

Well, its a damn bit of fresh air compared to the putrid shit of Big Brother.

I really was horrified when they saw that tank "Look! its a real Tank!"

Well gee! Do ye' think so?!

Post by **NecronLord** » 2005-12-09 04:43am

I know, wouldn't it be 'really fun and original' if we gave the producers of this show a 'course in lion taming' and then put them in a cage with some lions on speed, adrenaline and acid. After all, suffering of conned people is funny, isn't it?

It's very easy to mock, and say you'd get it right away, because you're here, you're bound to know a fair bit about manned space-flight, even something as simple as most Russian flights being launched from Kazakstan to the differences in space-craft design. Say you were recruited for the same thing - only you were told you were doing something you have little to no knowledge of, like operating a Russian research submersible. You almost certainly would be conned - and yet, because the 'space cadets' are being hoaxed by something you have comparatively great knowledge of, it's just hilarious to laugh at them being taken in...

Facile shit like this should be banned. Honestly now, manipulating 'the stupid' to believe stupid things and behave in a manner that is simply exploiting them for cheap and sadistic laughs of an audience who are mostly just as ignorant - yeah, real high quality entertainment. Frankly, I hope they figure it out as soon as possible and leave C4 X million pounds out of pocket, resulting in the producers never working in TV again.

SoX · Post by **SoX** » 2005-12-09 09:22am

Just watched the second show. Got me mad at how dumb people can be, and made me laugh so hard i almost puked.

The bit with the 2 russian guard actors that couldnt keep a straight face when talking about "gorgeous women" and "NO! all the gorgeous women are in russia!".

Then when they told them that they would be put into orbit but not be high enough to experience weightlessness....

Im SURE that the understanding of an orbit is in the GCSE curriculum for Physics. All these people (bar the actors) must have failed GCSE Physics, or be too caught up in the moment to take in what they're hearing. To be honest i just think they're dumb.

Can't wait till they tell em about a constellation "The Hazel Nut Cluster"...

Post by **NecronLord** » 2005-12-09 09:25am

SoX wrote:Im SURE that the understanding of an orbit is in the GCSE curriculum for Physics. All these people (bar the actors) must have failed GCSE Physics, or be too caught up in the moment to take in what they're hearing. To be honest i just think they're dumb.

You can be put into space without experiencing weightlessness. While not in a true orbit, a ballistic trajectory such as those used by ICBMs can have continual accelleration, and thus, no weightlessness. Of course, that's not what they're talking about, but it is not correct to say that travel into space without weightlessness is impossible.

Add to that excitement, and the desire to believe something positive is true, and it's easy to see why people might believe such a lie.

SoX · Post by **SoX** » 2005-12-09 09:54am

"you will be in orbit but not experience weightlessness"????

Come on!

Post by **NecronLord** » 2005-12-09 10:16am

Possible enough in theory, if the orbit is a generalised one, and the vessel makes course corrections at one G continously, oscilating around the actual orbit. Not that this is what these people will probably be thinking is meant to be going on, but again, you, as a member of this board, know more than most people about space. If you were talking about the problems of a submarine enviroment, you may still have above-average knowledge, but probably not enough to spot the problems in a con of this sort.

Note that they've spoken to the families, and eliminated anyone who has any interest in space.

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2005-12-09 12:15pm

I don't think people should dismiss this as reality TV. To me it's pretty much a satire of reality TV. Pretty funny.

SoX · Post by **SoX** » 2005-12-10 06:54pm

I find the actors the funniest part of the show, seeing how they try and convince everyone and how they really try to keep straight faces.

Post by **Vympel** » 2005-12-11 06:14pm

This is a stupid idea for a show. Where do they tell the contestants they're going, and how do they get them there without them figuring out they're merely in bloody Suffolk?