Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
Television Media It's funny. Laugh. Space

Reality TV "Astronauts" Lift Off 644

Posted by CmdrTaco from the where-do-you-find-people-this-stupid dept.
RJG writes "In the latest reality show on British TV, three British "space tourists" last night succesfully blasted off on a five day mission and are currently orbiting the earth 200 miles up. Or so they think. And to forestall the first question. They aren't experiencing weightlessness due to a combination of being in a low orbit (rather than outer space where the weightlessness is) and a few under-floor gravity generators."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Reality TV "Astronauts" Lift Off More

Reality TV "Astronauts" Lift Off

Comments Filter:

  • America has officially lost its monopoly on stupid (Score:5, Funny)

    by TripMaster Monkey ( 862126 ) * on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:41PM (#14248593)


    Well, at least it's nice to be reassured that stark raving idiocy isn't an exclusively American trait. Apparently, any prospective 'astronaut' who showed even the slightest glimmer of comprehension of the rudimentaries of physics was automatically disqualified. leaving us with the pick of the litter...people who are stupid enough to believe that 'gravity generators' exist, and that exposure to 'near space' will make you shorter and increase your lung capacity.

    Now add to the mix a psycho Russian pilot:
    Pilot Yevgeny Ivanovich joined the passengers for breakfast, and was asked about the colour painted on his finger. He told them it was a superstition of his. In faltering English he tried to explain his reliance on superstition. "The devil's strokes are sexy. He likes to be somebody sexy, the devil."

    He told them that every day he's in space he paints another finger.
    ...and the hilarity practically writes itself. In fact, perhaps the only way this show could get any more entertaining is if the viewing public were allowed to vote on which indignity the 'astronauts' would have to suffer next.
    • I imagine that part of the selection process included an IQ test with only those without GCSE's and an IQ below 50 allowed to take part. Otherwise the contestants might be able to work out that it was a hoax.

    • The "Casting Call" episodes must be the best (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ianscot ( 591483 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:53PM (#14248752)
      Apparently, any prospective 'astronaut' who showed even the slightest glimmer of comprehension of the [rudiments] of physics was automatically disqualified.

      No kidding. We don't need to watch the Capricorn One sequences in which these nitwits are faked out by the producers; just show us the moments when a prospective "space tourist" showed that glimmer of intelligence and skepticism, only to be promptly whisked from the room to avoid contaminating the other hopefuls. As with American Idol (supposedly), the early elimination rounds would be the most watchable.

      But I never watched "Idol" because the idea of the early shows bugs me, and I hate this, actually.

      A show in which people volunteered to go through a *real* space training program, say the equivalent of NASA shuttle crew training, could have been interesting and would have taught the audience something. It also could easily have put the audience through the same voyeuristic "look at human nature" experience reality shows are supposed to be good for. (Whatever.)

      Instead we get yet another show by, for, and about mean and stupid people. What's the point of tricking the dufuses this way, other than to ridicule them and to show you can do it? That's sociopathic programming. Oh, wait... Maybe that's the "reality" part.

      • Re:The "Casting Call" episodes must be the best (Score:5, Insightful)

        by h4rm0ny ( 722443 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:31PM (#14249143) Journal

        I think the whole idea of this program is sick. The gist of it is to laugh at people who think something great is going to happen to them, so that the audience can go "Ha ha" when it turns out they've been had.

        On the one side you've got the fact that the physics and economics doesn't work.
        On the other side, you have a television companies resources and experience, professional actors, a peer group that all believe what's happening, a sustained attempt to fool these people, a poor education on their part, and the faint glimmer of hope (soon to be extinguished) that something wonderful might actually happen to them.

        Shame on the TV company that has rooted out people who didn't get a decent education so that they can pick on them. Shame on the audience who get off on that.

        IMHO.
        • It's possible to do this sort of hoax and end up having not made a fool of the subject(s), but instead given them an opportunity to choose to make fools or heroes of themselves. See two seasons of Joe Schmoe for examples of this.

          It's also possible to do this and end up just being mean jackasses. See The WB's Superstar USA for an example of this.

          Which sells, and which doesn't? Joe Schmoe ran two seasons, and the first "winner" has been on other reality shows, where he's welcomed and regarded as a great gu
          • You make a very good point.

            I generally can't stand the reality TV show scheme; however, I happened to catch half an episode of the first Joe Schmoe season at a friend's house and was instantly hooked. I've now seen the whole season.

            It was a remarkably humane and thoughtful program. It not only celebrated humanity at its best but managed to tackle complicated ethical questions with more depth and integrity than any other program on television. (Albeit with the occasional gratuitous tit flash.)

            Although it'

        • Re:The "Casting Call" episodes must be the best (Score:4, Funny)

          by golgotha007 ( 62687 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @04:01PM (#14250208)
          You are right, is is not very nice.

          However, they did get an OK from their close family or friends before putting them on the show.

          Further, when the hoax is up, each of them will receive a wad of cash, a trip to Russia for a taste of the real space program and a trip on the vomit comet so they can experience weightlessness.

          Watching this program (I'm in Russia) is hilarious, and all my Russian friends are getting a big kick out of it. Funny how they are supposedly in a place called Crimpsk (or some crap), however when they pointed to where "Crimpsk" is, they pointed to a place in the Ukraine!

          Also, Kvas (the drink in episode 2) is not a "Russian soft drink". It's a non-alcoholic grain (sometimes veggie) fermented drink (and it is downright nasty).

          The show could have done better; for example, most of the instructors were, oddly enough, British instructors. Why didn't they recruit real Russian folks for the task? lame.

      • Re:The "Casting Call" episodes must be the best (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Spudley ( 171066 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:48PM (#14249359) Homepage Journal
        The only had one "casting call" episode, and yes, it was entertaining. They also didn't tell the applicants what they were applying for until the end of the selection process, so these people were doing all sorts of wacky things without any clue as to why.

        I agree with you that it's a horribly cruel trick to be playing. But it does make for cringeingly funny viewing.

        On the other hand, as long as they don't work out the ruse, the participants will be awarded with a trip to the real Russian space training centre, and an experience of weightlessness in the vomit comet, so if they can stay stupid for another five days, they'll at least get the chance to do some of it for real.

        One thing I will place a bet on is that this show will be very quick to make the jump over the Atlantic. ;-)

        One final note -- there are some rumours flying around that all the contestants are actually actors, and that the whole thing is actually a hoax on the viewers. But frankly, the viewing is entertaining enough that it doesn't matter to me one way or the other. hehehe.

    • Re:America has officially lost its monopoly on stu (Score:5, Funny)

      by tnk1 ( 899206 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:56PM (#14248781)
      We must act immediately to close the Stupid Gap!
    • they licensed the patent.

    • Re:America has officially lost its monopoly on stu (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Aqua OS X ( 458522 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:05PM (#14248883)
      At least they're making fun of their stupid people, we tend to put our morons on pedestals.

    • Re:America has officially lost its monopoly on stu (Score:5, Funny)

      by lucky130 ( 267588 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:10PM (#14248947)
      Technically speaking, all objects are gravity generators :).

      • Two points to the winner! :)

        I'm surprised no one else had said it..

        Now, where exactly would they find something of sufficent mass and density to simulate 1G on something the size of the space shuttle? They wouldn't, and actually be able to move it. :)

        But hey, if they want to believe, they will.

        When I was a kid, I went to Space Academy at the Huntsville Space and Rocket center, twice. It was fun. It was geared more towards beginne

    • No, we haven't... (Score:5, Informative)

      by vishbar ( 862440 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:11PM (#14248959)
      We're still holding on strong. The whole thing, including the cadets, is a huge hoax on us, the viewers. [coolsmartphone.com] Though the brits fell for this one too, so we'll call it even.

      • Re:No, we haven't... (Score:5, Informative)

        by dcollins ( 135727 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @03:01PM (#14249494) Homepage
        That's some pretty good sleuthing. However, I think it's true that most reality show participants & game show contestants are in actuality actors looking to bulk up their demo reel. The shows identify them with some other (possibly their part-time gig) job to not make it so obvious that everyone is a wannabe actor.

        So it still could possibly go either way.
      • ... what would be the point?

        Why bother with the elaborate double-bluff? Why hire crappy actors - one of whom is only known as an extra from some advert, another who only appears in some catalogue of crappy actors - and try to get them to become good enough actors to maintain the pretence?

        Wouldn't it actually in the end be easier to just find some authentic idiots? God knows there are enough of them around.

        I suspect that what's happened here is that they have on their hands a collection of desperate wa

    • Re:America has officially lost its monopoly on stu (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jeffy210 ( 214759 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:17PM (#14249008)
      You obviously haven't seen any Japanese game shows....

  • Dramatic Final Episode (Score:5, Funny)

    by nizo ( 81281 ) * on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:42PM (#14248596) Homepage Journal
    The last episode will be the best one, when the TV show fakes a leak in the station and they have five minutes to decide which of the three gets the two working space suits. Sort of like Lord of the Flies in space. I bet they will think it is soooooo funny when they find out it is just a TV show.

  • Big Brother Space Edition... (Score:3, Funny)

    by matr0x_x ( 919985 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:42PM (#14248598) Homepage
    So how long before other reality TV shows start happening in space? I can see it now, people being voted off the space station every week...
  • I suppose space is quite a long way from the Isle of Wight :)

  • "reality" TV? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:42PM (#14248607)
    so remind me why it's called that, again? Because it's "real"?

  • To qualify, participants... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:43PM (#14248614)
    ...had to fail a drug test, physics test, and IQ test.

    • Re:To qualify, participants... (Score:4, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:09PM (#14248928)
      Not to mention take science classes in Kansas...

    • Re:To qualify, participants... (Score:4, Informative)

      by frostilicus2 ( 889524 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:11PM (#14248954)
      In fact, they did. The "astronauts" were selected on the basis of their suggestibility and ignorance of physics, space and Russia. The extent of which is quite astounding - they are told that they are "too close to earth" to experience any weightlessness. Which has interesting implications for the fate of their shuttle...

      Here are the deeply patronising contestant profiles from the Channel Four [channel4.com] web site:

      Andrew is a student who lives at home with his parents. He's good looking and confident, and describes himself as funny, intelligent, charming and considerate. One of his luckiest moments was going out with the prettiest girl in his primary school.
      Andrew finds the R Kelly track 'I Believe I Can Fly' inspirational because it gives him self-belief and makes him feel he can do anything.
      He is a keen Arsenal fan and plays football in a local league - but that's not his only interest: he also confesses to being a church attendee but sadly he only mimes the words to the hymns, as he doesn't know the words.
      Andrew is also scared of moths.

      Astrid is looking for some real excitement in her life. She's a pretty blonde from Mid Glamorgan, who went to school in Cardiff with pop chick Charlotte Church. She now lives in the sticks, so can't hit the town every night.
      Astrid works in a call centre, and has had five different jobs this year but still doesn't know what she wants to do. In fact, she wants to do everything! She's also quite clumsy and has a habit of losing mobile phones. Like her old school chum Charlotte, she also likes to sing, but suffers from stagefright and can only perform in front of her family.
      Astrid's had a boyfriend for the last 6 months and claims she has lots of friends. She's an adventurous girl who dreams of riding in a Formula 1 car. She gets annoyed by two-faced people and hates seeing others being picked on.

      Billy is one for the ladies. He is a semi-pro footballer and his ultimate ambition is a to be a footballer or film star. He realises he's too old for professional football but there is still time to hit Hollywood. He describes himself as tall, dark and handsome, funny, outgoing, polite and caring but also one of the lads.
      Billy loves the film Armageddon, hates spiders and the idea of drowning and says his most embarrassing moment was when his ex girlfriend's dad witnessed him walking down the catwalk in a red silk thong. He believes in reincarnation and wants to return as a golden eagle. Billy does not believe in ghosts but claims to have seen an alien.

      Cheryl is a lively, ambitious and opinionated girl who loves people. She is also impatient and hates being alone. A firm believer in fate, she believes in reincarnation and ghosts - she says a guardian angel visited her when she was aged sixteen. She fears drowning and fire but feels that taking part in a 'thrill-seekers' show will give her the chance to do something unique.
      Cheryl describes herself as a typical, up-for-it 23 year old girl. She hates liars and smoking, and enjoys clubbing with her friends, clothes and relaxing in a bath with a glass of wine.

      Keri's so keen on space travel that her ultimate fancy dress outfit is dressing up as an astronaut. She describes herself as a friendly, outgoing girl who will try anything once, and compares herself to Bridget Jones. She's also a team player - as long as the team wins! Her fears include drowning and spiders, and she never, ever wants to free-fall into water or sing in front of a group of people.
      Keri's strangest job was dressing up as a human eyeball to promote Specsavers. Other unusual achievements include being able to put her fist in her mouth.
      Things Keri likes include Christmas, white-knuckle rides, family, friends, holidays, romance and chocolate.

      Louise is sporty and competitive and represents her county in basketball and athletics. She lived in Canada for ten months, and admits to being afraid of

  • gravity generators? (Score:5, Funny)

    by at_18 ( 224304 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:44PM (#14248638) Journal
    ...gravity generators

    Sure proof that those onboard deserve to be laughed at, assuming that they aren't paid actors.

    • Re:gravity generators? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by tocs ( 866673 )
      ... Reality Shows

      The viewing public deserves to be laughed at...

    • Re:gravity generators? (Score:3, Informative)

      by n3k5 ( 606163 )

      Sure proof that those onboard deserve to be laughed at, assuming that they aren't paid actors.

      Some of them are, in order to make the scam more believable for the rest. Which where not explicitly cast for their stupidity by the way, but, as you'd expect, for their boundless gullibility. Of course, people who have the slightest comprehension of physics were also ruled out. The production team also interviewed family members or close friends to rule out people who are likely to be exceedingly pissed when th

    • Re:gravity generators? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ashitaka ( 27544 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:01PM (#14248843) Homepage
      assuming that they aren't paid actors

      Good, good. You're beginning to get the picture...
  • and the public laps it up...

  • Some Quotes From the Site (Score:3, Interesting)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohn@gm a i l . com> on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:45PM (#14248644) Journal
    So they're setting these people up to be made idiots in front of entire nations of television watchers.

    At first I was disgusted from the initial appearance of this show, and unfortunately after a few quotes from the profiles such as these:
    Andrew is also scared of moths.
    Astrid's had a boyfriend for the last 6 months and claims she has lots of friends. She's an adventurous girl who dreams of riding in a Formula 1 car.
    He believes in reincarnation and wants to return as a golden eagle. Billy does not believe in ghosts but claims to have seen an alien.
    Keri's strangest job was dressing up as a human eyeball to promote Specsavers. Other unusual achievements include being able to put her fist in her mouth.
    Ryan is happiest when he has no responsibility, but he has big plans for the future - so watch out world!
    I realize that this will probably be an instant success. It appears to be on a UK channel but I'm guessing it will be picked up and aired in the states.

    I guess when you put people like this together, you have a formula for an instant TV hit (like every reality show before it). Am I allowed to hate this show if it's making light of the people I dislike the most in this world?

    If you disagree that it's going to be a hit, check out the 9 pages of posts on its bulletin boards.

    Also to note, there are posts on the bulletin [channel4.com] that this may be a hoax on the viewing public. Just relaying that speculation.
    • Most people wouldn't point and laugh at retarded kids, and the difference between them and these guys is only a matter of degree. How high an IQ does someone have to have before it's okay to mock them for being stupid?

  • For safety's sake... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:45PM (#14248649)
    I hope they brought an inanimate carbon rod.

  • the producers believe the players think this? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by frovingslosh ( 582462 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:45PM (#14248654)
    The lesson here is the same one as in the U.S. with Jay Leno's Tonight Show: You get to be on TV if you can act like you are really stupid.

  • *sigh* gravity generators (Score:3, Insightful)

    by luvirini ( 753157 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:46PM (#14248658)
    Seems indeed that many people are stupid.. if we could manipulate gravity.. would not likely need rocket engines..

    not to mention the fact that a TV show would not be first one to have them for real.. :)

  • yeat another oxymoron (Score:3)

    by plopez ( 54068 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:46PM (#14248660) Journal
    Reality television. 'nuff said...

  • Heavy, man! (Score:5, Funny)

    by oddaddresstrap ( 702574 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:47PM (#14248674)
    "They aren't experiencing weightlessnes due to ... a few under-floor gravity generators." - "gravity generators" like, for instance, the EARTH?

    • Re:Heavy, man! (Score:3, Funny)

      by MROD ( 101561 )
      Nah, everyone knows that Star Trek is real and that all space ships and space stations have gravity plating under the desk plating. It must be true, it's on the telly!

      Of course this will mean that to survive the contestants will have to use the ParticleOfTheWeek to thwart the danger. eg. The quantum bozo-on emissions will need to be deflected using the primary communication array, or somesuch.

    • Re:Heavy, man! (Score:3, Funny)

      by po8 ( 187055 )

      That, and of course they were wearing the famous heavy boots [milk.com].

  • "...rather than outer space where the wightlessnes is"

    News for Nerds? I think you can safely assume that the Slashdot crowd understand where wightlessness occurs.
  • It shows just how gullible people can be.

    For example, in order to explain why when they go into space yet experience gravity and no above normal g-force on take off. They were given a talk on the "artificial gravity generators" which give the shuttle an artificial gravity, despite breaking the laws of physics.

    The amazing thing is they not only bought that up but everything else, it shows just how gullible (and poorly educated, guess it says lots about the education system) people are.
  • To prevent the contestants catching on to the obvious inconsistencies, they've had to discount anyone with military training, physics education and anyone with even a cursory interest in space science.
    It's basically taking the thickest 3 people they could find - I'd be suprised if any of the contestants even had any A-levels.
    Either that or the most gullible 3 people they could find, who, blinded by their desire to become famous, are willing to believe anything, however nonsensical it sounds, just to get o
    • Where do channel 4 get the idea that this is good entertainment?

      From their ratings.

      And keep in mind, "good entertainment" means "profitable." And there are two ways to increase profit. The first is to increase revenue. The second is to reduce production cost. Reality shows are dirt cheap to make.
    • I do wonder how they explained away the huge smoke cloud visible across large swathes of England at the moment though.

      Probably sidestepped the entire issue by filtering out that little bit of news entirely.

  • again? (Score:5, Funny)

    by gfanboy ( 937770 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:52PM (#14248751)
    I wonder if this is how they faked the original Apollo moon landing?

  • How to find people that gullible (Score:5, Informative)

    by n0mad6 ( 668307 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:53PM (#14248755)
    For other Americans like myself who don't get to watch the show and are wondering just how they found enough people that stupid to fall for this, Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] had some of the answers:

    In order for the hoax to stand a realistic chance of succeeding, the Cadets would have to remain unaware of the true nature of the show, even given any production mistakes and implausible explanations. As such, a strict set of criteria were applied to filter out inappropriate applicants:

    • Eliminating anyone who had ever served in the armed forces, or who already had a significant interest in space travel or science fiction.
    • Psychological tests used to single out the highly suggestible and those who would conform to groupthink
    • Physiological tests to determine claustrophobia, including being in restraining jackets and trapped in a full lift
    • Being asked to dance blindfolded, without music, and with others watching, to gauge inhibition levels
    • Asking the candidates to nominate a friend or relative they trusted implicitly, to make a vital and important decision for them. These friends or relatives were contacted, and fully let in on the hoax, and given the final say of whether or not the Cadet should be included

    The intention was to obtain a group of Cadets who were highly gullible, conformist, and ignorant about the show's subject matter; and also ideally suited to appearing in a Reality TV show (e.g. uninhibited extroverts, "wacky personalities", or characters otherwise able to capture the public interest).

  • From the article:

    "(rather than outer space where the wightlessnes is)"

    You came real close to spelling "weightless" as "witless"

    I'm just sayin'
  • Gravity generators? Why bother, why not just give them Heavy Boots [milk.com] to wear?

  • The joke is on all of you. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ashitaka ( 27544 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @01:59PM (#14248813) Homepage
    Of course the "astronauts" know it's just a show.

    Of course they know they're not in space.

    What you are witnessing is the first real reality show backlash. The TV programmers have figured out that there are enough gullible people in the world who watch and believe these shows that they can hire a basically competant series of actors who go through the motions of a reality series. Come on, they've been able to study the reactions of reality show participants for months if not years.

    The real "participants" in this series are the audience who laugh at "players" they think are stupid enough to believe what they are going through and post messages on blogs and sites like Slashdot being so witty about America not being the only stupid country. The producers can then show all these blogs and the reactions of audience members who they've interviewed before revealing the that the joke is on them.

  • Who gets voted into space? (Score:4, Funny)

    by gelfling ( 6534 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:01PM (#14248836) Homepage Journal
    Sorry, 19 year old TV middle-ish attractive chick who whines alot. We've decided that for the greater good you have to bail. You can take it two ways. Either with a helmet where you slowly run out of air or no helmet and it's quick. Your call.

    Now that I would watch. What are the 5 stages of reality TV grief?

    Begging
    Figthing
    Urinating
    Yet more drama
    Hugging
    Wins a car

  • Gravity generators. Uhh huh. (Score:5, Funny)

    by RomulusNR ( 29439 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:02PM (#14248853) Homepage
    Dammit, if I wanted to watch idiots being fooled by a large corporation, couldn't I just go to the mall?

  • The best episode (Score:3, Funny)

    by Solr_Flare ( 844465 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:04PM (#14248880)
    Will be the one where one of the tourists gets ejected into space but manages to hold his breath long enough to make it back inside. Also, thankfully, the gravity generators work outside the ship.

  • Wow! (Score:4, Informative)

    by Quiet_Desperation ( 858215 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:06PM (#14248900)
    They aren't experiencing weightlessnes due to a combination of being in a low orbit (rather than outer space where the wightlessnes is)

    No. Gravity is everywhere. The "weightlessness" is an artifact of being in an orbit. The Earth is pulling you down, but you are also moving perpendicular to the Earth's surface, so the ground falls away from you with the curve of the Earth. It's free fall. You just fall continuously over the horizon. It's falling with style, to quote Buzz Lightyear. ;-)

    Build a stationary tower with it's top floor at the level of a space orbit, and you'll just feel the Earth's gravity.

    That's how the shuttle gets back down. They do a burn to cut their velocity and start falling toward the Earth instead of over the horizon. Such is the way of all orbits. Move faster to get to a higher orbit. Move slower to get to a lower orbit.

    • Re:Wow! (Score:5, Informative)

      by merlin_jim ( 302773 ) <James@McCracken.stratapult@com> on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:44PM (#14249306)
      Build a stationary tower with it's top floor at the level of a space orbit, and you'll just feel the Earth's gravity.

      Actually, not true. As you move away from the center of the earth, the speed of a circular free falling orbit approaches ground speed of the earth's rotation.

      Space elevators capitalise on this. So do geosynchronous sattelites.

      If you built a stationary tower on the equator and the top floor was at GEO, you would be weightless. In fact, when they build such a thing, it will be a bit higher than that; higher than GEO and you experience acceleration AWAY from earth. The space elevator will capitalise on this, using tension to hold the elevator in balance (rather than resting on the crust of the earth)

      If you built such a tower anywhere else on earth you would experience precession directly - the only force you would feel would be due to the fact that your orbit isn't circular - your "weight" would no longer be attracted to the earth beneath your feet, but rather towards the equator.

      • Re:Wow! (Score:4, Informative)

        by yo303 ( 558777 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @05:40PM (#14251333)
        Build a stationary tower with it's top floor at the level of a space orbit, and you'll just feel the Earth's gravity.

        Actually, not true.
        The GP is correct.

        If you built a tower at LEO (low earth orbit) and stood at the top you would definitely feel gravity... pretty much the same gravity as on the surface, as you are not that much higher up, compared to the Earth's radius.

        It is only if you built a tower to the height of a geosynchronous orbit (far, far higher) that you would feel weightless. And this is only because the (apparent, I know) centrifugal force of the rotation of the earth. On a non-rotating earth, you could never build a tower high enough to escape Earth's gravity.

        Or put another way, on one of the Earth's poles you could never build a tower high enough to escape Earth's gravity. Even one the height of a geosynchronous orbit.

        yo.

    • Re:Wow! (Score:3, Informative)

      by swiftstream ( 782211 )
      Actually, assuming a circular orbit, you have to move faster when you are in a lower orbit, while a higher orbit is slower.

      See e.g. http://www.freemars.org/jeff/speed/ [freemars.org]

  • "low orbit" (Score:5, Funny)

    by Digital_Quartz ( 75366 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:08PM (#14248916) Homepage
    low orbit (rather than outer space where the wightlessnes is)

    It's a little known fact, but this is why things always fall off the bottom of the moon.

  • Better idea (Score:5, Funny)

    by Quiet_Desperation ( 858215 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:09PM (#14248929)
    Can they be voted out the airlock? I'd pay to watch that.

  • Are they really that stupid? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:10PM (#14248945)
    Everybody seems to think that these people are really stupid. But firstly, I think people on slashdot are into technology, and therefore know what is and isn't possible. Also, these people have no reason not to believe the producers aren't telling them the truth. The Milgram Experiment [wikipedia.org] show that people will do stuff that they don't want to do, just because some guy in a white suit says that they should. I believe this shows that people are going to believe the guy in the white suit, even if what he says is a little far fetched.

  • Double Hoax (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Guysmiley777 ( 880063 ) on Tuesday December 13, 2005 @02:18PM (#14249014)
    The conspiracy theory is that the "cadets" know the show is fake, and the hoax is actually on the audience. It seems hard to believe that 3 people could really be this gullible, but I suppose if they're carefully fed information, who knows...

  • in front of their televisions, watching "reality tv."

Slashdot Top Deals

You know you've landed gear-up when it takes full power to taxi.

Close