Космические кадеты: Телевизионный обман

2005 British television programme
the 1997 game show hosted by Greg Proops

Space Cadets is a British television programme made by Zeppotron (a division of Endemol UK) for Channel 4. Presented by Johnny Vaughan, it was aired across ten consecutive nights beginning on 7 December 2005, with the final episode aired on the evening of 16 December 2005. The series was a hoax at the expense of its contestants, who were told they were being trained as cosmonauts at a Russian military base before undergoing a five day trip into low Earth orbit. In reality, the entire series was filmed in Suffolk, and the contestants did not leave Earth. The series was accompanied by a behind the scenes sister show Space Cadets: The Satellite Show, with interviews and phone ins.

The series described itself as the most elaborate hoax perpetrated in television history. The title is a reference to the slang phrase space cadet, meaning a person out of touch with reality. Participants had been told that they would be appearing in a programme titled Thrill Seekers, although a whiteboard in the 'barracks' had "Space Cadettes" [sic] written on it during one of the parties organised in the facility. A group of twelve contestants (who answered an advertisement looking for "thrill seekers") were selected to become the first British televised space tourists, including going to Russia to train as cosmonauts at the "Space Tourist Agency of Russia" (STAR) military base, with the series culminating in a group of four embarking on a five day space mission in low Earth orbit. The show and space mission contained aspects of reality TV, including hidden cameras, soundproofed 'video diary' rooms and group dormitories. However, the show was in fact an elaborate practical joke, described by Commissioning Editor Angela Jain as "Candid Camera live in space" and claimed by Channel 4 to have cost roughly £5 million. Unknown to the "space cadets", they were not in Russia at all, but at Bentwaters Parks (formerly RAF Bentwaters, a USAF airfield from 1951 to 1993) in Suffolk staffed by costumed actors, and the "space trip" was entirely fake, complete with a wooden "shuttle" and actor "pilots". The production crew went so far as to replace light switches and electrical outlets in the barracks with Russian standard, stock Bentwaters with Russian branded foods and toiletries for contestants to use, give smokers amongst the production crew Russian cigarettes to smoke in case any of the cadets discovered the butts, and employing people to clear the site of any British branded litter. although Channel 4 was reported as being 'not disappointed' and the figures were in line with that time slot, and 42% of the viewers were the crucial 16 to 34 year old segment. Early viewer reaction to the show contained disbelief that such an apparently outlandish joke could be pulled off (the show claimed that Neil Armstrong had offered to eat his astronaut helmet if the show was successful). Particularly questioned was how weightlessness, which would be present in a real space flight, would be handled on a ground based set. The Cadets were told that they would be in "near space" (as opposed to "outer space"), causing only a 30% loss of gravity, which was compensated by "gravity generators" built into the ship; this highly improbable explanation was believed.

The Space Cadets were initially assembled at Biggin Hill airfield, London, before being flown to Lydd on the south east coast of England. This air hop would normally take just 15 minutes, but thanks to a specially convoluted flight plan over the North Sea it lasted four hours. Upon arrival at Lydd the cadets were told they had reached Volgograd. The Cadets had been relieved of their watches prior to the flight to prevent them noticing the absent time difference. They were then transferred by helicopter to RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk, which they had been led to believe was the Space Tourism Academy of Russia (STAR) facility in the town of Krymsk.

During the four week period the Cadets were living on site; their barracks and the academy building where they received their training are situated within the wooded dispersal area, which is on the south west of the airbase.

The shuttle simulator was assembled in a soundproofed hangar which was constructed within RAF Bentwaters, c. 1991. The shuttle was given the name of Earth Orbiter 1 which was used as the spacecraft's call sign. The simulator was a wooden replica built by Wonderworks Inc. of Canoga Park, California for the film Deep Impact. The simulator also subsequently featured in Armageddon, Rocket's Red Glare, Space Cowboys and Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, as well as commercials for IBM and Slim Jims. As the Cadets spent five days inside the simulator, there was considerable attention and budget given to its plausibility, including extensive surround sound, pneumatic cushions, and a custom built projector screen to display CGI graphics of the Earth's surface. The hangar, called Hush House, is formed from insulated stainless steel walls and features an elaborate exhaust facility that enables the engines of jet aircraft such as the F 16 to be tested with minimal interruption to local residents and livestock. Hush House is situated south of the runway, towards the eastern edge of the site.

In total, the two programmes are together rumoured to have cost around £4.5m to produce, including prize payouts, the 6 month audition process, set making, staff salaries, and profits for Zeppotron. The high cost fuelled speculation and rumours about further shows and the possibility of the producers performing a double bluff in the future (Virgin Galactic is likely to offer initial space tourist flights for £100,000).

The show consistently raised the issue of how an immersive illusion can convince average people over a period of time, especially when reinforced as part of a group of believers – especially when this includes men in white coats and other authority figures. Outsiders (in this case, the viewers) see the hoax as laughable, yet 'inside' the Cadets have been slowly lulled into (as Vaughan stated) "what is, in effect, an alternative universe." Skelton, the actor Cadet on the 'mission', stated that it was easier to let himself believe the experience was genuine; trying to consciously remind himself of the hoax left him disorientated and "30% convinced, despite everything I know, that I am actually in space". Despite the fact that he was aware of the nature of the hoax, Skelton later stated that "for about a month (after the end of the show), I thought I was on camera all the time. I would wake up at night and think there were cameras in the corner of the room. It was quite disturbing". although he later explained he was recruited as an extra on location and was not a professional actor. Variations on this "conspiracy theory" included the actor Cadets being unaware of the hoax; that each Cadet believed themselves to be the only actor; or that the actors/Cadets believed the viewers thought the space mission was genuine. One conspiracy theory even went as far as to suggest a real trip into space could be awarded to one of the unsuspecting actor Cadets, possibly using a company like Virgin Galactic or Space Adventures for the prize. Once the programme reached its end these suspicions proved to be unfounded.