With billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos re-igniting interest in space exploration, VICE News is tapping into that enthusiasm with the launch of The New Space Race, a live Twitter show about the next frontier. Twenty-four-year-old nuclear physics prodigy Taylor Wilson will host the program, which follows the scientists at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab as they prepare for InSights historic Mars landing on Nov. 26. The 13-episode series concludes with a live broadcast of the Mars landing from inside Mission Control at JPL in Pasadena. The show airs at 2 pm Eastern on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, beginning on Oct. 16. “Weve been looking to do a formal live show for a while,” said ViceNews.com Editor-in-Chief Ryan McCarthy. “Weve been talking to Twitter for over a year about this.” Vice News is know for its live journalism, collecting an Emmy Award for its coverage of the white supremacist rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, N.C. A show about space gives Vice an opportunity to capitalize on the avid online interest in space exploration thats been sparked by private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin and their race to offer commercial manned space fight. “Theres a ton of internet interest,” said McCarthy, noting that Twitter shared data indicating that there were 25 million tweets in the last year related to space and astronomy. “Theres a big natural audience for this stuff.” Wilson seemed the ideal host. He rose to international prominence in 2008 when he became the youngest person in history to produce nuclear fusion at just 14 years old —in his parents garage in Arkansas. “He happens to be really interested in space,” said McCarthy. Wilson will interview the heavyweights in space exploration — from NASA to private startups like Lander and Vector Launch. Produced segments will give viewers a sense of what its like to try on a space suit or watch a rocket engine test. Twitter users can also submit questions, adding an interactive element.
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