Great news!
Please see the following release . . .
DISCOVERY SCIENCE LAUNCHES “COUNTDOWN TO ASTEROID DAY”
Do scientists know when an asteroid will strike? How much warning will you get if an asteroid is headed for your city? How frequently do asteroid impacts occur? To answer these questions and more, Discovery Science, the only global network dedicated entirely to the wonders of science, is partnering with Asteroid Day. Asteroid Day is a global awareness movement educating people on the hazards of asteroids and what we can do to protect ourselves from impacts such as the 2013 meteor strike in Russia. The first official Asteroid Day will take place on June 30, 2015, the anniversary of the 1908 Siberian Tunguska event, the largest asteroid impact on Earth in recent history.
To celebrate the 2015 Asteroid Day in Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA), the network is launching “Countdown to Asteroid Day,” a programming stunt running for 10 days leading up to the event, kicking off on the 20th of June. On Asteroid Day, Discovery Science will air its first ever scripted content, with the film 51 Degrees North and the premiere of Mission Asteroid, narrated by renowned director David Cronenberg.
Throughout the “Countdown to Asteroid Day,” Discovery Science will feature bespoke on-air packaging and Question & Answer break spots, with fascinating facts on asteroids, written by renowned astronauts and scientists. To top it all off, the channel will be launching a pan-European competition to find out how viewers would protect themselves from an asteroid strike.
Special programming line-up
To kickstart celebrations in the 10 days leading up to Asteroid Day (Saturday, June 20–Monday, June 29) Discovery Science will broadcast asteroid-themed programming for two hours a day, from 21:00 CET. On Asteroid Day, the channel will premiere Mission Asteroid (20:10 CET) and 51 Degrees North (21:00 CET), the first ever scripted content to be shown on Discovery Science, written and produced by Films United.
51 Degrees North
When Damon Miller, a talented young London filmmaker becomes involved in the disturbing research surrounding near-Earth objects, he stumbles onto the discovery that Earth stands on the brink of an extraterrestrial disaster.
Mission Asteroid
Killer asteroids are not just science fiction, the threat is real! Mission Asteroid tells the story of NASA's best and brightest and their efforts to conquer the asteroids that could destroy us but might also be the key to our survival. U.S. President Barack Obama boldly declared that NASA's next mission would be to near-Earth asteroids in deep space. The goal is ambitious and the stakes are high. To rise to the challenge, scientific leaders must commit themselves fully, sacrificing all else. If they fail, it could mean the annihilation of the planet.
Pan European Consumer Competition – A chance to appear on Discovery Science
As part of the Asteroid Day stunt, Discovery Science is launching a dedicated competition for viewers, asking them to upload videos or images describing how they would protect themselves from an asteroid hitting Earth. The contest is hosted on www.yourdiscoveryscience.com, and entries will be open from June 1–June 30, 2015.
Entries will be judged by a panel of experts, including rock legend Brian May from the band Queen; astronaut Rusty Schweickart, from the space mission Apollo 9; and the director of 51 Degrees North, Grigorij Richters. The winner of the competition will go on a private tour of the world’s biggest telescope in La Palma, Spain, and have the opportunity to appear on Discovery Science.
Follow David J. Eicher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/deicherstar.