The Discovery was returned safely the following June. Being curious and excited about the fact that my model was to appear in a TV show, I kept in touch via email with Allan Butler, the producer. He agreed to keep me updated on the progress of the shooting and then the long and arduous editing process.

    In April, 2002 I read an article detailing how, because viewers are not very interested in seeing program credits, The Discovery Channel was going to eliminate program credits altogether for all of their channels, TLC and the Science Channel included, making them available only to those interested in viewing them online. I shot an email to the guys at the Discovery Channel.
 

Subject: TV Program Closing Credits Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 11:05:12 -0400 From: Alan Nadel noodle@whotheheckareyou.com To: viewer_relations@discovery.com Hello I have just finished reading the Associated Press' recent article about the Discovery Channel looking to eliminate the closing credits completely from programs. I found the article both frustrating and infuriating. I read that you (and other networks) believe that viewers are not interested in closing credits and tend to change channels when they roll. Has anyone looked into why this is so? In recent years, networks have squeezed the credits and sped them up to the point of being unreadable only so they can hawk the video of the show just seen or show a loud and intrusive promo for another show. It's you who have made closing credits irrelevant. There are many of us, despite what you may believe who do enjoy reading closing credits. I really don't believe however, that anyone will go to the Discovery.com website just to look for program credits. I recently did some work for the Cronkite-Ward Company for an upcoming program for TLC (The Great Books: 2001: A Space Odyssey). I, as well as others who worked on this project, was not offered any money for my work, nor am I getting any. My sole reward for helping out with this documentary was expected to be screen credit. This, in turn would hopefully help me to find subsequent work in the field of film and television. Please reconsider this decision. There are many of us who enjoy closing credits and depend on them for our livelihoods. Thank you Alan Nadel

    It doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to see that I was a little dismayed at the possible loss of my 15-minutes of fame. Maybe I came off as a little angry. I expected that at most, the email allowed me to blow off a little steam. I really didn't expect any response. To my surprise, I received a reply from the Discovery Channel's Viewer Relations department about a month later.
 

Subject: Regarding removal of credits Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 16:08:41 -0400 From: viewer_relations@discovery.com To: Alan Nadel <noodle@bogusisp.com> Dear Viewer: Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our discussion of credits at the end of programs. Your feedback is important to us and we value the comments of all our viewers on this issue. Over the past few months, we've talked with our production partners about end-of-show credits and how they meet their business needs. As a result of these discussions, Discovery Networks decided to give our production partners a choice about how to run credits at the end of their programs. A specific number of credits that run at the beginning of the program; Production company logo at the end of the program; Web support including an on-air throw at the end of the program to a complete list of credits on the web (discovery.com/credits) and links to the Production Company’s web site. The web support is at Discovery Networks' cost, and the credits for specific programming will live on the site for approximately 6 months after each program airs; and, "Special thanks" messages as needed on air. This new, innovative option is designed to help our production partners develop new business and help us meet the needs of our viewers. Most of our production partners have been enthusiastic about changing the way we run credits at the end of shows. Our producers and our viewers are our most valuable allies in this process, so we appreciate your feedback. Thank you again for contacting us. A reply to this message is not necessary. For more information about schedules and programming check our website, www.discovery.com. If you have any further inquiries or comments, please contact us via our webform at http://extweb.discovery.com/ViewerRelations. Thank you again for expressing your interest in our programming. Sincerely, Viewer Relations

    More than I expected but, still, little more than a form letter - a long version of the "Excellent question. Thank you for asking" answer. It was obvious that "production partners" was simply a euphemism for the sponsors who would run the ads replacing the show's closing credits. I could only wait and see what would happen.

    Finally I recieved an email from Allan telling me that the production was in the final phases and asking me to verify the correct spelling of my last name for the closing credits. Two weeks after a speedy reply, I recieved another email from Allan asking the same thing. I quickly replied that my last name is spelled "N-A-D-E-L." (For a time after I had shipped the model to him he had a tendency to misspell my last name as "N-A-D-L-E.") This was in October of 2002. It was a few months later that I had heard from Allan that the show was finished. It would be just a matter of time before the show would be sold to The Discovery Channel and would be aired on The Learning Channel.

Showtime
 

The show, "Mission Control - 2OO1: A Space Odyssey" finally aired on Discovery's Science Channel in July, 2004. I was impressed at the production quality of the program. Narrated by William Shatner, the show had interview footage with many people who worked on the film including Arthur C Clarke. As the producers had secured the rights to actual footage from the film, there was no need to shoot any of the models on loan in front of a green screen as originally intended. The show did however, include scenes with actors portraying Kubrick and Clarke sitting at a table furiously trying to assemble their many ideas into the groundbreaking novel and film that 2OO1: A Space Odyssey would become. On the table was an old manual typewriter and an assortment of models of the many spaceships that would be depicted in the film. Stretched across the middle of the table was Discovery.