TORONTO (July 28, 2016) – Reaching more than 1.8 million viewers each week and winning its timeslot among Canadian entertainment specialty channels last season, Discovery’s flagship daily magazine program DAILY PLANET goes where no one else dares, kicking off an incredible 22^nd season with “Boldly Go Week”, airing Monday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Running with game changers and science daredevils, co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin boldly venture to extreme places on Earth, in space, and back in time to witness cutting edge science, revisit sci-fi visionaries, and meet people who literally shake the Earth when they move.

During “Boldly Go Week”, DAILY PLANET takes viewers on a wild ride, from the only place in the world where divers can go directly between two continental plates, to the world’s first-ever musical concert inside a volcano. The series also uncovers the superhuman strength of GAME OF THRONES’ Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson as “The Mountain” contends for the title of Iceland’s Strongest Man.

Adding to the adventure-filled week, DAILY PLANET commemorates  STAR TREK’s 50^th anniversary during “Boldly Go Week”. Tong and Riskin explore the bold visions of the future that germinated from the STAR TREK franchise, while meeting big thinkers trying to bring those ideas to life. The theme week leads into Discovery’s premiere of the original Canadian special BUILDING STAR TREK (Sunday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT). Marking the 50^th anniversary of the iconic series, and following the announcement of Bell Media’s licensing agreement for rights to STAR TREK: EXPLORER and the STAR TREK library in Canada, the hour-long BUILDING STAR TREK tracks the restoration of the original Starship Enterprise model and the unprecedented search for every remaining original part from the original 1966 TV show.

Subscribers can access live streaming of DAILY PLANET through the Discovery GO app, and catch up on past episodes on demand on the Discovery GO app and at Discovery.ca.

**Media Note** Photography for DAILY PLANET available online at BellMediaPR.ca.

Highlights from DAILY PLANET’s “Boldy Go Week” include:

“USS Enterprise”

Some people are passionate, lifelong STAR TREK fans…but Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, Curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, takes it even further. Weitekamp not only loves the franchise, she has her hands on the only original USS Enterprise model used in the making of the STAR TREK television series. As lead curator at the Smithsonian Museum, Weitekamp ensures it remains in shipshape for public viewing.  However, between the cracking of the hull and pressure to make it perfectly accurate before the big reveal, Weitekamp suffers sleepless nights. DAILY PLANET is at the Smithsonian Museum for the debut of the refurbished iconic STAR TREK starship.

“Copenhagen Suborbitals Launch”

What happens when 50 geeks with a passion for space and a Burger King cash register come together? The world’s first amateur space program is born. The Nexo I is the first fully-guided and liquid-fuelled rocket built by the group. Launching from a sailing platform in the Baltic Sea east of Denmark, the rocket will hurtle up to 10 kilometres in the air before landing in the ocean by parachute. During the launch, the group test the previously manual and now remote pressurization system along with the parachute. The entire mission, including launch and parachute deployment, is controlled by a computer that’s been refurbished from its previous life as a Burger King cash register. The maiden flight is the first step in the rocket’s eventual space-bound journey, and DAILY PLANET has a front-row seat on the speedboat housing the control console.

“Silfra Dive”

Silfra in Iceland is a mecca for divers. It's the only place in the world where people can dive in the crack between two continental plates, made deeper and wider with each earthquake, boulder, or rockslide. For freediver Birgir Skulason, it's his playground. DAILY PLANET dives alongside Skulason as he investigates this spectacular opening in the frigid Arctic waters.

“The Mountain”

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, better known to GAME OF THRONES fans as "The Mountain" or Sir Gregor Clegane, is trying to reclaim the title of Iceland’s Strongest Man. From giant boulders to insanely heavy deadlifts, contenders heave and hoist items during the course of two grueling days. DAILY PLANET is there as “The Mountain” vies for a second title.

“Inside the Volcano VR”

Iceland's Secret Solstice music festival is holding the world’s first-ever public performance inside the magma chamber of a volcano. It’s here in this subterranean volcanic chamber that 20 guests are treated to a world-first concert of a lifetime, headlined by Radiohead. DAILY PLANET follows the team underground into the cavernous, catherdral-like space, attempting to capture this unbelievable concert experience with a custom virtual reality camera rig.

“DLR Drone Car Landing”

What goes up must come down. A case in point is the unmanned, electric-powered autonomous aircraft that researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) have developed. Is it capable of landing on a moving car? DAILY PLANET rides alongside DLR researcher Tin Muskardin as he tests the vision and guidance system in search of the answer.

“Orion Test Dummies”

For the first time ever, test dummies have been suited up and strapped into NASA’s Orion Spacecraft, only to be plunged in a giant pool of water. The Orion capsule's first manned mission isn't scheduled to take off until at least 2023, but preparations are already underway. DAILY PLANET visits NASA as scientists evaluate the spacecraft’s behaviour when landing in different wind conditions and wave heights.

“Perlan II Test Flight”

Jim Payne is the brave pilot of Perlan II, a glider that is essentially a spacecraft with a 25-metre wingspan built to soar to the edge of space. The project's goal is to set an altitude record for an unpowered craft of 27,400 metres in the frigid temperatures at the edge of space (-57 C) – conditions similar to those found on Mars. DAILY PLANET meets with Payne and the team in Nevada as they set their sights higher than ever before, gradually pushing the limits of the glider to pursue technologies that might one day lead to passenger flights in space.

Source: Numeris, 8/31/2015-7/17/2016; P2+ reach across all airings; A25-54 and A18-49 audience Monday to Friday 7 p.m. ET timeslot.

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