RadioShack To Co-Sponsor Lunar Mission

IntelliTubbie writes: "In an 'unorthodox form of brand sponsorship,' RadioShack is teaming up with LunaCorp, a Virginia-based space exploration startup. The goal: put a robotic rover on the moon featuring the RadioShack logo. Artist's renderings of the monstrosity can be seen at LunaCorp's web site. We're one step closer to the eerie predictions in 'Fight Club': The IBM Stellar Sphere. Planet Starbucks. Yikes." Unfortunately the robot will be powered by a TRS-80 ModelII, requiring 14 extra tons of propellant (grin). More coverage can be found at Yahoo! and discovery.com; CMU is creating the H₂O-seeking robot for the mission. (More.)

And on a related note for anyone interested in going to the moon in the relatively near future, MrScience writes: "I just received a link for this job in my mailbox from Guru.com, a pretty decent headhunter website. They are looking for a Financial Analyst to evaluate the NASA Academy, and "The end result will be a recommendation that the program either *is* or *is not* beneficial, and the specific reasons to justify such a conclusion. This report will then go before the NASA Administrator to justify the existence (or removal) of the program." I grew up dreaming of going to this, who wouldn't after seeing SpaceCamp?" Pound foolish, anyone?

Comments

This isn't as bad as one might think

[DranoK]

Please read the articles if you haven't already.

This isn't like the sole purpose of this "monstrosity" it to gain advertising for Radio Shack. Radio Shack is helping fund a commercial company for their projects. When you think about it, this is a good idea.

Commercialization, unfortunately, is one of the best ways to continue funding space research etc. Personally, I think some of the major advances in space technology will come from the commercial sector, as they have the potential to have a very large budget (as well as actually make money off their work some day). Radio Shack is donating a lot of money for this company's research. Why is it so wrong they want to be acknowledged for that? Why would Radio Shack fund them if they can't put their logo on it? Or brag about being it's sponsor? No corporate sponsor is going to donate a large sum of money totally anonymously.

And if logos are so bad anyhow, why don't we get rid of all the NASA ones on the space shuttles? God forbid that they advertise... ;)

Peace,
DranoK



That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange eons even death may die.