Pepsi Says It'll Use an Artificial Constellation, Hung in the Night Sky Next To the Stars, To Promote an Energy Drink (futurism.com)

A Russian company called StartRocket says it's going to launch a cluster of cubesats into space that will act as an "orbital billboard," projecting enormous advertisements into the night sky like artificial constellations. And its first client, it says, will be PepsiCo -- which will use the system to promote a "campaign against stereotypes and unjustified prejudices against gamers" on behalf of an energy drink called Adrenaline Rush, reports Futurism. From the report: Yeah, the project sounds like an elaborate prank. But Russian PepsiCo spokesperson Olga Mangova confirmed to Futurism that the collaboration is real. "We believe in StartRocket potential," she wrote in an email. "Orbital billboards are the revolution on the market of communications. That's why on behalf of Adrenaline Rush -- PepsiCo Russia energy non-alcoholic drink, which is brand innovator, and supports everything new, and non-standard -- we agreed on this partnership."

Comments

No. Just no.

[xSander]

Go away. Don't pollute our beautiful skies like that.

Re:No. Just no.

[Oswald McWeany]

If they do this, I promise never ever to buy anything from Pepsi corporation again.

Not just polluting the view for everyone in the planet, they would also add more of pointless pace junk which can break useful satellites and therefore harm navigation, communication and scientific research.

I would join you in the boycott... if I bought anything from Pepsi in the first place. I don't drink soda, or lipton; I almost never eat fast food, so me boycotting KFC and TacoBell, and any other Pepsi owned chains over this won't help.

I will however sign any petition over banning this, and write to my local representatives asking they put a stop to this if this comes to fruition. This may be a harmless one-off for them, but if it is successful and other companies follow suit the night sky could quickly become a trashland of light pollution... I don't want to start down that trail.

Re:No. Just no.

[SumDog]

Chair Face Chip-n-Dale!

Re:No. Just no.

[PackMan97]

Except that Libertarian principles do not say "do whatever you want". Many libertarians are strong environmentalists and believe the principle of non-aggression applies to spewing out unwanted particulates, sound or light (all forms of pollution) is a form of aggression and therefore prohibited. Certainly putting obtrusive displays in the night sky for all to see would fall under that and be prohibited as a form or pollution in any libertarian utopia.

Re:No. Just no.

[squiggleslash]

Many libertarians are strong environmentalists and believe the principle of non-aggression applies to spewing out unwanted particulates, sound or light (all forms of pollution) is a form of aggression and therefore prohibited

But most aren't. Try mentioning externalities in a Libertarian forum and you'll usually suffer derision and ridicule. Look at libertarian lobbying groups and forums like Reason and their attitude towards, for example, global warming.

Now, I'm glad _you_ see the light on this, and I like your argument, it makes logical sense and would fit within the proto-libertarian ideology if such a thing were thrashed out into a coherent block. But in practice, environmentalism is seen as this thing the government would have to be involved in, that restricts people from doing what they want. Not hard to see why the people who are attracted to libertarianism reject the logic when it goes in that direction.

Astronomer Boycott

[pefisher]

This might not go over as well as they think. People are kind of tired of corporations thinking they own everything. I can imagine children interested in science finding it offensive rather that cool. Pepsi has a lot of different products that could be boycotted. I run a planetarium, and I can imagine the shows I could do on light pollution, having a great big orbting billboard to point to as an example of BAD. Right now, everybody has too many bright lights. Nobody's head stands head and shoulders above the rest as offensive. But when Pepsi puts their name on a billboard, I have a bad guy to memorialize forever. It'd be terrible, but it'd be great for Pepsi to bring a whole world of opinion down upon their head as enemies of the night sky.

Re:You can hear the Astronomers screaming

[Type44Q]

And on a personal note, if I ever needed a reason to boycott PepsiCo products, there it is.

Boycott every fucking thing they make just for thinking that this might be a good idea.

Re:You can hear the Astronomers screaming

[Opportunist]

That they consider something like that is enough.