The Atlantic

NASA's Space Probes Shouldn't Be Tacky Billboards

Apollo, Voyager, Hubble … The Dorito?
Source: NASA

The year is 2043. A skyscraper-tall rocket sits atop a launchpad. The engines ignite with a roar. The rocket lurches upward, climbing higher and higher until it leaves Earth’s atmosphere. In space, the nose of the rocket breaks open and releases its payload. It’s the most powerful space telescope in history, built by NASA to photograph Earth-like exoplanets orbiting stars like our own. The technology is so advanced that the telescope can detect shapes of oceans, clusters of vegetation, and peaks of volcanoes.

The telescope unfurls its mirrors. Its name is emblazoned in large, silvery letters across its side: the Budweiser

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