Great Moments in Space Entrepreneurship: "Shadow Advertising" on the Moon

Bill Flanigen | July 22, 2009

Other blogs have noticed the dubious, Dr. Evil-ish proposal to carve advertisements into the surface dust of the moon. During the moon's partial phases, the advertisements would be visible from Earth:

If you're interested, the logo of your choice could go lunar for as little as the minimum $46,000 bid. (Hurry! Bidding started two days ago.)

Dig a little deeper into the website for "Moon Publicity, LLC," and you'll see that they've put some thought into the longer-term implications of scraping the Nike Swish into the Sea of Tranquility. Specifically, it will save us all from the coming mass extinction:

Space travel is more than just footprints and flags; it is vital to our survival. Just as we back up hard drives in case they crash, we need to back up mankind on other worlds.

Who will do it? Governments? Forty years ago man walked on the Moon. Where have we walked since? It is time that we find a way. Creating images on the Moon provides a commercial incentive for turbo charging space travel technology. Shadows are only the beginning. These advancements will eventually place robots on other worlds building space stations and planting crops.

The full Moon will always be the same. Shadow Shaping only works during partial phases of the Moon using shadows that blend with its natural beauty. If shadows form a logo during a quarter moon, it will be a small price to pay for saving mankind.

It's almost enough to bring a tear to the eye, isn't it? Carve away, gentle heroes. Carve away.

In Reason, Ron Bailey recently wrote about going back to the moon, and how it won't be permanent until it's profitable.

Comments

Paul|7.22.09 @ 5:56PM|#

These people are getting an environmental impact statement before displacing that much lunar soil, right?

EJM|7.22.09 @ 6:00PM|#

Space travel is more than just footprints and flags...

...it's also a Yellowcard song.

24AheadDotCom|7.22.09 @ 6:01PM|#

Another brilliant libertarian idea to PrivatizeTheProfits and SocializeTheCosts. At least it's not as destructive as the libertarian support for global warming.

Jim Anderson|7.22.09 @ 6:02PM|#

Sounds hoaxy.

|7.22.09 @ 6:03PM|#

didn't the UN ban that sorta thing even before the Apollo missions, something about the moon being for all mankind? maybe the blue helmets will send some space robots to do battle with the advert robots. that would be bitchin.

|7.22.09 @ 6:08PM|#

Jim,

Very hoaxy, indeed. Pretty funny though. Great Adbusters bait.

kilroy|7.22.09 @ 6:09PM|#

I'll do the honours.

STFU, Lonewacko.

EJM|7.22.09 @ 6:15PM|#

...maybe the blue helmets will send some space robots to do battle with the advert robots...

Might it turn out to be something like this (except for the part about robots)?

Obamaphile|7.22.09 @ 6:16PM|#

Maybe we can get a likeness of The Obama carved into the moon in time for 2012. That would be cool.

|7.22.09 @ 6:28PM|#

Obamaphile - thanks. i just vomitted on my laptop.

|7.22.09 @ 6:31PM|#

Obamaphile - that is actually part of the plot of one of Jack Vance's classic "Demon Princes" novels (The Face).

Needless to say, the guy whose face was to be carved onto a moon was one of the Demon Princes, a galactic gangster/villain.

|7.22.09 @ 6:56PM|#

I'm picturing a smallish penis on the quarter moon becoming a huge penis at the half moon with the word Enzyte next to it.

|7.22.09 @ 6:58PM|#

Environmentalists will say that shadowing the moon will cause massive Moth die outs and possible extinction.

|7.22.09 @ 7:02PM|#

didn't the UN ban that sorta thing even before the Apollo missions, something about the moon being for all mankind? maybe the blue helmets will send some space robots to do battle with the advert robots. that would be bitchin.


Looking at Africa and seeing how it is actually worse today then it was 20 years ago my money would be on the advert bots winning that battle.

|7.22.09 @ 7:07PM|#

24Ahead, I don't understand how this is socializing costs, can you expand on that statement?

24AheadDotCom|7.22.09 @ 7:59PM|#

Well, because they didn't develop this technology all by themselves but - like Tang - they used the research on which we've collectively spent billions and billions. Assuming it's not a joke, of course. I've actually wanted to conduct a similar, earth-bound and earthy joke for a while now but don't have the time.

P.S. Now I'm angry: I was banned by Rick Moran!

Franklin Harris|7.22.09 @ 8:20PM|#

Cobra Commander and Chairface Chippendale both tried this already.

|7.22.09 @ 10:07PM|#

If I ever get rich (that'll never happen if Obama has anything to say about it) I'm gonna bid on that a get a giant ass put on the moon. Why? Because I can.

|7.22.09 @ 11:54PM|#

Please oh please let it be Nike. I will buy your shoes forever. My ex-wife hates nike.

Syd Henderson|7.23.09 @ 1:33AM|#

I'd settle for having a sphinx with my face.

ed|7.23.09 @ 10:42AM|#

It's been done.

|7.23.09 @ 12:41PM|#

"Well, because they didn't develop this technology all by themselves but - like Tang - they used the research on which we've collectively spent billions and billions."

Wouldn't this throw into question all scientific achievement since the discovery that fire is hot? All scientific discoveries and advancements have been built on the work of those who came before us. Besides, isn't some of the money that was stolen (taxed) to pay for any possible research that this company may be using (I still haven't found any evidence that they are even using technology developed by a government) also taken from the people who own and work at this company? Can't NASA get patents for their breakthroughs and then force this company to pay them to use that information? I still don't see the point you are trying to make.

GILMORE|7.23.09 @ 4:33PM|#

What would be the best moon-billboard?

"Rest Stop Next 500 Light Years"?

|7.24.09 @ 8:13AM|#

"The Man Who Sold the Moon". Heinlein. Been there; done that a half century ago...

Sad no one else beat me to that...