"BANGKOK — Most people outside of Asia are unfamiliar with Pocari Sweat, a Japanese sports drink that tastes like Gatorade and resembles, well, sweat.
"That might change when Pocari Sweat becomes the first product advertised on the surface of the moon.
"In the latter half of 2016, an American firm devoted to space exploration, Space X, plans to land a rover on the moon. Among the rover’s cargo: a can of Pocari Sweat, which will be left on a lunar plain near a giant crater named Bürg.
"The goal, as stated by Pocari Sweat, is for a modern-day child to someday become an astronaut and eventually drink its contents."
That’s a little obscure. I am more interested in Space X actually sending a rover to the moon. I thought they were having difficulties making a reusable shuttle to the ISS, let alone a lunar module.
Space X had several successful missions to ISS before the recent failure. Apparently, a two-foot internal strut collapsed, causing failure of the second stage. However, Space X remains set to conduct more launches this year.
The lander and rover are made by another company, Astrobotic Technology.
Eh, so they leave a minuscule artifact there. Apollo program left descent stages and rovers behind, to say nothing of the other probes. It’s not like they’re going to etch the surface of the moon with a giant corporate logo or something truly obnoxious.