Capitalists in Space

First paragraph: On the 12th of June 2008, an advert for ‘Doritos’, a flavoured corn chip snack, was broadcast from the EISCAT Space Centre in Svalbard, in the Arctic Ocean. Doritos are manufactured by the Frito-Lay Company of Plano, Texas, which is owned by PepsiCo Incorporated. In 2007, PepsiCo and its various subsidiaries delivered an operating profit of $8,025 million on a turnover of $39,474 million. The advert was aimed at a solar system 42 light years away orbiting the star 47 Ursae Majoris, in the constellation of the Plough. Dr Darren Wright, of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester claimed that: There could be potential commercial interest in enterprises like this. Imagine one day that companies on Earth might wish to advertise to other planetary colonies within our solar system – for example if man ever moves to colonise Mars! (Press Release 2008) Imagine, one day . . .