"We come in peace, and bring beer!": How Budweiser could be about to reignite the space race
While officials stress that nothing has been finalized, the idea could mark a giant cultural leap for the space agency.
Jim Bridenstine, the disruptive new NASA administrator, is looking to boost the space agency's brand by allowing its astronauts to appear in commercials and product boxes like celebrity athletes and by selling naming rights to outgoing spacecraft.
While Bridenstine's plan could mark a monumental cultural leap for the government agency, it could run into ethics regulations that prevent government officials from profiting off their public office, according to The Washington Post. However, officials insist that nothing has been finalized as yet.
NASA has always been wary of appearing to favor any particular corporate brand. They went so far as to call the M&Ms astronauts pop in space “candy-coated chocolates”.