Publicists have screamed that the sky is falling, but this week it's true. As of press time, the 143-ton Russian space outpost Mir is scheduled to fall to Earth on Friday,
March 23. Among capitalists capitalizing on the Mir's descent is a Web site selling "I survived the Mir crash" T-shirts and a Sausalito, Calif.-based company offering a "Mir
Expedition" to watch the crash at the low, low price of $5,000 to $10,000 a head. But the best buzz award goes to Taco Bell, which announced that if Mir hits a giant logo afloat
in the South Pacific it will buy everyone in the U.S. a taco. And they've even bought insurance to help defray the cost (can falling-satellite insurance be expensive?)
Taco Bell's publicity was picked up by The New York Times and The Washington Post. When Taco Bell CEO Emil Brolick plugged the promotion on
Wednesday's "Today," Katie Couric challenged Brolick saying the floating target is some 5,000 miles away from the predicted crash site. Brolick solemnly reaffirmed his hope that
the Mir will hit spot-on. That's the kind of out-of-this-world optimism that makes PR great.