Related Resources • Taco Bell Press Release • Free Stuff Hoaxes

From Other Guides • Farewell to Mir • Mir's Re-entry • Mir Crash on the Web • Mir's Final Chapter • Mir Hits The Web (Softly) • Make your own Tacos

Elsewhere on the Web • Taco Bell

UPDATE 3/23/01: Unfortunately, Mir missed the target and we didn't get our free tacos. It seems that the Taco Bell story was not the only Internet Hype surrounding the event. You can read more in an article from our Net Culture Guide.

Taco Bell wants to give everyone in the United States a free taco. The only catch is, they will only do it if the core of the Mir space station hits a 40 foot by 40 foot target they have placed in the South Pacific off the coast of Australia. This may sound like one of those free stuff hoaxes, I reported on earlier, but this one is for real.

We are talking a mighty big longshot here. Taco Bell is not taking any chances though. They have purchased an insurance policy to cover the cost of the promotion in the event that Mir actually does land on their target.

Either way, Taco Bell is the winner in this target shoot. You can't buy the amount of publicity that this kind of story generates. And if Mir splashes down on that little 1,600 square foot bullseye, their insurance company picks up the lunch tab for a couple hundred million people who will never forget that free taco. Not a bad deal for Taco Bell.

According to the press release, if Mir makes the target, there will be details on the Taco Bell website on how we get our free tacos. Their website was slow due to all the traffic just due to the press release. If Mir lands on target, I'm betting the Taco Bell site will be inaccessible for days due to the onrush of visitors looking to collect their free lunch. If Mir is off target, you can grab one of these recipes and make your own tacos.