To the advertisers, it's the ultimate in high-profile product placement; to the astronauts, it's a little bit of home 220 miles (355 kilometers) up. However, while NASA may see it as an unnecessary distraction prohibited by federal law, the folks at Rosaviakosmos (the Russian Aviation and Space Agency), see it as a new and encouraging source of much needed funding.

Agree or disagree, the tradition of flying commercial products to space is not new in fact, it can be traced to the early days of the manned space programs. Heres a brief history of space marketing in the making:

Omega Speedmaster watch (1965): Though unbeknownst to Omega for nearly a year, NASA selected the Speedmaster for use by their astronauts after subjecting the timepiece to a full bevy of tests designed to simulate the rigors of spaceflight. Since then, the watch has had the distinction of being the only model worn on the Moon and is now used by both American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts living aboard the International Space Station. To recognize the achievement, Omega renamed the watch the Speedmaster Professional.

Fisher Space Pen (1968): Never has there been a better example of being in the right place at the right time than the Fisher Space Pen. Invented in 1966 as the better ballpoint pen refill, Fishers cartridge pressurized by nitrogen did not require gravity to feed ink to the paper. As such, the Apollo 7 crew became the first astronauts to rely on pens the AG-7 Space Pen to be exact -- for taking notes while in orbit. Since then, both U.S. and Russian flights have carried the versatile writing tool. Meanwhile on the ground, Fisher has taken advantage of its place in space, ultimately arranging to have the pens hawked from space during a live hookup with Mir on the home shopping network QVC.

Golf balls (1971): Recognizing the power of an astronauts endorsement, Apollo 14 Moonwalker Alan Shepard agreed to never identify the manufacturer of the two golf balls he hit off the lunar surface. For years following his return, Shepard was reportedly approached to endorse golf balls and related products. He never did.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks (1985): Though NASA labeled it the Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation (CBDE), consider it the taste test to end all taste tests. The "experiment" included specially designed soda "cans," produced by both Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Though the crew classified the experiment as a failure citing the zero-G environment and the lack of refrigeration Coca Cola would fly twice again using an improved dispenser and pressurized glasses -- ultimately spending more than $750,000 in the process. Pepsi, on the other hand, would later film a commercial aboard the Mir space station in 1996 for a reported $5 million.

Slinky toy (1985): This "favorite of boys and girls" was flown aboard the space shuttle to demonstrate how various toys would react to microgravity. The aptly named Toys in Space experiment encouraged the astronauts to play while they were filmed to record the reactions. The resulting video was distributed to teachers as a means to teach children about the basic physics of spaceflight.