My anecdotes and general 'intuition' (as unscientific as these things always are) are opposite to yours.

I think it'd be viewed positively and wouldn't have the opposite effect as you suggest.

However, my children, many of their friends and some of their teachers are now aware that the UK is commissioning a polar research vessel. They definitely weren't before.

I know of at least one junior school science teacher who has used this to seed a lesson. It's a point of interest, it's the start of a conversation. It gives science a different angle and a bit of colour. This is a good thing even if it was by accident. Sometimes we should just take the hand we were dealt and play it.