Former NASA astronaut Doug Hurley joins Busch Light’s Earth Month campaign to save the planet for beer

Beer is the most widely ingested alcoholic beverage on our big blue marble, with an estimated 50 billion gallons (190 billion liters) of the stuff swallowed around the world every year. 

Anheuser Busch wants to make sure Earth is in good enough shape to grow the hops and grains needed to brew beer, as well as support the people who drink it, far into the future. So the company has concocted a lighthearted marketing campaign (opens in new tab) featuring former NASA and SpaceX astronaut and Congressional Space Medal of Honor recipient Doug Hurley as its spokesperson. 

Hurley — who along with Bob Behnken flew on SpaceX’s first-ever crewed mission, the Demo-2 flight to the International Space Station in 2020 — passes along a message in a newly released video for Busch Light’s Earth Month campaign. (April is Earth Month; Earth Day falls on April 22 every year.)

Related: Biography of Doug Hurley, former NASA astronaut and first SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft commander

Here’s the pitch:

In the weightlessness of space, zero gravity prevents carbonation from rising, turning beer into a foamy mess and the act of drinking it impossible. So Busch Light is putting its support behind the only planet where knocking back a cold one is an astrophysical certainty, and inviting all beer lovers to join in.  

“When you’ve spent 93 days in space, it’s easy to recognize the many facets of our home planet that you’ve taken for granted — family and friends, fresh food, personal space and the ability to drink a crisp, cold beer,” Hurley said in a press release about the new campaign. 

“It’s shocking but true: there is no beer in the final frontier,” added Hurley, who retired from NASA in July 2021. “So I’m partnering with Busch Light this Earth Month to help protect and preserve our only beer-friendly planet, because nothing beats drinking an ice-cold beer after a long trip across the universe.” 

Hurley also reminds everyone that carbonated beverages and alcohol are banned on the International Space Station. One of the primary reasons that alcohol isn’t allowed is because it could damage the Environmental Control and Life Support System, or ECLSS. A key ingredient in alcohol is ethanol, a compound that could become extremely volatile in space.

For every case of Busch Light sold during the month of April, Anheuser Busch will  donate a portion of the proceeds to its longtime partner One Tree Planted (opens in new tab). 

Thirsty fans can check out busch.com/caseagainstspace (opens in new tab) to climb aboard this benevolent beer mission and buy Busch Light’s new merchandise collection, from which all profits will also be donated to One Tree Planted.

Starting today (April 1) and continuing through April 30, 2023, beer aficionados can join the campaign and share comments on why it’s better to remain on Earth drinking beer instead of launching into outer space where that act is impossible. Hit up social media by tagging @BuschBeer and including both #CaseAgainstSpace and #Contest. One lucky fan who comes up with the most creative case will receive a whole year’s beer supply and a nifty space helmet. 

Though Busch Light’s approach to this mission is obviously intended to be humorous, it’s derived from a serious commitment to the continued ecological health and well-being of our planet; the brand says it has donated over $1 million to outdoors-related causes to date.

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