Abigail Klein Leichman
April 1, 2019

US astronaut Scott Kelly is best known for having spent the most time in outer space on a single mission. But in an April Fools’ Day infomercial-style video dreamed up by jokesters at SodaStream International, Kelly shows himself a master of satire – as well as burping.

“When you spend a whole year in space, you face some surprising problems,” says Kelly in the spoof. “One of them is the extremely high CO2 levels,” he confides amid frequent interruptions caused by belching excess gas.

The solution? A new (fake) product from the Israel-based company: SodaStreamMe, an on-the-go bottle that enables you to carbonate your own drink simply by blowing your excess carbon dioxide into it.

The tagline: “When life gives you gas, make SodaStream.”

The video appears to be very scientific and portrays Kelly giving an explanation about the product, in a spaceship, out in space but also at home, casually wearing a spacesuit while reading a book.

At the end of the fake infomercial, the viewer is invited to visit www.SodaStreamMe.com, where the prank is revealed in a short video in which Kelly explains that burping in space is actually impossible.

“Excess CO2 is a real issue in space and this could have been a lifesaver had it actually existed,” explained Kelly. “I’m thrilled to partner with SodaStream on this prank because one thing you learn from living in space for as long as I did is you have to have a sense of humor. I hope everyone gets a nice chuckle out of this video; I know I did making it.”

“April Fools’ pranks have become a SodaStream tradition,” said Matti Yahav, chief marketing officer at SodaStream.

“We took this one to the next level by rooting it in scientific research conducted with a legendary astronaut, making the prank more credible. Unfortunately it’s not real – we can’t solve your gas issues – but with SodaStream you can definitely make sparkling water at the touch of the button while caring for the planet.”

SodaStream, part of PepsiCo, makes home sparkling beverage machines that are available at more than 80,000 retail stores across 46 countries.

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