If you ever wondered what space could smell like, a new perfume designed by NASA may give you the answer.
Recently, a Crowdfunding campaign was launched for a new fragrance named Eau de Space and aims to bring the smell of outer space down to Earth.
Ladies & Gents, Meet Eau de Space
The NASA fragrance is developed by Steve Pearce who’s a chemist and founder of Mega Ingredients (company which focuses on creating the highest quality and provenance driven natural flavors and ingredients for the food and beverage industry) and hired to recreate a smell in 2008 where he recreated the smell of the inside of the Mir Space Station on a scent exhibition.
How Could One Chemist Recreate the Smell of Space?
With notes collected from astronauts, he revealed that space smells like hot metal, ozone, and fried steak, Pearce used his fragrance and flavor chemistry knowledge to make combos which matched their descriptions.
In a few weeks, he collected the needed aroma chemicals to test several ideas before he achieved something he considered satisfactory.
This scent was designed to help astronauts train prior to launches in the orbit and it was NASA’s goal to remove potential surprises that astronauts may experience in space.
Peggy Whitson, an astronaut and former resident of the International Space Station described the smell like that of a gun, right after firing a shot. She added it’s bitter, smoky, and burned too.
For Matt Richmond, Eau de Space product manager, he struggled to describe how the fragrance smells. Astronauts say it’s a blend of seared steak, rum, raspberries, and gunpowder.
What Does the Company Wish to Achieve with the NASA Fragrance?
The goal with Eau de Space is to boost the interest in STEM learning for K12 students through what he describes as experiential education. He’s hopeful that they begin from parent, teacher, and scientist discussion and take it from there.
He also revealed that the company is looking to also release another fragrance called the Smell of the Moon.
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