Who knew that space actually smelt like something? Well, it does, and NASA have created a perfume to help astronauts prepare for that smell.
Not only this, but the general public may also soon be getting a sniff at this mysterious smell.
It turns out that space actually smells like something, and soon enough we may be able to experience that smell in the form of a new perfume.
This does come as a bit of a surprise seeing as how there is pretty much nothing out there. Astronauts are always wearing helmets as well, so it all seems a bit bizarre that outerspace smells like anything at all. Apparently way back in 2008, Steve Pearce was contracted by NASA to recreate the smell for astronauts in preparation for their voyages. This ended up taking in excess of four years to perfect.
To give you an idea of what space smells like, astronaut Peggy Whitson described it as, “kind of like a smell from a gun, right after you fire the shot”. She also mentioned how it has a “smoky and burned – bitter” smell.
A new Kickstarter campaign lead by Eau de Space is pushing to make the fragrance available to everyone.
“Decades ago, NASA contracted specialists to developed the ‘smell of space’ to help train astronauts before launch into orbit. NASA’s goal of simulating Space during training is to eliminate any surprises Astronauts might experience in Outer Space. The Smell of Space has been locked behind “Need to Know”, Astronaut only field training, and Red Tape for years. Through sheer determination, grit, a lot of luck, and a couple of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, we got it out. Now we need your help to mass manufacturer it so that everyone can experience the Smell of Space for themselves.”
You can go help out the cause right here.