Engadget
·1 min read
One thing most of us Earthlings may not realize is that outer space smells. Thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, so can you. Over a decade ago, NASA chemists developed a scent that mimics the “smell of space” in order to give astronauts a whiff of the cosmos before they left Earth’s atmosphere. Now, the company Eau de Space has gotten its hands on that scent, and you can order a bottle (or ten) through its Kickstarter.
In a video shared by Eau de Space, NASA astronaut Tony Antonelli says space smells “strong and unique,” unlike anything he has ever smelled on Earth. According to Eau de Space, others have described the smell as “seared steak, raspberries, and rum,” smokey and bitter.
NASA has reportedly been working on the scent for over a decade, but it was trapped behind red tape and bureaucracy. The Eau de Space team got its hands on the recipe -- thanks to “determination, grit, a lot of luck, and a couple of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.” So this is the first time the general public will have a chance to experience the smell.
A $29 pledge will get you one bottle of Eau de Space and the company will donate a bottle to a K-12 STEM program. There are slight discounts if you buy in bulk, and for each bottle you purchase, Eau de Space will donate one. Eau de Space does not have plans to mass produce the scent after the Kickstarter campaign, so if you’re thinking about pledging, don’t wait too long.
