Have you ever sat back and wondered what space smells like? That might seem like an odd question, but apparently there are plenty of people out there who have been asking, because a Kickstarter campaign to release NASA’s space-scented perfume is crushing its goals.
The campaign set its initial funding goal for the perfume, “Eau de Space,” at $1,969. In a little more than a month, it’s reached $446,197 in funding. From what we can tell, NASA isn’t actually behind the campaign, which is a real branded merch missed opportunity. (Though we know NASA has a weird relationship with branded merchandise.) Instead, the folks behind this campaign say they got the recipe from NASA through some sort of vague means. From the Kickstarter page:
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. Practice makes perfect, and it is Rocket Science. The Smell of Space has been locked behind “Need to Know”, Astronaut only field training, and Red Tape for years. Through shear determination, grit, a lot of luck, and a couple of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, we got it out. We’ve all had Space Ice Cream…this takes it a step further.
And, here’s the video the Kickstarter campaign used (that was also mentioned in a Mashable article):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDHyfQOFEYE
For each bottle of “Eau de Space” purchased, the company will donate one to a K-12 STEM program in need, in the hopes of inspiring kids to get involved in the sciences. As they explained it, “One day, that same child may even become the first human to land on Mars.”
In addition, Eau de Space can be purchased individually or in bulk. But, one thing to note is that once the campaign is over, they don’t have any plans to produce more. So, if you want to truly know what outer space smells like, get your bottle(s) while you can.
Now, the question still remains: What does outer space smell like?
The campaign’s FAQ page lists notes from astronauts who compared the smell to seared steak, burnt cookies, raspberries and rum. Those are all very distinct smells, so it’ll be interesting to see what everyone else thinks.
