'Gunpowder, seared steak, raspberries and rum': New fragrance recreates the smell of space

Nasa uses scent to help astronauts prepare for space travel

Those curious about space will soon be able to experience its unique celestial smell here on Earth thanks to a new perfume.

Eau de Space, a new fragrance recently launched via Kickstarter, mimics the scent characteristics distinct to space - a mixture of “gunpowder, seared steak, raspberries, and rum” according to Nasa astronauts who have made the journey.

“Decades ago, Nasa contracted specialists to develop the ‘smell of space’ to help train astronauts before launch into orbit,” the crowdfunding campaign explains. “Nasa’s goal of simulating space during training is to eliminate any surprises astronauts might experience in outer space.”

According to the campaign, the scent of space has, for years, been “locked behind astronaut-only field training, and red tape”.

However, the new company says it managed to gain access to the scent description through “sheer determination, grit, a lot of luck, and a couple of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests”.

To recreate the fragrance, which Peggy Whitson, an astronaut and former resident of the International Space Station, previously described to CNN as “almost a bitter kind of smell in addition to being smoky and burnt,” the company says it teamed up with award-winning perfumers.

For those who wish to experience the smell of space, a $29 pledge will get you one bottle of Eau de Space and the company will also donate a bottle to a K-12 STEM program.

Interested customers should act fast, however, as the company said it currently has “no plans to produce more after this Kickstarter campaign”.

As of Thursday, the Kickstarter campaign had vastly surpassed its $1,969 goal by raising $197,170 with the help of more than 4,700 backers.