Last month, the world collectively tuned in to see what might be the forerunner of commercial space flight successfully launched into orbit. Elon Musk's longtime project hopes to make space travel affordable for the masses in the future, and pundits seem to agree that it is possible. Nevertheless, even though it might seem like an easy task, there is a lot of preparation that goes into each flight. As such, only a few individuals have an inkling of what lies beyond the earth's atmosphere. Now, a Kickstarter project hopes to let people experience what it smells like.

With the help of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the company hopes to give consumers an idea of the aroma that only those who closely work with space flight encounter. While experts point out that this is not exactly new, the formula that simulates the aforementioned scents has been available for decades, but kept from the public by the government agency.

The manufacturer claims that through requests made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it was able to gain approval from regulators. "Decades ago, NASA contracted specialists to develop the 'smell of space' to help train astronauts before launch into orbit," as detailed by the crowdfunding campaign page. "Nasa's goal of simulating space during training is to eliminate any surprises astronauts might experience in outer space."

Based on the description supplied by professionals who are connected to the space programme, the aroma of outer space is a mix of many familiar scents. Many claim that it smells like seared steak, rum, raspberries, and gunpowder, reports the Independent. Peggy Whitson, an astronaut who has been to the International Space Station (ISS) describes it as "almost a bitter kind of smell in addition to being smoky and burnt."

Eau de Space Kickstarter fragrance project
With the help of NASA, the company hopes to give consumers an idea of the aroma that only those who closely work with space flight encounter. Photo: Eau de Space/Kickstarter

With the help of experienced professionals from the perfume industry, the project hopes to bottle everything into a fragrance aptly called Eau de Space. Backers who will pledge $29 will receive a bottle, while the company donates another to a K-12 STEM programme. This appears to be an exclusive limited run as there are no plans to continue distribution once the crowdfunding campaign ends.

NASA