Space is Filled with Steak and Metal Odors

Outer space smells resemble those of a fried steak, hot metal and the welding of a motorbike, NASA astronauts say.

NASA specialists entrusted Steven Pearce, the chief of a fragrance manufacturing company Omega Ingredients, with the task to reproduce the scents in a laboratory to help astronauts adapt to conditions in space.

Steven Pearce said they had few clues to outer space smells that are mainly based on the interviews with astronauts, who walked in space. Most of them reported particular scents that reminded them of a fried steak, hot metal and for some of them it was a welding a motorbike, Independent Television News reports.

The space smells that will be recreated in a laboratory will help other astronauts train in conditions close to the real experience. Just like they learn the loss of gravity during training, they will feel the smells of space.

Mr Pearce started his project in August and expects to have it done by the end of the year. He already recreated the smell of fried steak, but has some difficulty with reproducing hot metal smell. "We think it's a high energy vibration in the molecule and that's what we're trying to add to it now," Pearce added.