Philosophy
Van Allan Eau De Cologne
Ever wondered what space smells like? Well, a British chemist knows and he's now recreating the odour in a laboratory.
For those of you who can't wait until the end of the year when his "perfume" will be ready, think hot metal and fried steak.
Steven Pearce, a chemist and managing director of a fragrance manufacturing company, has been asked by Nasa to recreate the smell in a laboratory.
The boffins think it will help astronauts acclimatise themselves on space missions.
Mr Pearce said: "We have a few clues as to what space smells like. First of all, there were interviews with astronauts that we were given, when they had been outside and then returned to the space station and were de-suiting and taking off their helmets, they all reported quite particular odours."
"For them, what comes across is a smell of fried steak, hot metal and even welding a motorbike, one of them said."
He added: "We have already produced the smell of fried steak, but hot metal is proving more difficult. We think it's a high energy vibration in the molecule and that's what we're trying to add to it now."
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Philosophy
Ig Nobel project candidate for 2009?
Van Allan Eau De Cologne "What does outer space smell like?"
October 16th, 2008
ITV.com
October 16th, 2008
ITV.com
Ever wondered what space smells like? Well, a British chemist knows and he's now recreating the odour in a laboratory.
For those of you who can't wait until the end of the year when his "perfume" will be ready, think hot metal and fried steak.
Steven Pearce, a chemist and managing director of a fragrance manufacturing company, has been asked by Nasa to recreate the smell in a laboratory.
The boffins think it will help astronauts acclimatise themselves on space missions.
Mr Pearce said: "We have a few clues as to what space smells like. First of all, there were interviews with astronauts that we were given, when they had been outside and then returned to the space station and were de-suiting and taking off their helmets, they all reported quite particular odours."
"For them, what comes across is a smell of fried steak, hot metal and even welding a motorbike, one of them said."
He added: "We have already produced the smell of fried steak, but hot metal is proving more difficult. We think it's a high energy vibration in the molecule and that's what we're trying to add to it now."
Ig Nobel prizes for 2008
- Is Manned Spaceflight Obsolete?
With new proposals for NASA on the table, it seems a good time to ask whether a manned flight to Mars -- the centerpiece of the Bush space priorities -- makes any sense and more generally whether sending people instead of robots into space makes sense....
- Case In Point--privatization Of Nasa
Crew Space Transportation-100 [CST-100] "Boeing unveils its commercial capsule spacecraft" July 22nd, 2010 PhysOrg.com Boeing won an award worth $18 million from NASA under the Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) Space Act Agreement, which was intended...
- Iss Problem
Just reflect for a moment if a similar issue happened on the Moon or on or orbiting Mars. "Trouble in Space Station Construction" February 13th, 2010 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Astronauts ran into trouble on Saturday while setting up the International Space...
- When Iss Is Completed...then What?
A waste of money. "After space station is built, what will ISS crew do up there?" For years to come, the International Space Station will be the site for experiments benefiting earth research and extended space flight. by Peter N. Spotts November 29th,...
- Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-piper--guilty
Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper Just a few problems this year for shuttle astronauts and ISS citizens: First the toilet broke, then just this week the urine conversion apparatus failed, and now fumble fingers Stefanyshyn-Piper and the slippery...