Michaël Moisseeff is a ‘nose’ accustomed to unexplored odours. He has formulated a scent recreating the smell experienced by astronauts who have walked on the moon.

Moisseeff is a perfumer or ‘nose’ – or, in his words, an ‘aroma sculptor’. He is the first to have recreated a very special scent: the smell of the moon. He based it on first-hand accounts from astronauts. “They’ve got their head inside their spacesuit, with all their layers of clothing, and of course they can’t smell anything. But they get back into their lunar module, take off the spacesuit, and then, when they’ve taken it all off, the smell in the cabin has changed and there’s this burnt gunpowder smell,” he explains.

Moisseeff goes on to reveal the secrets behind his lunar scent. “We’re talking mineral, so desulphurised charcoal and then calcium compounds. A smell is a physical substance, molecules spreading through the air and entering the nostrils, where the receptor is. And inside, there are little locks and you’ve got to think of these little scent molecules as little keys,” he explains.

The scent of the moon can be found at the Cité de l’Espace, a space museum in Toulouse in south-west France. The goal is to “give visitors just as much of a novel experience as astronauts were able to have on the moon,” according to Xavier Penot, Scientific Mediator at the Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese probe landed on the moon in January 2019 while the South Korean and Japanese lunar programmes are aiming for the end of 2020 and 2021. The US plan to return to the surface of the moon by 2024.

When it comes to fragrances, perfumer Michaël Moisseeff has boldly gone where no man or woman has gone before. He has recreated the smell encountered by astronauts when they walked on the moon.

Calling himself a "sculptor of aromas", Moisseeff is the first to have conjured up the very specific odour of Earth's nearest neighbour. His creation is based on reports from astronauts. "They wore helmets and inner and outer suits, so of course they couldn't smell anything," he says. "But when they got back into the lunar module and took off those helmets and suits, the smell of the cabin changed, and the charred black dust had an aroma all of its own."

Moisseeff reveals the components of his enigmatic lunar fragrance. "There are mineral notes of low-sulphur coal, and calcium derivatives. An odour is a substance, airborne molecules that are captured by receptors in the nostrils. The receptors are like little locks, and the molecules are the keys."

Moisseeff's creation is now being shared with the public at the Cité de l'Espace discovery centre in Toulouse, where science adviser Xavier Penot says the aim was to "give visitors the same unique experience as astronauts on the moon." A Chinese probe landed in January 2019, and the South Korean and Japanese space programmes are planning touchdowns in late 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, the United States is preparing a return to the lunar surface in 2024.

Master Nose Michaël Moisseff is no stranger to uncharted aromas. He has created a perfume that reconstructs the smell that astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.

Self-styled ‘aroma sculptor’, Creator of Perfumes and Nose, Michaël Moisseff is the first person to synthesise a very particular smell; the smell of the moon. To achieve this, he used descriptions provided by astronauts. ‘They wear a space helmet and layer upon layer of protective clothing, so naturally they can’t smell any odours. However, they return to their module, remove their spacesuit, and there, by taking everything off, the smell in the cabin has changed and it now smells of burnt black gunpowder’, he reveals.

Michaël Moisseff then unveils the mysteries of his moon fragrance. ‘We are in a world of mineral odours so, we have desulfurised carbon, followed by drifts of calcium. An odour is classified as matter; molecules circulating in the air that are inhaled through the nostrils where the scent receptors lie. In these receptors are tiny locks, and we should think of these little odour molecules as tiny keys’, he explains.

The smell of the moon can be found at Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The goal being to ‘allow the visitor an experience as original as the astronauts had on the moon’, says Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese probe has already landed on the moon, in January 2019, while the lunar programmes of South Korea and Japan are aiming for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing to return to the moon by 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a “nose”, experienced in working with unfamiliar scents. He has designed a perfume that reconstructs the smell the astronauts discovered when they walked on the moon.

He calls himself an “aroma sculptor”. A nose, a creator of perfumes, Michaël is the first to have reconstructed a truly unique smell: that of the moon. He based his work on feedback from the astronauts. “They were helmeted and wearing multilayer spacesuits, and obviously they couldn’t smell a thing. On the other hand, when they got back to their module and took off their helmets and spacesuits, that was the moment the smell in the cabin changed to one of burnt gunpowder", he discloses.

Michaël goes on to reveal the secrets of his lunar perfume. “It’s mineral, so we’re talking low-sulphur coal, with wafts of calcium. Odour is matter, molecules circulating in the air breathed in through the nostrils. This is where sensors in the form of small locks are located, and where these little molecules of odour could be thought of as being small keys", he explains.

The smell of the moon can be found at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). Its goal is “to offer the visitor an experience as novel as the one the astronauts had on the moon”, according to Xavier Penot, scientific educator at the Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese probe landed on the moon back in January 2019, while the lunar programmes of South Korea and Japan are aiming for end 2020 and 2021. The United States aims to return to the lunar surface by 2024.

Michael Moisseeff is a Nose with experience in the realm of unexplored scents. He has designed a perfume that recreates the smell astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.

He describes himself as a “sculptor of smells.” As a perfume designer, or Nose, Michael Moisseeff is the first to have reconstituted the unique odor of the moon. He based his creation on descriptions given by astronauts. “They’ve got their space helmets on, the undergarment and the space suit, and obviously they can’t smell anything. But that said, when they get back inside their module and take off the space helmet, and when they’ve taken off the rest, the odor in the cabin changes and it smells like slightly burnt black powder,” he explained.

Michael Moisseeff then unveils the mysteries of his lunar perfume. “We’re in the mineral realm, in other words unsulfured coal, and then there are calcium compounds. A smell is a substance, molecules moving through the air, which enter through the nostrils, where the sensor is. And inside that, there are tiny locks, and you have to look the tiny scent molecules as tiny keys,” he explains.

The smell of the moon can be discovered at Space City in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The idea is to “give the visitor an experience as unique as the one that astronauts had on the moon,” according to Xavier Penot, science curator at Space City. A Chinese probe landed on the moon in January 2019, while the South Korean and Japanese space programs are shooting for late 2020 and 2021. The United States are planning a return to the lunar surface for 2024.

The “nose” Michaël Moisseeff, no stranger to uncharted olfactory territory, has created a fragrance that recreates the scent encountered by astronauts when they have landed on the moon.

Perfume designer and self-described “aroma sculptor” Michaël Moisseeff is the first “nose” to have recreated a most distinctive scent: the smell of the moon. He based his work on accounts provided by astronauts. “They have a multilayered space suit covering their heads,” Moisseeff notes, “so of course they don’t smell anything. However, when they get back into their module and remove the whole space suit, they notice that the odor inside the cabin has changed. It smells like spent gunpowder,” he reveals.



Michaël Moisseeff goes on to divulge the secrets behind his lunar fragrance. “We’re dealing here with minerals, specifically desulfurized coal and calcium derivatives. An odor is a type of matter; it consists of molecules that circulate in the air and that enter through the nostrils, where the sensor is located. That sensor contains little locks, and we have to think of these tiny odor molecules as little keys,” he explains.



The scent of the moon can be found at the Cité de l'espace in Toulouse. According to the center’s scientific mediator, Xavier Penot, the goal is “to offer the visitor an experience every bit as novel as the one astronauts have had on the moon.” A Chinese probe landed on the moon in 2019, with the South Korean and Japanese lunar programs aiming for late 2020 and 2021. The United States is planning a return to the moon’s surface by 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a ‘nose’ well versed in unexplored aromas. He has created a perfume that reconstitutes the smell astronauts may have discovered when they set foot on the moon.

Calling himself a ‘sculptor of aromas’, perfumier Michaël Moisseff – a ‘nose’ – is the first to have recreated a totally unique odour: that of the moon. To do so, he relied on the first-hand accounts of the astronauts. ‘With their helmets on their heads and layers of spacesuit, the astronauts wouldn’t have been able to smell anything, of course. But once they re-entered the module, they removed their helmets. Then, having taken everything off, they realised that the smell in the cabin had changed: there was a whiff of burnt black powder.’

Moisseff goes on to reveal the mysteries of his moon perfume. ‘We’re talking about a mineral fragrance, so desulphurised carbon, and then calcium derivatives. Smell is matter: molecules circulating in the air are breathed into the nostrils, where there are receptors. These have tiny “locks”, and we can think of the smell molecules as tiny “keys”’, he explains.

The moon fragrance can be discovered at Cité de l’espace (City of Space) in Toulouse (in Haute-Garonne, in southwest France). According to Xavier Penot, Science Education Officer at Cité de l’espace, the aim was to ‘give visitors the same unique experience that astronauts would have had on the moon’. A Chinese space probe landed on the moon in January 2019. Meanwhile, the South Korean and Japanese space programmes are aiming for late 2020 and 2021, and the US is preparing to step on lunar soil again by 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a “Nose” who has made a habit of exploring uncharted territories in fragrance. He has produced a perfume that recreates the scent smelt by the astronauts when they landed on the moon.

Self-styled “aroma sculptor”, Michaël Moisseff is the first perfume artist – or Nose – to have recreated the extremely distinctive scent of the moon. To achieve this he used first-hand accounts from astronauts. “Obviously, when they have their space helmets on, and their clothes and outer layers, they can’t smell a thing. But then they go back into their module, remove their spacesuits and as they take everything off the odour in the cabin changes, evoking that aroma of charred black powder,” he reveals.

Next, Michaël Moisseff discloses the mysteries of his lunar perfume. “I used a mineral palette, composed of de-sulphured coal accompanied by calcium compounds. An odour is a substance: molecules travel through the air and enter through the nostrils, where the sensor is. And in the sensor there are little locks. Just visualise these small odour molecules as little keys,” he explains.

The scent of the moon can be found in Space City, Toulouse (in the Haute-Garonne). The goal is to “give visitors an experience as novel as that of the astronauts on the moon,” says Xavier Penot, scientific communicator at Space City. A Chinese probe landed on the moon in January 2019, and South Korea and Japan have lunar programmes targeting late 2020 and 2021. The US is planning to return to the moon again by 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a master of fragrances, a 'Nose', accustomed to uncharted scents. He has created a fragrance that reconstructs the odour astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.

Calling himself an 'aroma sculptor', Michaël Moisseeff, a fragrance creator, or Nose, is the first to have recreated one very particular smell: that of the moon. His creation is based on the accounts of astronauts. “With their heads in their spacesuits, with inner and outer layers, they clearly smell nothing. But then they return to the module, take off their spacesuits and, after removing everything, the smell in the cabin changes to one of burnt black powder,” he reveals.

Michaël Moisseeff goes on to share the mysteries of his lunar fragrance. “We have minerals, desulphurised carbon and wafts of calcium. A smell is matter, molecules circulating in the air that are drawn in by the nostrils where the sensor is found. This sensor contains tiny holes, and we should imagine these miniscule smell molecules as tiny keys,” he explains.

The smell of the moon can be found at the Cité de l’Espace space park in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). According to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at Cité de l’Espace, the aim is to “give visitors an experience just as original as the one the astronauts witnessed on the moon.” With a Chinese probe already on the moon, landing in January 2019, the lunar programmes of South Korea and Japan are setting their sights on end-2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing its return to lunar soil by 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a perfumer with a nose for uncharted scents. He's created a scent that mimics the odour astronauts could smell when they landed on the moon.

He calls himself an “aroma sculptor”. Michaël Moisseff, a perfumer or “nose”, is the first to have recreated a truly unique smell: the moon. He based the smell on accounts shared by astronauts. “They have a space suit over their head and multiple layers, so obviously they can't smell a thing. But then they go back into their pod, take off the space suit, and as they take everything off, the odour in the cabin changes and smells like burnt gunpowder”, he disclosed.

Michaël Moisseff went on to reveal the mystery behind his lunar scent. “It’s all about minerals, like desulphured coal and calcium by-products. An odour is matter. It’s made up of molecules floating in the air. They're inhaled by the nostrils, which have receptors. There are tiny locks in the receptors, and you have to think of the tiny odour molecules like tiny keys”, he explained.

You can smell the moon for yourself at the Cité de l'Espace space centre in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne, France). The centre aims to “give visitors an experience that's just as unique as when the astronauts landed on the moon”, said Xavier Penot, a scientific mediator at Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese probe landed on the moon in January 2019, while the South Korean and Japanese moon programmes are set for 2020 and 2021 respectively. The US is planning to land back on the moon by 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a “Nose”, and is well accustomed to exploring new scents. He has come up with a scent which recreates the odour that the astronauts experienced when they went to the Moon.

He sees himself as an “aroma sculptor”. A creator of scents, and a “Nose”, Michaël Moisseeff is the first person to have recreated a very particular odour: that of the Moon. To achieve this he relied on descriptions provided by the astronauts. “They had their spacesuits on, with their helmets on their heads and all their inner and outer gear, so obviously they weren’t able to smell anything. However, when they got back to their module and could remove their helmets, and take off their spacesuits, the odour inside the module changed and smelled of this burnt black powder”, he reveals.

Michaël Moisseeff then unveils the mysteries of his lunar fragrance. “We’re talking here about minerals, so de-sulphurised coal, and also calcium compounds. An odour is a material thing, molecules circulating in the air which enter through the nostrils, which is where the sensor is located. And in this sensor there are small locks, and you have to think of these small odour molecules as little keys”, he explains.

The odour of the Moon can be discovered at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The goal being to “provide the visitor with a sensation as original as that experienced by the astronauts on the Moon”, according to Xavier Penot, Scientific Mediator at the Cité de l'Espace. A Chinese probe has already landed in January 2019, while the lunar programmes of South Korea and Japan are targeting the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing for its return to the lunar surface by 2024.

Michaël Moissef is a Nose who boldly goes where no Nose has been before. He invented a perfume that recreates the smell astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.

They call him the ‘Sculptor of Smells.’ Perfume designer and Nose, Michaël Moissef, is the first person to recreate a very special aroma: the scent of the moon. He based the scent on direct information from astronauts. “They wear their spacesuit with a helmet covering their heads, and another layer under that, so obviously they can’t smell anything when they’re outside. But when they head back into their module and take off the suit and the rest of the gear, the smell in the cab has changed. It smells of this charred black powder.” He reveals.

Michaël Moisseff then lets us in on some other secrets about his lunar scent. “There is a mineral element, like de-sulphured coal, and then some calcium derivatives. A smell is a substance made up of molecules which move around in the air, as they travel up our nostrils, they find our scent sensors. Imagine these sensors are like little banks of locks, and the aroma molecules are the keys.“

The moon scent can be found at Cité de l’espace (Space City) in Toulouse in the Haute-Garonne. According to Xavier Penot, a science outreach worker at Cité de l’espace, the aim is, “For visitors to have a unique experience, similar to that of the astronauts who visited the moon.” A Chinese probe landed on the moon in January 2019 and Lunar programmes are planned in South Korea and Japan for the end of 2020/beginning of 2021. The States is preparing its return to lunar soil for 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a Nose used to uncharted fragrances. He has created a perfume that recreates the scent astronauts first discovered when they went to the moon.

Self-proclaimed “sculptor of aromas” and creator of perfumes, Michaël Moisseff, a Nose, is the first to have recreated a very particular scent-- that of the moon. To do this, he started with first-hand accounts from astronauts. “They’re wearing helmets on their heads and double-layered spacesuits, so of course they don’t smell anything. But once they return to their module and take off their spacesuits, then, after taking it all off, the odor in the cabin has changed and it smells like this burnt black powder,” he reveals.

Michaël Moisseff then reveals the mysteries of his lunar perfume. “We’re talking about minerals here, so desulphurized carbon and also calcium derivatives. An odor is a material-- molecules circulating in the air-- that are drawn in through the nostrils where the smell sensors are. And inside these sensors, there are little locks, and these little odor molecules should be thought of as little keys,” he explains.

The odor of the moon can be found at Cité de l'espace discovery museum, located in Toulouse (in the Haute-Garonne Department), whose goal is “to give visitors an experience as original as what the astronauts experienced on the moon,” according to Xavier Penot, the scientific liaison at Cité de l'espace. A Chinese probe already landed on the moon in January of 2019, while South Korean and Japanese lunar programs are aiming for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing to return to the moon’s surface by 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a Nose accustomed to unexplored fragrances. He created a perfume that recreates the scent that the astronauts may have discovered when they went to the moon.

He calls himself a “sculptor of aromas.” Michaël Moisseeff, a Nose, is a perfume creator and is the first person to have created a rather peculiar scent: the smell of the moon. He based this scent on the astronauts’ testimonies. “They have their spacesuits covering their heads including both the inner suit and the outer suit, obviously they don’t smell any scent. On the other hand, they’re going to get back into their module and take off the spacesuit, and at that moment when they’re taking it all off, the scent of the cabin changes and it smells of this burnt black powder,” he reveals.

Michaël Moisseeff then reveals the mysteries of his lunar perfume. “We’re talking about minerals, so desulfurized coal and then calcium derivatives. A scent is a substance, molecules that circulate in the air that go in through the nostrils where the sensor is. And inside there are little locks and we must think of these small molecules as little keys,” he explains.

The scent of the moon can be found at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The goal is to “give visitors an experience that’s as original as the astronauts could experience on the moon,” according to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese space probe has already landed on the moon in January of 2019, while lunar programs for both South Korea and Japan are aiming for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing a return to lunar soil by 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a nose accustomed to unchartered aromas. He created a perfume that reconstitutes the odour astronauts discovered when they travelled to the moon.

He considers himself a “sculptor of aromas”. Perfume creator and nose, Michaël Moisseuf, is the first person to have recreated such a unique aroma – that of the moon. He based his perfume on the accounts of astronauts. “When they are wearing their space helmet, spacesuit and external attire, obviously they are unable to smell anything”. However, upon their return to the spacecraft when taking off their spacesuits, they notice the smell of the cabin has changed, it now smells now of burnt gunpowder”, he reveals.

Michaël Moisseuf, next uncovers the secrets of his lunar perfume. “We are working with a mineral, desulfurized charcoal and a calcium by-product. A smell is matter - molecules dispersed in the air that are inhaled by the nostrils, where your smell sensors are located. Within your smell sensors, there are small locks, you must consider the odour molecules as the little keys to these locks”, he explains.

The aroma of the moon can be found at the Cité de l’Espace (a space research centre) in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The aim of which is “to offer visitors the most authentic experience of what astronauts lived on the moon”, according to Xavier Penot, a scientific expert at the Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese space probe already landed on the moon in 2019, while the lunar expeditions of South Korea and Japan are aiming for a 2020 and 2021 landing respectively. The United States is preparing its return to lunar soil in 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a fragrance expert pretty well accustomed to unusual bouquets. He created a perfume that reconstructs the scent astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.

He calls himself an “aroma sculptor”. A perfume creator, Michaël Moisseef, a fragrance expert, is the first to have recreated a very specific scent: that of the moon. He based his work on the testimonials of astronauts. “They wear clothes and a spacesuit that covers their heads as well, and of course, they can’t smell anything. But when they go back inside their module and remove the complete spacesuit, the smell of the cabin has changed and it smells of that burnt, black powder”, he says.

Michaël Moisseeff then reveals the mystery of his lunar perfume. “We’re talking minerals, so desulfurized coal, as well as calcium compounds. A smell is a substance, molecules circulating in the air, that enter through the nostrils, where the sensor is. And in it are small locks, and let’s say that these tiny molecules of fragrance are the tiny keys,” he explains.

The moon’s fragrance is to be found at the Cité de l'espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The aim is “to provide an experience as authentic as that of the astronauts who lived on the moon to the visitor”, according to Xavier Penot, a scientific mediator at the Cité de l'espace. A Chinese probe has already landed on the moon in January 2019, whereas the lunar programmes of South Korea and Japan are targeting the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing their return to lunar soil for 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a fragrance evaluator, a "Nose," so he is familiar with rare scents. He has created a perfume which mimics the odor the astronauts encountered when they went to the moon.

He calls himself a "sculptor of fragrances." A perfume designer, Michaël Moisseeff is the first to have compounded the distinctive odor of the moon. He based his work on the astronauts' accounts. "There they are, in their helmets and their inner and outer spacesuits. They don't seem to smell anything. Yet, when they get back into the space module, remove their helmets and other gear, they find that the odor in the cabin has changed, that is smells like acrid black powder," he explained.

Michaël Moisseeff then revealed the mystery of his lunar perfume.
"This is the realm of the mineral, of desulfurized carbon as well as calcium by-products. An odor is a form of matter whose molecules circulate in the air and are registered by the nostrils. There, they are deciphered by receptors," he explained, "like tiny locks opened by tiny keys."

You can discover the lunar fragrance at the Space Museum in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), whose mission is to "allow visitors to experience the same sensations that the astronauts did when they were on the moon," explained Xavier Penot, a scientific spokesman for the Space Museum. A Chinese space probe again landed on the moon in 2019, and South Korea and Japan are preparing their space programs for late 2020 and 2021. The United States is getting ready to return to the lunar surface around the beginning of 2024.

Michael Moisseeff is a Nose, well accustomed to unexplored scents. He has created a fragrance that reproduces the odor that the astronauts smelled for the first time, during their moon landing.

He calls himself a "sculptor of aroma”. A creator of perfumes, Michaël Moisseeff, a Nose by trade, is the first to have formulated a quite singular smell: that of the moon. The basis of his work was established upon the astronauts' accounts of their experience.

"They wear special thermal undergarments, a protective outer suit and a space helmet on their heads—of course they don't smell anything,"he explains. "However, when they re-enter the module and take off the helmet and the rest of their gear, that's when the odor in the cabin is different –it smells of this scorched black powder, ” .

Michaël Moisseeff then unveils the mysteries of his moon fragrance. "We are in a mineral environment, therefore desulfurized carbon, and then calcium derivatives. Odor is matter –molecules that circulate in the air, and enter through the nostrils, where the receptors are. Within them are small locks, and we should think of these odor molecules as tiny keys, " he clarifies.

The smell of the moon can be found at the Cité de l'Espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The goal is to "give the visitor an experience as original as that of the astronauts on the lunar surface", according to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l'Espace. A Chinese probe already landed in January 2019, whereas the lunar programs of South Korea and Japan are aiming for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing their return to the moon by 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a Nose who is familiar with never-before-smelt aromas. He has created a perfume which reconstructs the smell discovered by the astronauts that walked on the moon’s surface.

Calling himself the ‘aroma sculptor’, Michaël Moisseeff is a perfume creator, a Nose, who has been the first to reconstruct a very unique scent: that of the moon. The reconstruction is based on the descriptive accounts given by the astronauts. “They had their helmets over their heads, with their space suits and overalls, so obviously they couldn’t smell the scent. However, they take their helmets off when back in their module and when they took them off, the smell in the cabin had changed and that is what this charred black powder smells like” he revealed.

Michaël Moisseeff goes on to unveil the mysteries surrounding his lunar scent. “We’re talking about minerals, so coke and then calcium derivatives. A scent is a substance, molecules which circulate in the air and find their way into the nose; this is where the sensor is found. It is here where there are little keyholes and we need to think of these little scent molecules as being little keys”, explains Moisseeff.

This lunar scent can be found at the Cité de l'espace, the scientific discovery centre in Toulouse (Haut-Garonne). The objective was “to give the visitor an experience as close as possible to that of the astronauts who set foot on the moon”, according to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l'espace. A Chinese space probe already landed in January 2019 while the South Korean and Japanese lunar programmes are aiming for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States have set their sights on 2024 for returning to lunar soil.

Michael Moisseeff is a Nose accustomed to unexplored fragrances. He has created a perfume which reconstructs the odor the astronauts were able to discover when they went to the moon.

He calls himself “an aromatics sculptor”. Creator of perfumes, Michael Moisseeff, a Nose, is the first to have reconstituted a very particular odor: that of the moon. He based himself for that on the astronauts’ own testimonials. “They wear their helmet on their head, their inner and outer spacesuits, and of course, they smell nothing – no odor. However, they will re-enter their module, remove their helmet, and there, upon removing everything, the scent in the cabin has changed and it smells like burnt black powder.”

Michael Moisseeff then reveals the mysteries of his lunar perfume. “We are in the mineral domain, hence of desulfurized coal, and calcium derivatives. A scent, it is matter; molecules circulating in the air, which enter through the nostrils, where the sensor resides. And in this one, there are little locks, and one has to view these tiny molecules of scent as little keys, he explains.

The scent of the moon can be found at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse (Haute Garonne). The objective being to “provide the visitor an experience as authentic as that lived by the astronauts themselves on the surface of the moon” according to Xavier Penot, the science curator at the Cité de l’Espace. A Chinese probe already landed on the moon in January 2019 while the lunar programs of South Korea and Japan aim for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States are preparing their return to the lunar surface some time in 2024.

Michael Moisseeff is a perfume virtuoso who is used to unexplored scents. He created a fragrance that reconstitutes the smell that astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.

He calls himself a "sculptor of aromas". Perfume designer Michael Moisseeff, a master of fragrances, is the first to have reconstructed a very particular smell: that of the moon. In order to achieve this, he drew upon the testimonies of astronauts. "They have a spacesuit helmet on the head, an outfit with an outer layer and of course, they don't smell. On the other hand, they will enter their module and remove the space suit. And then, after removing everything, the smell of the cabin has changed and it smells of this black, burnt powder" he reveals.

Michael Moisseeff then reveals the mysteries of his lunar fragrance. "We have to do with minerals, that is coal devoid of sulphur, and then derivatives of calcium. Smell is matter, molecules that circulate in the air, which have entered through the nostrils, where the sensor is. And in the latter, there are small locks, and you have to imagine that these little molecules of smell are small keys," he explains.

The smell of the moon can be found at the Cité de l'Espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The aim is to "enable the visitor to experience life on the moon as genuinely as the astronauts did", according to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l'Espace. A Chinese probe has already landed on the moon in January 2019 while the lunar programs of South Korea and Japan aim for the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing its return to the moon by 2024.

Michaël Moisseeff is a Nose used to working with completely unknown fragrances. He has created a perfume that replicates the smell that astronauts discovered when they went to the moon.
He calls himself an "aroma sculptor".
Perfume creator, Michaël Moisseeff, a Nose, is the first person to have reconstituted a very particular scent: that of the moon. He based it on statements from astronauts "They were wearing their helmets, and their uniforms and spacesuits, and of course they couldn’t smell anything. On the other hand, they then went back to their module, took off the helmets, and there, when they were taking everything off, the smell in the cabin changed and it smelled like burnt black powder" he reveals.

Michaël Moisseeff then unveils the mysteries of his lunar perfume. "This is a mineral environment, so there’s coke, and then calcium by-products. A smell is a material, molecules circulating in the air, which enter through the nostrils, where the sensor is. And in the sensor, there are things like tiny keyholes, and the way of thinking about it is that these small scent molecules are tiny keys," he explains.

The smell of the moon can be found at the Cité de l'espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The aim is to "enable visitors to have an experience as original as the astronauts had on the moon", according to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l'Espace. A Chinese probe landed in January 2019, and South Korea and Japan are running moon programmes aiming at the end of 2020 and 2021. The United States is preparing its return to the Moon for 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a 'Nose' accustomed to undiscovered fragrances. He has created a scent that reconstitutes the smell astronauts could have experienced when they went to the moon.

He calls himself an 'aroma sculptor.' A perfumer or 'Nose', Michaël Moisseff is the first to have recreated a most unique smell: the moon's. To do this, he relied on feedback from the astronauts. 'They have their suits and helmets on, including oversuit and undersuit, and very obviously do not detect any smell. They are going, however, to reenter their module, remove their suits and, through taking everything off in there, find the odour in the cabin has changed and now smacks of that black, burned dust,'* he reveals.

Michaël Moisseff then unveils the secrets of his lunar perfume. 'We are in the mineral domain, so we're talking desulfurized carbon along with calcium derivatives. An odour is made up of matter, molecules circulating in the air and getting in through the nostrils, where the sensor is located. The latter contains tiny locks and you have to think of the little odour molecules as tiny keys,' he explains.

The smell of the moon may be rediscovered at the Cité de l'Espace in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). The idea is to 'provide the visitor with as unique an experience as that enjoyed by the astronauts on the moon,' according to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l'Espace. A Chinese probe has already landed on the moon in January 2019, while the South Korean and Japanese lunar programmes aim to do so by the end of 2020 and 2021. The U.S. plans to set foot on lunar soil again by 2024.

Michaël Moisseff is a perfumer familiar with unexplored scents. He created a perfume that recreates the scent that astronauts experienced when they went to the moon.

He calls himself a “scent sculptor”. Creator of perfumes, Michaël Moisseff, is the first to have reconstituted a very particular smell: The Moon. It was based on astronauts’ testimonies. "They are fully covered with the spacesuit and the helmet and of course they cannot smell. However, when they will enter their module and take off the spacesuit, the smell of the cabin has changed and now it smells of burnt powder" he reveals.

Michaël Moisseff unveils the mysteries of his moon fragrance: “It is in the minerals, in the desulfurized carbon and the excess of calcium. An odor is molecules which circulate in the air, which enter through the nostrils where the receptors are. And in here, these odor molecules are the key to open the locks for smells”, he explains.

The smell of the moon can be found at the City of Space (Cité de l'Espace in French) in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). According to Xavier Penot, scientific mediator at the Cité de l'Espace, the goal is “to allow the visitors an experience as authentic as the astronauts had who lived on the moon”. In January of 2019, a Chinese probe has already landed on the moon, while the lunar programs of South Korea and Japan are targeting the end of 2020 and 2021 respectively. The United States is preparing the return to lunar soil by 2024.