The smells of space (2024)

FAQs

What does the space smell like? ›

We can't smell space directly, because our noses don't work in a vacuum. But astronauts aboard the ISS have reported that they notice a metallic aroma – like the smell of welding fumes – on the surface of their spacesuits once the airlock has re-pressurised.

Tim Peake has also spoken about what space smells like, describing it as "like static electricity"

Burnt steak and body odour is not what you imagine when you think of going into space, but that's the consistent description astronauts have of the space station. Welding fumes or burning metal are also common scents. The source of these unpleasant fragrances is not fully understood.

What does outer space smell like? Those aboard the Apollo moon landings described the scent as gunpowder-like. On the other hand, those who traversed the International Space Station compared the smell to burnt steak.

As for the burnt odor, scientists said this could be attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are also found in charred food like burnt toast and barbecued meat and routinely occur in outer space. Another scent that can reportedly be found in space is alcohol.

Most notable is the central region of our galaxy. Astronomers believe it smells like raspberries and tastes like rum. They came to this conclusion when they were scouring the sky around Sagittarius B2 (a dust cloud located near our galactic center) in search of amino acids (a precursor to life).

After walking on the Moon astronauts hopped back into their lunar lander, bringing Moon dust with them. They were surprised, and perplexed, to find that it smelled like spent gunpowder.

Astronauts from the International Space Station have reported catching whiffs of meaty aromas, like bacon, after getting back into the ISS after spacewalks. And if you believe NASA's early moon walkers, our moon doesn't actually smell like cheese. Its scent is more like gunpowder.

Astronauts report that space has a distinct smell, often described as metallic or sweet.

Outer space has a particular stench. But why? When astronauts return from spacewalks, they often describe unexpected scents similar to burnt steak and spent gunpowder.

Do astronauts lose their sense of smell in space? ›

This change can be seen in the first few days of arriving in space when astronauts have a puffy face as fluid blocks the nasal passages. The puffy face feels like a heavy cold and this can cause taste to be affected in the short term by reducing their ability to smell.

Eau de Red Planet

Morie suspects that the predominant Mars odor is a slightly acrid, gassy smell of sulfur compounds, with a chalky, sweet overtone punching through. This scent would become a big part of Red Planet settlers' lives.

You can't smell the sun or maybe you can, if you think that everything around you has an odor and in most cases that smell originates from the sun. Some years ago astronomers stated that the center of our galaxy actually would smell of rum.

Geosmin is the pleasant smell of soil and that earthy scent that comes with and after rain. It is one of the chemicals that makes the smell of petrichor. Out of the petrichor chemicals, I choose to highlight geosmin, though, because microbes produce it.

Oxygen is a colorless, odorless gas. Liquid Oxygen has a light blue color and is odorless.

there is no top, or bottom or left, or right, or front or back to the universe… it just keeps going forever in every direction.

Outer space has very low density and pressure, and is the closest physical approximation of a perfect vacuum. But no vacuum is truly perfect, not even in interstellar space, where there are still a few hydrogen atoms per cubic meter.