Traveling to space is becoming more and more common, particularly now, as private companies are entering the race to become the first ones to offer space travel to everyday people. While a lot more of us will probably be able to go into space in the future, currently it’s only the special few astronauts, who make it through the tough selection processes and actually get to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.
Upon their return to Earth, many astronauts recall a distinct smell that they experienced while in space. Despite it being a lifeless vacuum, the incredible humans who leave the relative safety of the International Space Station say they smelled some pretty weird smells on themselves and their spacesuits after returning inside their orbiting base.
Upon their return to Earth, many astronauts recall a distinct smell that they experienced while in space. Despite it being a lifeless vacuum, the incredible humans who leave the relative safety of the International Space Station say they smelled some pretty weird smells on themselves and their spacesuits after returning inside their orbiting base.
Metal
NASA astronaut Don Pettit described space as having a sweet metallic scent that he found quite pleasant. He likened it to the smell of the fumes from a welding torch being used for long periods of time to repair heavy equipment. Other astronauts who have ventured out into space on their missions have reported a similar smell, so it does appear to be a fairly consistent description of what space actually smells like. Don Pettit also mentioned that the interior of the International Space Station smelled less pleasant to him as he described its odor as a cross between an engine room and a laboratory.
Gun Powder
Another relatively common way of describing the smell of space is that it smells similar to gun powder. A few astronauts have used this comparison and it does kind of make sense when you think about it. When traveling from Earth to space and docking with the International Space Station, rockets are fired, fuel is burned, and the material the capsule or vehicle is made from will gain a lot of temperature before cooling off in the cold conditions of space. All of this combined sounds like it could create a scent reminiscent of gun powder. Anytime several astronauts make the same claim, it should probably be taken seriously.
Static Electricity
A somewhat more unique way of categorizing the smell of space comes from U.K. astronaut Tim Peake, who said he thought space smelled like static electricity. He went on to further explain his description by saying that when you take off a shirt or a jumper, it will sometimes generate a static charge that leaves behind a burnt metallic smell, and he thinks that is a similar odor to the one space has.
Seared Steak
Some astronauts have gone as far as to say that space smells like a seared steak. They recall that when taking off their spacesuits in the airlock after a spacewalk, they could smell what appeared to be steak on their clothes and bodies. This is an interesting thing to relate to the smell of space but it does seem to fit the pattern of smelling like something is burnt.
Barbecue
Another heat and burning-related odor that space supposedly has is that of a charcoal barbecue. Most astronauts have discussed the distinctive smell that is present upon opening the airlock after it has been exposed to the exterior space conditions and several have said it isn’t too far away from a summer barbecue smell. If this is true, it would be a great reminder of life back on Earth so there are certainly worse things space could smell of.
