What does space smell like? (2024)

FAQs

What does space smell like? ›

Key Takeaways. Astronauts report that space has a distinct smell, often described as metallic or sweet. These descriptions come from astronauts' experiences after returning from spacewalks and noticing the smell in the airlock, which suggests the scent clings to their suits and equipment.

Another NASA astronaut, Don Pettit, described the smell of space at length in a NASA blog post, saying, "The best description I can come up with is metallic; a rather pleasant sweet metallic sensation.

On the other hand, those who traversed the International Space Station compared the smell to burnt steak. Space scientists have said that the source of the metallic, burnt meat stink can be attributed to Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), found in charred foods on Earth. They routinely occur in outer space.

So what about the other odors? There's probably something else going on. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), found in charred food like burnt toast and barbecued meat, also occur routinely in space.

Astronauts have reported smelling “burned” or “fried” steak after a space walk, and they aren't just dreaming of a home-cooked meal. The smell of space is so distinct that, three years ago, NASA reached out to Steven Pearce of the fragrance maker Omega Ingredients to re-create the odor for its training simulations.

Based strictly on chemical analysis, some scientists have concluded that the center of our galaxy smells like raspberries, and tastes like rum.

"Space definitely has a smell that's different than anything else," said astronaut Dominic "Tony" Antonelli in 2009. According to Space, those who have participated in the Apollo moon landing and those who have worked at the International Space Station both said that the moon smells like gunpowder and burnt steak.

Looking toward the sun we thus see a brilliant white light while looking away we would see only the darkness of empty space. Since there is virtually nothing in space to scatter or re-radiate the light to our eye, we see no part of the light and the sky appears to be black.

Some of the most prominent odours that astronauts have reported smelling in space are gunpowder, ozone and burnt steak. According to scientists, there can be two reasons behind it. First, while an astronaut is on a spacewalk, single oxygen atoms can cling to their spacesuit and enter the airlock.

No, you cannot hear any sounds in near-empty regions of space. Sound travels through the vibration of atoms and molecules in a medium (such as air or water). In space, where there is no air, sound has no way to travel.

Does space have an end? ›

The problem is we don't know where space ends, or even if it ends at all. The furthest we can see out into space, using all the technology we currently have, is 46 billion light years away. The volume of space that we can see is called the observable universe. We don't know what is out there beyond this.

Astronauts in space and after returning to earth experience erythematous, burning, itchy, dry, sensitive, and thinning skin. Other skin problems, such as infections, abrasions, lacerations, delayed wound healing, and accelerated skin aging, are also common.

The atmosphere on Mars is mostly carbon dioxide. However, the dirt is primarily iron oxide, which gives its ochre tint, much like central Australia. The atmosphere also has sulfur and acids. This means Mars would most likely have a desert-like acid smell, with some interesting overtones.

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.

Raspberry and rum might sound so familiar as to be uncreative, but the company actually took cues from the 2009 discovery of ethyl formate in a dust cloud at the center of the Milky Way. The molecule is known to smell like rum and taste like raspberries.

raspberries (potentially). This may sound ludicrous at first, but in 2009, a team of astronomers discovered the raspberry-like quality of a dust cloud near the centre of our galaxy, known as Sagittarius B2.

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.

sweet-smelling welding fumes, burning metal, a distinct odour of ozone, an acrid smell, walnuts and brake pads, gunpowder, fruit, rum, and even burnt almond cookie." Decades ago, NASA asked specialists to develop the "smell of space" to help train astronauts before launch into orbit.