Astronauts reveal ‘disgusting’ reality of what space really smells like and it's not what anyone expected
You might not have even considered that space actually has a smell, but its 'disgusting' aroma is something astronauts have often commented on - and it's likely not going to be what you'd expect it to be.
Space can be a bit of a lonely space, especially when some crews spend as long as nine months on board the International Space Station (ISS), and perhaps one thing that doesn't help the feeling is the unpleasant smell.
You famously can't hear anyone scream when you're actually 'outside' in space and the same is true for smell as there's no oxygen in the vacuum that allows for odors float through the air.
However, inside the ISS is a very different story, and it's become somewhat of a running joke between astronauts quite how unique it is, and for many it's also unbearably unpleasant.
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As reported by Live Science, biochemist Steve Pearce aimed to recreate the smell for NASA by using data and descriptions gathered from interviews and memoirs of astronauts.
It's hard to truly replicate something as abstract as a smell, but the end result of Pearce's experiment led to one that had the following properties: "Hot metal, burnt meat, burnt cakes, spent gunpowder, and welding of metal."
Pretty much everything there involves the unmistakable smell of burning that usually sets off your alarm bells, alongside a metallic aroma that appears to either delight or disgust people depending on their own personal tastes.
It definitely makes sense though considering the ISS' predominantly metal construction, and the distinct lack of any ventilation whatsoever on the floating station means that the odor is going nowhere.
This particular description has been echoed by former NASA astronaut Don Pettit too, who offered a more positive recollection of his aromatic memories on board the ISS:
"The best description I can come up with is metallic; a rather pleasant sweet metallic sensation," Pettit wrote on a blog post for NASA. "It reminded me of my college summers where I labored for many hours with an arc welding torch repairing heavy equipment for a small logging outfit. It reminded me of pleasant sweet smelling welding fumes. That is the smell of space."
Not everyone will have quite the same level of nostalgic attachment as Petit though, and you can imagine how having the lingering smell of metal in your nose all day every day isn't that desirable.
It could be far worse though, as hilarious audio from NASA's Apollo 10 mission shows that you can also encounter the unfortunate aroma of a 'floating turd' while in space, and that's the last thing that you'd want to get a whiff of when trying to complete important research.