Space smells like gunpowder, burnt meat and alcohol, astronauts say
Technology
Thanks to the use of helmets, astronauts don't have to deal with many pungent aromas
(Web Desk) - Turns out, the moon's odor is reminiscent of gunpowder and some comets give off the pungent aroma of urine.
Space is a curious place, and although there's no air to breathe, experts say the smells are out of this world, according to a recent report from Space.com.
Thanks to the use of helmets, astronauts don't have to really deal with many of the more pungent aromas hanging around the universe. However, once they're back inside their spacecrafts and can safely remove their helmets, the smells can get interesting.
"Space definitely has a smell that's different than anything else," astronaut Dominic "Tony" Antonelli said in 2009.
Those who participated in the Apollo moon landing or who have worked at the International Space Station have gone on record to report that the lunar landscape is rife with the smell of gunpowder and “burnt steak," per Space.com.
“Everyone's instant impression of the smell was that of spent gunpowder," Apollo 17's Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, who walked on the moon in 1972, previously told the outlet.
"Spent gunpowder smell probably was much more implanted in our memories than other comparable odors."
"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," NASA astronaut Don Pettit once wrote in a blog post.
"It reminded me of pleasant sweet smelling welding fumes."
One theory scientists have behind the smells is that during spacewalks "single atoms of oxygen can adhere to their space suits," per Space.com.
When those atoms are repressurized, oxygen "floods into the airlock and combines with the single oxygen atoms to form ozone," creating the sour, distinctly metallic scent notes.
As for the burnt odor, scientists believe that's due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in charred food items like barbecued meat and also “occur routinely in space."
One gas cloud that’s less than 400 light-years from the center of the Milky Way can really give off a boozy aroma, partially because it actually contains an “abundance of ethyl alcohol,” which is used to make beer.
Former NASA chemist Steve Pearce even developed a perfume called Eau de Space in 2020, per CNN. The outlet reported that Eau de Space product manager Matt Richmond said that although it was difficult to put space's odor into words, "Astronauts describe the smell as a mix of gunpowder, seared steak, raspberries and rum.”
And that's not the full extent of the interesting odors one might encounter in space.
