Have you ever wondered what space smells like? Many of us expect space to be a vast, odorless void, but it turns out that may not be the case. If you guessed cosmic barbecue, you’re not far off.
vFor example, here’s what someone with 13 spacewalks and 370 days in space thinks—NASA Astronaut Donald R. Pettit…“The best description I can come up with is metallic; a rather pleasant sweet metallic sensation. 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.”
vAuthor and EU advocate Matt Finn investigates the how and why the smell of space may be likened to ozone, welding fumes, or burnt materials due to the chemical reactions involving the ionization of gases and dust particles.
