Wouldn’t you think space, as an airless vacuum, would have absolutely no smell? Well even the absence of a smell can hold some type of odor.
This is so incredibly interesting; all of the different smells astronauts smell.
It must smell slightly different to everyone as we all have our own sense of smell. Anything from burnt almond cookies to a metallic smell – who would have thought these strange smells would be out in space.
This astronaut said, to him, space smells like walnuts and motorbike brake pads.
This Astronaut said:
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.
It was announced in 2009 that a cloud in the center of our galaxy contains ethyl formate. This is the substance that gives raspberries their flavor, but actually smells like rum.
Buzz Aldrin said space smells like:
It was like burnt charcoal, or similar to the ashes that are in a fireplace, especially if you sprinkle a little water on them.
This astronaut said it smells like wet clothes after a day in the snow.
Thomas Jones told Space.com:
When you repressurize the airlock and get out of your suit, there is a distinct odor of ozone, a faint acrid smell.