WEBVTT - What Does Space Smell Like?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vog Bomb. Here, we all know

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<v Speaker 1>that space is empty. Most of space is completely absent

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<v Speaker 1>of anything, not dust, not planets, nor Sun's, not even air.

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<v Speaker 1>So why do many of the people who have been

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<v Speaker 1>to space and spend time in it report that space

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<v Speaker 1>has a smell? It turns out that space does smell,

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<v Speaker 1>and our solar system in fact, has a very particular scent.

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<v Speaker 1>This is likely the result of several factors, but all

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<v Speaker 1>are clear. Our corner of the universe is kind of stinky.

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<v Speaker 1>While no astronaut has ever been unwise enough to unclasp

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<v Speaker 1>and remove their helmet in the near vacuum of space,

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<v Speaker 1>many have reported having experienced sense up there upon their return. Specifically,

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<v Speaker 1>many astronauts report different smells in the airlock after participating

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<v Speaker 1>in spacewalks. American astronaut Don Petite described it in this

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<v Speaker 1>way after returning from NASA's Expedition six to the International

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<v Speaker 1>Space Station in two thousand three. A quote, The best

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<v Speaker 1>description I can come up with is metallic, a rather pleasant, sweet,

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<v Speaker 1>metallic sensation. It reminded me of my college summers, where

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<v Speaker 1>I've labored for many hours with an arc welding torch

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<v Speaker 1>repairing heavy equipment for a small logging outfit. It reminded

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<v Speaker 1>me of pleasant, sweet smelling welding fumes. That is the

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<v Speaker 1>smell of space. Other astronauts have described it in similar

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<v Speaker 1>varying ways, burning metal, a distinct odor of ozone and

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<v Speaker 1>acrid smell, walnuts and brake pads, gunpowder, and even burnt

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<v Speaker 1>almond cookie a much like wine, connoisseurs may smell something

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<v Speaker 1>a bit different from the same bottle. Astronaut reports differ

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<v Speaker 1>slightly in their scent notes, but have one thing in common,

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<v Speaker 1>a burnt smell. So what might explain why space smells burnt?

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<v Speaker 1>There are two possible explanations. OH one hypothesis relates to

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<v Speaker 1>the process that occurs in the airlock as astronauts return

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<v Speaker 1>from space to the I, S, S, or whatever spacecraft

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<v Speaker 1>they call home temporarily during repressurization. The chemical reaction of

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<v Speaker 1>oxidation occurs atoms of oxygen in space attached to the

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<v Speaker 1>astronaut suit and flowed in during the depressurized time when

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<v Speaker 1>the airlock is open, and then combined to form atmospheric

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<v Speaker 1>oxygen or O two. This process is similar to combustion

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<v Speaker 1>without the flame and smoke and smells similar to which

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<v Speaker 1>might explain the smoky, charred odor that astronauts report. A

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<v Speaker 1>second hypothesis relates to stellar explosions, that is, dying stars.

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<v Speaker 1>Though we've only been studying the night sky for a

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<v Speaker 1>few millennia, the universe is some thirteen point seven billion

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<v Speaker 1>years old. Our Solar system is estimated to be about

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<v Speaker 1>four and a half billion years old. This means that

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<v Speaker 1>for literally billions of years before Solar System ever formed,

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<v Speaker 1>stars were being born and dying across the universe. When

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<v Speaker 1>stars die, it tends to be a dramatic affair, and

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<v Speaker 1>this bombastic process creates compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or

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<v Speaker 1>p h s. P a h s are present throughout

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<v Speaker 1>the Solar System, including here on Earth. They can be

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<v Speaker 1>found in some foods, in coal and oil, among other materials.

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<v Speaker 1>They also occur when coal, tobacco, wood, meat, and other

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<v Speaker 1>substances are burned. Perhaps part of the reasons space has

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<v Speaker 1>a distinctly burnt and charcoal smell is because it, like

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<v Speaker 1>a grill on a summer evening, is emitting smelly p

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<v Speaker 1>H is outside of our Solar system it's not as stinky.

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<v Speaker 1>Other parts of the universe do have compounds and elements

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<v Speaker 1>that create different smells, though't no human is likely to

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<v Speaker 1>or take a big whiff to confirm, but just for example,

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<v Speaker 1>the dust cloud Sagittarius B two has a high concentration

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<v Speaker 1>of ethel formate, which is the compound that gives raspberries

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<v Speaker 1>and rum part of their distinctive odors. So if you

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<v Speaker 1>love a good raspberry dacory, that maybe the corner of

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<v Speaker 1>the universe for you. Today's episode is based on the

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<v Speaker 1>article what does space Smell Like? On how stuff works

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com written by Valerie Cymac. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang. Four more

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