Why Does Space Smell Like Gunpowder?

Astronauts and NASA/ESA missions report that space has a distinct smell, often reminiscent of burnt metal, sulfur, and gunpowder.

Although space is considered a vacuum, scientific observations and astronaut testimonies reveal that it produces a specific odor profile. One example is the Winchcombe meteorite, which fell in the UK in 2021 and smelled like compost.

Astronauts returning from lunar missions reported that their suits smelled of burnt wood, hot metal, or welding fumes. Astronaut Harrison Schmitt from the Apollo 17 mission described the smell of the Moon as burnt gunpowder.

The explanation is that chemical reactions occur when space materials come into contact with oxygen, creating oxidations reminiscent of combustion. Space is also full of organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Missions like Rosetta recorded odors from comets, with compounds such as sulfurous gases, ammonia, and cyanide residues. In galactic clouds like Sagittarius B2, ethyl formate is detected, which smells like rum and raspberries.

Space is a chemical landscape, where each composition of matter leaves an odor footprint.

Source: cnn.gr