What Space Smells Like

When astronauts return from space walks and remove their helmets， they are welcomed back with a specific smell， which is distinct and weird： something like seared steak， also like hot metal or welding smoke.

Three-time spacewalker Thomas Jones has said， “Space carries a distinct odor of ozone. It is acrid and smells a little like gunpowder.”

But how does it smell weird？ It turns out that it is the atmosphere that gives space the special odor. According to a research， when astronauts move their bodies from space to the station， they bring some particles back inside. The odor they smell comes from the high-energy vibrations in these particles which mix with the air.

“Each time， when I pressed the airlock， opened the hatch and welcomed two tired workers inside， a peculiar smell tickled my nose，” astronaut Don Pettit recalled.“At first I thought it must have come from the air channel. Then I noticed that this odor was on their suits， helmets， gloves， and tools. It was more obvious on cloths than on metal or plastic surfaces.”

So NASA， now， is trying to reproduce that odor for training purposes—to help astronauts adapt better to the odor of the extra-atmospheric environment.

helmet頭盔

distinct 明顯的

weird 奇怪的

sear 烤焦

steak 牛排

welding 焊接的

odor氣味

ozone 臭氧

acrid 刺鼻的

gunpowder火藥

particle粒子

vibration振動

hatch艙門

tickle （使）發癢

extra？鄄atmospheric大氣層外的

Where does the weird smell of space come from？

A. The vibration in particles which mix with the air.

B. The suits， helmets， goloves which astronauts wear.

C. The air channel of the space station.

（Find the Key in this issue）