Space smells – fact or fiction?
It’s true, space has a smell. Space is a vacuum, so no one can smell it directly. But astronauts can smell the things that have been in space, such as their suits or tools.
They report that space smells like hot metal, diesel fumes, barbecue, or burning hydrocarbons. These smells are believed to be caused by the by-products of dying stars, such as hydrocarbons.