There are countless unresolved questions about space and the vast galaxy, yet one of the most intriguing aspects that fascinates people more than anything is the smell of outer space. A retired NASA astronaut has now shared her perspective on this.

For every astronaut, spending time in space is the ultimate dream. It’s an opportunity to gaze into the endlessness of the galaxy and see Earth from a front-row seat. Many astronauts are eager to return to space as soon as they can, even after spending nearly a year aboard the International Space Station.

However, there’s one thing that might make some aspiring astronauts reconsider their dream of traveling to space, and that’s the smell. The mysterious odor encountered when leaving Earth’s atmosphere is not what many might expect.

Nicole Stott, a former NASA astronaut, revealed what space really smells like (Sinenkiy / Getty)

Fortunately, one former NASA astronaut has revealed exactly what she thinks space smells like, giving us a glimpse into this unknown aspect of space travel. This insight could help you decide if you would be able to endure this scent for days or even months during long missions.

What does space smell like?
Nicole Stott, a retired NASA astronaut, engineer, and aquanaut, recently answered various space-related questions in an interview with LADbible Stories on YouTube. During the conversation, she shared fascinating truths about her time at NASA.

While Stott discussed her favorite planets, how her body changed during her time in space, and even whether sex could happen aboard the International Space Station, one of the most intriguing aspects she revealed was the scent of space.

“Well, it would be a bad day if you went out there and tried to smell it yourself, so don’t do that,” Stott humorously warned. She then described space as having a "very distinct, kind of sweet metallic smell."

While it’s certainly difficult to describe something that most people will never experience in their lifetime, she compared the scent to that of opening a can of soup or the smell that might linger when a car’s radiator overheats.

What causes this smell?
One important clarification is that space itself is completely odorless because there’s no oxygen. So, if someone somehow survived outside of a spacecraft or space station without a suit, they wouldn't be able to smell anything. What Stott is actually describing is more the smell of the spacecraft or station itself.

She further explains that astronauts can get a sense of this metallic odor when they return to Earth, as it lingers on their suits and equipment. This smell is likely the result of hot metals present throughout nearly every part of the spacecraft or space station.

Efforts to recreate the smell
Interestingly, one scientist has taken the challenge of recreating the smell of space for others to experience. Biochemist Steve Pearce conducted experiments with various odors to create a scent resembling "hot metal, burnt meat, burnt cakes, spent gunpowder, and welding of metal," as reported by Live Science.

This doesn’t even take into account the potential smells that astronauts themselves produce while aboard the ISS, including the possibility of encountering odors from floating excrement. However, the general scent you'll experience in space is undeniably metallic, a unique feature of life in orbit.