Fried steak and hot metal

[Tiassa]

Source: News.com (http://www.news.com.au/)
Link: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24510523-13762,00.html
Title: "Space smells like fried steak and hot metal"
Date: October 17, 2008

Is this the astronomical equivalent of our Free Thoughts forum? If so, my apologies:

Space smells like fried steak and hot metal according to astronauts so NASA has paid a chemist to recreate the odours on Earth.

The space agency has commissioned Steven Pearce of British fragrance firm Omega Ingredients to recreate the smells to help train astronauts, the Press Association reported.

"We have a few clues as to what space smells like. First of all, there were interviews with astronauts that we were given, when they had been outside and then returned to the space station and were de-suiting and taking off their helmets, they all reported quite particular odours.

"For them, what comes across is a smell of fried steak, hot metal and even welding a motorbike, one of them said."

(News.com (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24510523-13762,00.html))

This doesn't seem to me entirely a waste of money. But I'm not sure about its priority at present. As a component of a training program, is this just to get astronauts accustomed to what they should expect, or is there an aspect of, "If you smell fried steak and hot metal, your spaceship might have a leak", to it?

[Roman]

"If you smell fried steak and hot metal, your spaceship might have a leak", to it?

"Space air is flooding into our ship! Everyone! goggles on!"
Heh.
I'm trying to figure out how space can have a smell.

[Steve100]

"Space air is flooding into our ship! Everyone! goggles on!"
Heh.
I'm trying to figure out how space can have a smell.

There's all sorts of shit floating around in space, as I think the only complete vacuum is where nothing has yet reached.

[Stryder]

Space doesn't of course smell, however the absence of an atmosphere and the likelihood that space operations are done in sunlight would suggest that both the Suit, it's fittings and even the Spaceship itself is slowly cook, there is of course the cold to.

Anyhow on returning to the ship the lingering odour is likely not from an atmosphere being brought in but from the temperature causing a very low amount of damage to the suit itself and of course light being let into the Airlock. Where it's likely dead skin cells are burnt.

I mean a good example here would be a Toaster being used for the first time, your toast will cook but the smells emitted won't smell like normal toast.

[iceaura]

Smells trigger memory better than almost anything else.

Getting the smells right would be a good training feature.

[one_raven]

Space doesn't of course smell

How can you be so sure?
Smell is just particles being picked up by your olfactory.
There does not need to be air for there to be particles.

[Roman]

How can you be so sure?
Smell is just particles being picked up by your olfactory.
There does not need to be air for there to be particles.

Ahem.
Air IS particles.
Are particles.

[one_raven]

Ahem.
Air IS particles.
Are particles.

So are comets.

[Roman]

Hard to get a comet in the nose.
But I get you. Presumably there are particles floating around that stick in there.

I've always envisioned space as pretty empty- the particles are few and far enough between that, unless you're smelling shit particles, you won't notice them. Not enough receptors to generate an action potential.

The smell is likely related to radiation or vacuum doing something to the nose and/or material on board the ship.

[one_raven]

Hard to get a comet in the nose.

It fucking hurts, let me tell you.

[one_raven]

I think space is pretty well filled with particles, personally, but I don't care to fully explain what I mean - and most would simply discount me as a crackpot anyway.
Not that these particles necessarily smell like steak - I don't know.

I do know that some "smells" aren't really "smells".
Ozone is a perfect example.
Go into a copy room, and you can "smell" Ozone.
On a very dry day, you can smell (at least I can smell) Ozone in the air if it is going to snow.