Space has always been of interest to humanity. In 1961, man first ascended into space. After a long and tough selection, Yuri Gagarin was elected a candidate for space flight. More than half a century has passed since then, but space continues to beckon to itself with its unknown.
Despite the fact that several dozen cosmonauts from all continents of the Earth have already visited outer space, much for scientists still remains a mystery. In particular, space researchers have not been able to get an unambiguous answer to the question "What does space smell like?"
The cosmonauts who crossed the rocket's threshold have a wide variety of opinions on this matter. For some, the "aroma" of space is associated with the smell of hot metal, for others - with the smell of fried steak, for others - with a burning dump, for others - with ethyl alcohol and naphthalene.
Why do astronauts have such a diverse perception of the scent of space? This is primarily due to the individual characteristics of the astronauts. Some - well feel strong odors, others - less pronounced aromas. But each of them is right in its own way. There is no unequivocal opinion on this matter yet, and it is unlikely that it will appear.
Although many researchers believe that there should be no smell in space: aromas do not spread in a vacuum. But in practice it turns out differently. Alexander Lazutkin, who worked at the Mir space station, after the fire on the ship, compared the sharp aroma hovering around with the smell of a burnt garbage can.
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, stepping on the lunar soil, reported that moon dust smells like gunpowder. In addition, scientists believe, astronauts can smell other odors emitted by the hull, materials and equipment of the spacecraft, which in zero gravity differ significantly from the usual earthly scents.
Also, in space, you can smell the fuel on which the aircraft is operating. In particular, in 1976 the crew of the Salyut-5 orbital station felt the asymmetric dimethylhydrazine used in the Salyut propulsion system. Despite the fact that the gas analyzer did not register any deviations, the astronauts' health began to deteriorate. As a result, the team shortened their operational flight into space by 11 days.
Astronauts of Soyuz-21 Volonyv and Zholobov did not feel anything foreign in space orbit, except for fatigue and deterioration of their condition.
There is also an assumption that space may smell like ethyl alcohol and naphthalene, the molecules of which were recently discovered by astronomers on the surface of extraterrestrial orbits. Well, anything is possible.
