Astronauts have described some unusual scents in space, which is not surprising considering the chemistry there is far different from that on Earth. So what does space smell like, and what are the cosmic sources of these odors?
Space is an airless vacuum, so technically, you can't smell anything in space — if you tried, you'd be dead. However, space is not a complete vacuum. It's full of all manner of molecules, some of which have their own strong odors when we smell them on Earth. Learning about what different parts of space might smell like is a really cool way to get a better understanding of cosmic chemistry.
