Astronauts reveal what space smells like – it’s a distinct odor, but a familiar scent to us all

ASTRONAUTS have revealed what they think space smells like and you’ve probably smelled something similar before.

Smelling space is an unusual concept because astronauts can’t exactly take their helmets off and actually smell their surroundings outside a spacecraft.

GettyAstronauts have reported that space has a distinctive smell[/caption]

Smells on Earth are created when a substance releases molecules into air and they enter our nose.

Space is a vacuum with no air so if an astronaut tried to smell it directly they’d die.

However, this rather large issue hasn’t stopped a few astronauts reporting indirectly smelling a similar unusual fragrance when they return from a spacewalk.

When astronauts on the International Space Station re-enter the airlock and take off their helmets, they sometimes report a burning or metallic smell.

Nasa astronaut Kevin Ford once told Space.com: “It’s like something I haven’t ever smelled before, but I’ll never forget it.”

Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist, famously stated that space smells like a “burnt almond cookie”.

Other astronauts have reported smelling barbecues, welding, gunpowder and burning metal.

No one knows for sure where the scent comes from.

Nasa even made the smell part of its astronaut training so astronauts won’t be surprised by the sensation.

One theory is that the smell is dying stars, which are said to produce pungent molecules that float around the universe.

Another theory, according to the Australian Academy of Science, is that a chemical reaction called oxidation may produce the smell when astronauts enter a craft after being in space.

Scientists think molecules may attach to spacesuits while they’re out in the vacuum.

These molecules could then change when they’re taken through the airlock and create a smell.