Astronauts Report Metallic Smell After Spacewalks as Orbital Exposure Alters Suits and Tools
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 14
Astronauts Report Metallic Smell After Spacewalks as Orbital Exposure Alters Suits and Tools
2 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jul 14
Summary
Astronauts repeatedly say suits and gear brought back from spacewalks carry a sharp metallic odor once the airlock is repressurized and helmets come off.
Low Earth orbit exposes outer surfaces to atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, charged particles and vacuum, likely creating reactive residues that become noticeable only when cabin air returns.
NASA veterans including Don Pettit and Scott Kelly have likened the smell to seared steak, hot metal, welding fumes or burning metal—consistent analogies rather than a single identified compound.
NASA has treated the reports seriously enough that accounts link a training-scent recreation effort to British chemist Steve Pearce, underscoring that the odor is a repeatable effect of gear crossing from vacuum into air.