[TheForge] The Smell of Space - sorta OT

[craig.schaefer at verizon.net]

Since the 'smell' is really molecules of something it leaves me wondering just how packed the vacuum of space is with molecules of things.  


>From: Rob Fertner <rfertner at cox.net>
>Date: 2008/03/13 Thu PM 04:10:41 CDT
>To: artgawk at thegrid.net, 'Sponsored by ABANA' <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: RE: [TheForge] The Smell of Space - sorta OT

>But he says the smell is on the helmets and tools. These being nonpermeable
>metals and plastics, I'd say the smell was deposited rather than drawn from
>within. Now, I wonder if space would smell different elsewhere? In earth
>orbit, you have billions of years of contamination from meteorites hitting
>our atmosphere. Atoms of metals are in orbit around the earth. So, space
>here would have a metallic smell. What about deep space? Would that have the
>same smell? We'll have to wait and smell.
>
>Rob
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
>[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Peter Fels And Phoebe
>Palmer
>Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 3:21 PM
>To: Sponsored by ABANA
>Subject: Re: [TheForge] The Smell of Space - sorta OT
>
>Rob;
>Isn't that more likely to be the smell of the suit pulled to it's 
>surface by the vacuum of space?...pf
>
>Rob Fertner wrote:
>> "The following are from a series of articles on the NASA website  by ISS
>> Science Officer Don Pettit:
>> 
>> 
>> The Smell of Space
>> 
>> Few people have experienced traveling into space. Even fewer have
>> experienced the smell of space. Now this sounds strange, that a vacuum
>could
>> have a smell and that a human being could live to smell that smell. It
>seems
>> about as improbable as listening to sounds in space, yet space has a
>> definite smell. Being creatures of an atmosphere, we can only smell space
>> indirectly. Sort of like the way a pit viper smells by waving its tongue
>in
>> the air and then pressing it to the roof of its mouth where sensors
>process
>> the molecules that have been adsorbed onto the waggling appendage. I had
>the
>> pleasure of operating the airlock for two of my crewmates while they went
>on
>> several space walks. Each time, when I repressed the airlock, opened the
>> hatch and welcomed two tired workers inside, a peculiar odor tickled my
>> olfactory senses. At first I couldn't quite place it. It must have come
>from
>> the air ducts that re-pressed the compartment. Then I noticed that this
>> smell was on their suit, helmet, gloves, and tools. It was more pronounced
>> on fabrics than on metal or plastic surfaces. It is hard to describe this
>> smell; it is definitely not the olfactory equivalent to describing the
>> palette sensations of some new food as "tastes like chicken." The best
>> description I can come up with is metallic; a rather pleasant sweet
>metallic
>> sensation. It reminded me of my college summers where I labored for many
>> hours with an arc welding torch repairing heavy equipment for a small
>> logging outfit. It reminded me of pleasant sweet smelling welding fumes.
>> That is the smell of space."
>> 
>> 
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