[TheForge][OT] Re: The Smell of Space - sorta OT

[Jerry Frost]

Probably quite a bit, though if you want exact numbers 
you'll need to do the searching. Deep space, which LEO 
is most certainly not, has approx. 3 molecules of 
hydrogen per cu/m plus whatever else is around. The 
shuttle doesn't even leave earth's atmosphere, let 
alone the dust and debris belt. Earth has rings though 
much fainter than Saturn's.

Then there's the solar wind to consider. Again I don't 
have any exact numbers, good approximations are 
available on the web I'm sure, there are lots of solar 
researchers publishing. Generally however, the solar 
wind is a soup of mostly hydrogen and helium with 
plenty of other stuff up to carbon if I recall 
correctly. Mining helium 3 is one scheme for making 
lunar exploration pay it's own way. Maybe helium 3 is 
smelly. <grin>(That's a joke, you don't need to explain 
it to me)

Another thing you can count on the solar wind to do is 
generate an electric charge. This makes things stick to 
each other seeing as electrons are getting stripped 
fairly constantly.

Space is far from a perfect vacuum and if there's 
something to make molecules stick like a charge from 
the solar wind they will. Once back inside the high 
pressure atmosphere of the shuttle would or could 
easily dislodge them where a sensitive nose might pick 
them up. Once they were dispersed throughout the ship 
it's unlikely anyone would notice. It'd either be too 
dilute or people would get used to it and not notice. 
It's also possible, maybe probable that once back 
inside chemical reactions might turn them into 
something else all together.

If you don't think people can get used to a smell ask a 
submariner if he noticed his buddies smell a couple 
days out of port. <grimmace> Landlubbers can usually 
tell a submariner for a couple days (I've heard) weeks 
after he's gotten off ship by the distinctive smell. I 
tend to think the jaundiced skin color has something to 
do with it but. . .

The only question I have is whether he's smelling 
something accumulated from LEO atmosphere and solar 
wind or it's generated from the suit's and tool's 
materials themselves.

I lean towards accumulated material seeing as the same 
smell comes from different items but without someone 
actually researching it there's no telling.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.


From: "Peter Hirst" <saltydog335 at aol.com>


> Ok . . . and the number of molecules picked up by a 
> space suit in space compared to what it picks up in 
> the airlock  compared to a brazilianth of a dram of 
> skunk voodoo is is what, exactly?
>
>