"The Aroma of the Cosmos: Unveiling the Scent of Space"
Astronauts have reported that space smells like burnt things such as seared steak, spent gunpowder, burnt cakes, and hot metal. Although space is a near-perfect vacuum, astronauts catch a whiff of this unique odor upon removing their helmets after spacewalks. The smell may be attributed to chemical reactions triggered by atomic oxygen clinging to spacesuits and other items exposed to space, or it could be related to smelly molecules produced by dying stars. To recreate the scent, a perfume called Eau de Space was created based on astronauts' descriptions, but few people have truly experienced the smell of space to comment on its realism.