Space station smells
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Space Station Smells — Daily trivia Thursday, March 19, 2026: questions and answers
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play this daily
Q 01How did astronaut Scott Kelly famously describe the smell inside the ISS?
- AA fresh ocean breeze after rain
- BAntiseptic, garbage, and body odor
- CA brand-new car interior
- DPure recycled oxygen with no scent
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Antiseptic, garbage, and body odor
Antiseptic, garbage, and body odor. Kelly said a room he toured at Harris County Jail smelled just like the space station.
Q 02Which family of compounds from dying stars is thought to cause the smell on spacesuits after spacewalks?
- APolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
- BSulfur dioxide and related oxides
- CMethane and other light alkanes
- DNitrogen oxides and nitrate salts
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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. NASA Ames astrochemist Louis Allamandola says dying stars shed soot rich in them, the same molecules found in soot, charred meat and car exhaust on Earth.
Q 03On NASA's 0-to-4 sniff-test scale for items bound for the ISS, what does a score of 4 mean?
- ARevolting
- BUndetectable
- CPleasant
- DMildly noticeable
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Revolting
Revolting. Five panelists sniff each item blind and rate it from 0 (undetectable) to 4 (revolting), and anything scoring over 2.5 fails.
Q 04NASA's odor panel, which sniffs items before they fly into space, was created after which disaster?
- AThe Apollo 13 explosion
- BThe Soyuz 11 depressurization
- CThe Mir space station fire
- DThe Apollo 1 fire
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The Apollo 1 fire
The Apollo 1 fire. NASA set up the panel in its wake, and chief sniffer George Aldrich has since done more than 900 odor tests.
Q 05Which ISS system scrubs methane, ammonia and odours from cabin air using charcoal beds and a catalytic oxidizer?
- ACarbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA)
- BOxygen Generation System (OGS)
- CTrace Contaminant Control System (TCCS)
- DWater Recovery System (WRS)
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Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS)
The Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS). It runs nonstop inside the station's air revitalization rack, scrubbing gases given off by the crew and their equipment.
Q 06What did astronaut Don Pettit say the smell on spacesuits after spacewalks reminded him of?
- AArc welding heavy equipment
- BBaking bread in a wood-fired oven
- CRoasting coffee beans
- DLighting a campfire
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Arc welding heavy equipment
Don Pettit described the smell as "a rather pleasant sweet metallic sensation" that reminded him of "sweet-smelling welding fumes" from his college summers spent arc welding heavy equipment for a logging company.
Q 07Which ISS section did cosmonauts seal off after a toxic smell and droplets from a newly docked Progress cargo ship?
- AThe US Destiny laboratory
- BThe Russian Poisk module
- CThe Russian Zvezda module
- DThe European Columbus module
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The Russian Poisk module
The Russian Poisk module. The crew shut its hatch to the rest of the Russian segment while air scrubbers ran, and NASA blamed outgassing from the Progress cargo.
Q 08What was the Kickstarter perfume based on NASA's astronaut-training scent called?
- ACosmic Musk
- BNebula No. 5
- CEau de Space
- DVoid by NASA
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Eau de Space
Eau de Space. Its makers pried NASA's astronaut-training formula loose with Freedom of Information Act requests.
Q 09ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst tweeted that space smells like a mixture of walnuts and what?
- AThe brake pads of his motorbike
- BFreshly cut grass
- CBurnt toast at breakfast
- DHis grandmother's cellar
Show answer
The brake pads of his motorbike
The brake pads of his motorbike. Astronauts pick up space's metallic smell on suits and tools after spacewalks, and others have likened it to seared steak or gunpowder.
Q 10How does NASA first prepare a material before its ISS odor panel smells it?
- AFreeze it to -80°C for 24 hours, then thaw
- BHeat it to about 49°C for 72 hours
- CExpose it to UV light for 48 hours
- DSoak it in distilled water for a week
Show answer
Heat it to about 49°C for 72 hours
They heat it to about 49°C for 72 hours in a glass desiccator, then let it cool; before sniffing, a nurse checks every panelist's nose and throat.
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