Strange Smell Of Space
WASHINGTON - For rookie astronauts flying aboard the International Space Station, the food is good, the rocket thrusters are loud and there's an odd tang in the air - apparently from outer space.
"It's a very, very different environment than I expected," Discovery shuttle pilot Kevin Ford, a first-time spaceflyer, said from orbit late Friday.
One of things Ford wasn't ready for is the weird smell.
"From the [spacewalks] there really is a distinct smell of space when they come back in," Ford said from the station in a Friday night news conference. "It's like...something I haven't ever smelled before, but I'll never forget it. You know how those things stick with you."
In the past, astronauts have described the smell of space as something akin to gunpowder or ozone.
The sounds of spaceflight have also been surprising, especially when Discovery fires up its large maneuvering thrusters, Ford said.
"It definitely gives the shuttle a kick and you just feel a little twang throughout the whole orbiter when they're firing to keep you in position," he added.http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20090905/sc space/spacesightsandsmellssurpriserookieastronauts
THIS ARTICLE TIES IN WITH THE MANY REPORTS I HAVE HAD ABOUT ODD SMELLS UFO'S AND ALIENS.
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