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Atomic oxygen adhering to space suits reacts upon entering airlocks. The figure is taken from NASA Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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Astronauts report that space smells like seared steak and welding fumes

Atomic oxygen adhering to space suits reacts upon entering airlocks

Astronauts returning from spacewalks consistently describe a distinct metallic odor clinging to their suits upon airlock repressurisation. Researchers attribute this scent of burnt metal, seared steak and welding fumes to high-energy atomic oxygen particles bonding to suit fabric during exposure to space vacuum.

Materials International Space Station Experiment (4615085573) — NASA APPEL Knowledge Services · Public domain · source

Where this comes from

NASA Science

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Tags: space smell, astronauts, airlock

Astronauts report that space smells like seared steak and welding fumes: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Atomic oxygen adhering to space suits reacts upon entering airlocks. The figure is taken from NASA Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a space fact?: Yes. It sits on the Space shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.