The Moon Smells
Apollo astronauts on the moon landing missions encountered something surprising: The moon smells weird. After the moon walks, the astronauts tracked a great deal of dust into the lunar module. Upon removing their helmets, they inhaled the moon dust they picked up during their walks. The moon smells, according to Neil Armstrong, like “the scent of wet ashes.” Buzz Aldrin likened it to the “smell in the air after a firecracker goes off.” Jim Irwin, on the Apollo 15 mission, noticed that there was a “funny smell in here” after removing his helmet. Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt said moon dust “smells like someone’s been firing carbine in here.” Once the mission returned to earth, exposing the dust to air and moisture, the odor had dissipated. Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad said, “Very distinctive smell. I’ll never forget. And I’ve never smelled it again since then.”