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What does the International Space Station smell like?

3 1
06.09.2025

(NEXSTAR) – There are currently seven people zipping through space aboard the International Space Station, all trying to work, eat, exercise and live alongside one another within the airtight confines of the station’s habitable areas.

So let’s talk about what it might smell like up there.

Astronauts who have previously visited the ISS have not been shy about the odor on the space station, with many describing it as a one-of-a-kind aroma.

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Speaking with Wired magazine in 2017, former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly likened the odor to a jail he once visited, describing it as a “combination of antiseptic, garbage and body odor.” He then attempted to clarify that the astronauts themselves don’t stink much, but rather their workout clothes.

“We use deodorant, we wipe, rinse off, shower. But there’s a little body odor going on for sure. Mostly it’s just exercise clothes people wear for a couple weeks without........

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