Space smells strange

The smell of space will leave a lasting impression on the 7 astronauts on Discovery, after they return to Earth on this Saturday,

Pilot Dominic 'Tony' Antonelli expressed his feelings after going in space in March: 'One thing I have ever heard of is someone who said it was smelling as soon as you opened the hatch. The space smells like nothing. '

Discovery will land at 1:39 pm EDT (1739 GMT) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida after a 13-day trip to bring a new member and US sun wing to the International Space Station.After the journey in space, the astronauts noticed the distinct smell of space.

Ozone, or gunpowder

The Japanese astronaut, Koichi Wakata, who boarded the station by Discovery ship and stayed behind said he could smell a strange smell wafting from outside the station. But both Antonelli and Wakata, who help Discovery's "space- goers" climb in and climb out of space suits, cannot express this particular taste.

Former NASA astronaut Thomas Jones, who traveled in space three times before retiring in 2001, argued that this characteristic smell originated from oxygen atoms attached to the frame of space suits.

'When you press the air button and climb out of the space suit, there is a distinct smell of ozone, a slightly pungent odor,' Jones told SPACE.com, adding that the smell is very similar to fire gun or ozone smell. Inside the clothes, you won't notice, because you just smell plastic '.

Astronaut Richard Arnold, expert of STS-119, took part in the first part of space-based activities (EVA), while construction and maintenance on ISS questions continued March 19, 2009. ( Photo: NASA)

This smell only appears on space ships or space stations after a space trip and it is unmistakable for astronauts to work with the clothes and equipment used in space.

Jones said: 'In that tight space, your nose is right next to the clothes. I often think that smell is like a whiff of space. '

Return to Earth

Discovery's three astronauts' domestic trips were made between March 19 and Monday when astronauts installed the last set of solar wings to increase the lab's energy to the highest.

Discovery spacecraft transports Wakata to the space station instead of NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus. Magnus will return to Discovery Earth to complete the 4.5-month journey in space.

Discovery ship astronauts will spend Friday to check the system for the landing and talk to students at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii, President Barack's high school . Astronauts told President Obama before leaving for the station.