The general smell of the ISS is considered largely tolerable by astronauts, although they do note that some areas or situations are more odorous than others.

While their noses eventually adapt, the ISS’s sophisticated ventilation system also helps by filtering more than 200 different contaminants, contributing to maintaining a relatively neutral environment.

Upon their return to Earth, astronauts experience an “overload of sensations” and become acutely aware of even the slightest scent, such as the soap from recovery teams or the surrounding nature.

American astronaut Scott Kelly stated to Wired in 2017 that a prison room he visited “smelled like the Space Station: a mix of antiseptic, garbage, and body odors,” explaining that smells tend to linger in the absence of gravity.