Space Stinks! Astronaut and Author Tom Jones

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: This episode of Planetary Radio explores the sensory reality of space with astronaut Tom Jones, who explains the “smell of space” as an atomic-oxygen effect on exposed materials, and discusses his new book Planetology. Bruce Betts then covers the night sky, Hubble’s history, Kepler’s early results, and the weekly trivia contest.

Main Topics: The smell of space: Tom Jones explains that astronauts sometimes notice an acrid, burnt, ozone-like odor on spacesuits and materials after spacewalks, likely caused by atomic oxygen in low Earth orbit reacting with exposed surfaces. Planetology and planetary processes: Jones describes his new book with Ellen Stofan, which organizes the solar system around geologic and atmospheric processes such as tectonics, volcanism, impacts, erosion, and the search for life. Future human exploration beyond the Moon: Jones argues that asteroid missions are a practical next step after lunar missions because they are reachable with similar spacecraft capabilities and provide valuable deep-space experience for Mars. Bill Nye’s archived commentary on spaceflight economics: An old Bill Nye segment explains the “beer can problem,” highlighting how a reusable runway-to-orbit spaceplane would need to be mostly fuel, making space tourism and new materials critical to progress. What's Up: night sky and space news: Bruce Betts delivers current observing tips for Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, along with notes on the Moon’s conjunctions and a reminder of Hubble’s deployment anniversary. Kepler and the trivia contest: Betts discusses Kepler’s first-light image set and its large star field, then reviews the listener trivia contest and the ISS science modules answer.

Key Arguments: The smell astronauts report is real and likely comes from atomic oxygen reacting with materials after exposure to vacuum and sunlight in low Earth orbit. Space smells cannot be easily photographed or bottled, making them a private but shared astronaut experience. Planetology focuses on planetary processes rather than a planet-by-planet catalog, giving readers a comparative framework for understanding worlds. Asteroids are a better stepping stone to deep space than Mars because they are closer, smaller, easier to leave, and still require Mars-like operational skills. A mission to an asteroid would be scientifically valuable because these bodies preserve primitive solar system material. Human missions beyond Earth orbit would inspire the public dramatically by shrinking Earth to a tiny dot and changing how people see their world. New materials and rocket designs are necessary to overcome the huge fuel-mass challenge in reusable spaceplanes and lower the cost of access to space.

Data Points: Tom Jones space shuttle flights: 4 - Jones is introduced as a veteran of four shuttle missions. Tom Jones spacewalks: 3 - Jones is described as having completed three spacewalks. Days in space: nearly 53 days - Jones mentions his total time in space in relation to his memoir Skywalking. First spaceflight anniversary: 15 years ago - Jones says the interview week marks 15 years since his first spaceflight. Space tourism cost mentioned: about $20 million U.S. - Bill Nye refers to the current price of a space trip. Fuel fraction for a conventional airliner: 10% - Used in the “beer can problem” comparison. Fuel fraction for a runway-to-orbit spaceplane: about 95% - Nye explains how much of the vehicle would need to be fuel. Kepler sky coverage: 100 square degrees - Betts describes Kepler’s survey area. Kepler target count: more than 100,000 stars - Betts notes the hand-selected candidate stars to monitor. Estimated stars in Kepler field: 14 million stars - Betts cites the number of stars in the region Kepler watches. Moon conjunction with Venus: April 22 - Betts says the Moon passes in front of Venus in western North America. Mercury-Moon close approach: April 26 - Betts notes Mercury near the thin crescent Moon. Hubble Space Telescope deployment: 1990 - Betts marks Hubble’s deployment as a space history item. ISS science modules answer: Destiny, Kibo, and Columbus - Trivia contest answer given by the winning listener.

Pivotal Quotes: "“the smell of space”" — Tom Jones: Jones uses this phrase to describe the odor astronauts notice on exposed materials after spacewalks. "“This could be a very exciting time when people everywhere get a view of the Earth from outer space.”" — Bill Nye: From the archived commentary on how space tourism could change perceptions and access. "“our entire world, our entire history in existence, six billion plus members of the human species would all be viewed in that tiny dot”" — Tom Jones: Jones describes the perspective from an asteroid mission looking back at Earth.

Implications: The episode underscores how human spaceflight changes both perception and engineering priorities: understanding environmental effects like atomic oxygen, designing better spacecraft, and pursuing asteroids as the next practical frontier before Mars.