{
  "id": 19870364,
  "title": "‘How does space smell?’ Halifax students connect with Canadian astronaut aboard ISS",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/how-does-space-smell-halifax-students-connect-with-canadian-astronaut",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-13T21:52:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Global News",
    "slug": "global-news",
    "url": "https://globalnews.ca/news/12150248/high-school-joshua-kutryk-astronaut/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, high school students in Halifax were given a unique opportunity to speak with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk while he was aboard the International Space Station. The event, organized by the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) program, allowed students from École Secondaire du Sommet to connect with Kutryk for a brief 10-minute chat as the station passed overhead at a speed of 25 times the speed of sound.\n\nKutryk, a former CF-18 fighter pilot, is serving as a mission specialist on the six-month Crew 13 mission. During the conversation, students asked him about various topics, with many focusing on Kutryk's experiences in space. One student, Marie Gooding, was intrigued by his response to the question of how space smells. According to Gooding, Kutryk said it smelled like iron or metal, a discovery that surprised her.\n\nThe experience of communicating with an astronaut aboard the ISS left a lasting impression on the students. \"It's not something I thought I'd ever see in my lifetime,\" said Gooding. \"I think the most interesting answer would be the reply to how does space smell, and from what I remember, he said it smelled like iron or metal, which is very interesting, I hadn't expected that.\"\n\nScience teacher Karen Scarcella noted that the ARISS program is designed to inspire students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on radio projects. She explained that science is not confined to the classroom, as it extends beyond textbooks and into the real world. \"This inspires me to enter in like a space agency of some kind but not actually going into space, maybe working like a scientist at NASA or something similar,\" said student Christopher Succar.",
  "summary": "High school students in Halifax enjoyed the rare opportunity to chat with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, direct from the International Space Station.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Calgary Herald",
        "title": "Liftoff: Calgary writer tells story of Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen's journey into deep space",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/liftoff-calgary-writer-tells-story-of-canadian-astronaut-jeremy",
        "published": "2026-11-13T12:21:35.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}