Two questions about space (new guy)

[Michael Gray]

Hi Guys!

Brand new to the forum and believe me, I'm not here to teach but to learn. I have a couple of questions and I hope they don't sound too foolish.

First question: When looking deep into space with the Hubble telescope we are able to see thousands of galaxies receding away to the limit of the Hubble's resolving power. Is/would the view be the similar regardless of where we point the telescope?

Second: A couple of years ago I was listening to a radio show that featured an American astronaut that had visited the MIR space station. He commented that when an airlock was opened that had previously been open to space, he smelled an odor that was very similar to the ash from a fire that had burned out in a fire place. I haven't been able to stop thinking about that comment ever since. Is there an odor to space? Would it be caused by the sun?

 

[Phobos]

Welcome to Physics Forums!

(1) Yes. The Hubble's Deep Field North and Deep Field South photos show this.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980607.html
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020629.html

It also makes sense based on Big Bang theory (distribution of matter throughout the universe with no center or edge to the universe).

(2) Hmm. I had not heard that one. But I would think there are too few particles at that altitude to have a detectable odor.

 

[enigma]

Odor is particles which are shaped in such a way that our noses can recognise them.

 

[ranyart]

Originally posted by Michael Gray
Hi Guys!

Brand new to the forum and believe me, I'm not here to teach but to learn. I have a couple of questions and I hope they don't sound too foolish.

First question: When looking deep into space with the Hubble telescope we are able to see thousands of galaxies receding away to the limit of the Hubble's resolving power. Is/would the view be the similar regardless of where we point the telescope?

Second: A couple of years ago I was listening to a radio show that featured an American astronaut that had visited the MIR space station. He commented that when an airlock was opened that had previously been open to space, he smelled an odor that was very similar to the ash from a fire that had burned out in a fire place. I haven't been able to stop thinking about that comment ever since. Is there an odor to space? Would it be caused by the sun?

A couple of years ago I was listening to a radio show that featured an American astronaut that had visited the MIR space station. He commented that when an airlock was opened that had previously been open to space, he smelled an odor that was very similar to the ash from a fire that had burned out in a fire place.

Did not Mir have an onboard fire at some stage in its long history?
If this is not so then, its quite probable that even though there is no Oxygen in Space, the Mir craft is made from metals, metals melt and carbon filements may have been collected on the outer surface of Mir due to the High Energy Cosmic rays that Mir was exposed to over time. As astronauts come and go from outside spacewalks, their inside airlock would have accumilated many fragments, when the airlock to the inner vessel was opened oxygen from the outerchamber would rush in as the airlock is released, and so the particulates from inside the outer airlock would transfer into the main vessel.

I believe that American missions identified some sort of carbonization?..to astronauts helmets as crew members made reports of 'arc-ing-lights' inside Spaceshuttle and or Skylab missions. Further investigation to the crews space-helmets revealed substantial damage, later attributed to the influx of High Energy Cosmic rays,
Nature seems to have a 'first' in High energy cosmic welding!