Odor from Russian spacecraft leaves scientists baffled - NASA said there was an ‘unexpected’ smell that came out of a Russian spacecraft’s hatch

A Russian spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (ISS) didn’t just bring supplies to the ISS—it also brought a foul odor. The unpleasant aroma was strong enough to prompt astronauts to close the hatch connecting it to the rest of the space station and initiate anti-contamination procedures.

A mysterious odor and "small droplets" greeted cosmonauts on the ISS when they opened the hatch to a newly arrived cargo spacecraft. The smell remains unidentified.

"After opening the Progress spacecraft's hatch, the Roscosmos cosmonauts noticed an unexpected odor and observed small droplets, prompting the crew to close the Poisk hatch to the rest of the Russian segment," NASA said in a statement on Sunday.

A mysterious "unexpected odor" was reported by Russian astronauts after a spacecraft delivering supplies docked at the International Space Station.

As if they need any more problems, the astronauts on board the International Space Station now have a new noxious odor to deal with. In a statement posted on X-formerly-Twitter, NASA's ISS account noted that when the Russians' Poisk module docked with the rest of the space station,

Crewmembers on the ISS were in a panic after a Russian cargo ship arrived with a 'toxic smell' and 'possible contamination hazard in the form of droplets.'

The Progress vehicle was locked down after the crew noticed a foul smell and droplets floating through the air.