Astronauts say that space has a smell--something meaty, metallic, a little fruity. Supposedly every attempt to recreate the smell on earth has failed.

[So maybe the dog was a little distracted, at least, before she suffocated. He doesn't believe in propaganda, but he also doesn't believe a dog would be worth 'euthanasia' so far in space where no one could verify it was any better than the short minute or two without air.]