What happens if someone dies in space?

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There is no doubt that sending humans into space is an extraordinarily difficult and dangerous proposition.

Since human space exploration began just over 60 years ago, 20 people have died – 14 in NASA Space Shuttle Tragedies of 1986 It is 2003three cosmonauts during the 1971 Soyuz 11 missionand three astronauts in The Apollo 1 launch pad burned down in 1967.

Given how complicated human spaceflight is, it’s truly remarkable how few people have lost their lives so far. But NASA plans to send a crew to the Moon in 2025 and astronauts to Mars in the next decade. Commercial spaceflight It’s becoming routine. As space travel becomes more common, the possibility of someone dying along the way increases.

This brings to mind a grim but necessary question: If someone dies in space – what happens to their body?

Death on the Moon and Mars

As a space doctor who works to find new ways to keep astronauts healthy, my team and I at Translational Research Institute for Space Health I want to make sure space explorers are as healthy as possible for space missions.

Here’s how death in space would be handled today: If someone died on a mission in low Earth orbit — like aboard the International Space Station – the crew could return the body to Earth in a capsule in a matter of hours.

If this happened on the Moon, the crew could return home with the body in just a few days. NASA has already detailed protocols in place for such events.

Due to this quick turnaround, it is likely that preservation of the body is not NASA’s primary concern; instead, the No. 1 priority would be to ensure the remaining crew returned safely to Earth.

Things would be different if an astronaut died during 300 million mile journey to Mars.

In this scenario, the crew would likely not be able to turn around and go back. Instead, the body would likely return to Earth along with the crew at the end of the mission, which would be a few years later.

However, the crew would likely preserve the body in a separate chamber. or specialized body bag. The constant temperature and humidity inside the rover would theoretically help preserve the body.

But all of these scenarios would only apply if someone died in a pressurized environment, like a space station or spacecraft.

What would happen if someone went into space without the protection of a spacesuit?

The astronaut would die almost instantly. The loss of pressure and exposure to the vacuum of space would make it impossible for the astronaut to breathe, and blood and other bodily fluids would boil.

What would happen if an astronaut stepped foot on the Moon or Mars without a spacesuit?

The Moon has almost no atmosphere – a very small amount. Mars has a very tenuous atmosphere, and almost no oxygen. Therefore, the result would be almost the same as exposure to open space: suffocation and boiling blood.

And the burial?

Suppose the astronaut died after landing, while on the surface of Mars.

Cremation is not desirable; it requires a lot of energy that the surviving crew needs for other purposes. And burial isn’t a good idea either. Bacteria and other organisms in the body can contaminate the Martian surface. Instead, the crew would likely preserve the body in a specialized bag until it could be returned to Earth.

There are still many unknowns about how explorers would deal with a death. It’s not just the question of what to do with the body. Helping the crew deal with the loss and helping grieving families on Earth is just as important as dealing with the remains of the person who died. But to truly colonize other worlds – be it the Moon, Mars or a planet outside our solar system – this grim scenario will require planning and protocols.

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This article was republished from The conversation, an independent, nonprofit news organization that brings you trusted facts and analysis to help you understand our complex world. It was written by: Emmanuel Urquieta, Baylor College of Medicine

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Emmanuel Urquieta is supported by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health.