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What happens if someone dies in space? – Guillermo, Palm Beach, Florida
There is no question that sending people into space is an extremely difficult and dangerous statement.
The research of human space began since over 60 years ago, 20 people have died – 14 in the NASA Space Shuttle Tragedies from 1986 and 2003, three cosmonauts during the Soyuz 11 mission from 1971 and three astronauts in Apollo 1 launch Pad Fire in 1967.
In view of the complicated human space travel, it is actually remarkable how few people have lost their lives so far. But NASA plans to send a crew to the moon and astronauts to Mars in 2025. Commercial space flight is always routinely. If space travel becomes more common, the possibility is that someone will die on the way.
It reminds of a dark but necessary question: If someone dies in the room – what happens to the body?
Death on the moon and Mars
As a space doctor, I and my team at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health will surely keep astronauts healthy.
So death in space would be handled today: if someone died on a mission with a low earth as on board the international space station-the crew could bring the body back into a capsule to earth within a few hours.
If it happened on the moon, the crew could return home by body in a few days. NASA already has detailed protocols for such events.
Because of this quick return, it is likely that the preservation of the body would not be the main concerns of NASA. Instead, priority No. 1 would be to ensure that the remaining crew returns safely to Earth.
Things would be different if an astronaut died to Mars during the 300 million mileage trip.
In this scenario, the crew could probably not turn and go back. Instead, the body would return to earth at the end of the mission, which would be a few years later.
In the meantime, the crew would probably preserve the body in a separate chamber or a special body bag. The constant temperature and humidity in the space vehicle would theoretically help to maintain the body.
But all of these scenarios would only apply if someone died in an environment under pressure, like a space station or a spaceship.
What would happen if someone would step into space without the protection of a space.
The astronaut would die almost immediately. The loss of pressure and exposure to the vacuum of the room would make it impossible for the astronaut to breathe, and blood and other body fluids would cook.
What would happen if an astronaut would step onto the moon or Mars without a place suit?
The moon has almost no atmosphere – a very tiny amount. Mars has a very thin atmosphere and almost no oxygen. The result would be about the same as the exposure to open space: suffocation and boiling blood.
What about funeral?
Suppose the astronaut died after landing while on the surface of Mars.
Cremation is not desirable; It requires too much energy that the surviving crew needs for other purposes. And the funeral is also not a good idea. Bacteria and other organisms from the body were able to contaminate the surface of the Mars. Instead, the crew would probably keep the body in a specialized body bag until it could be traced back to earth.
There are still many strangers about how explorers would deal with death. It is not just the question of what to do with the body. The crew of dealing with the loss and holding back the grieving families on earth is just as important as dealing with the remains of the died person. But to really colonize other worlds – whether the moon, Mars or a planet outside of our solar system – requires this dark scenario planning and protocols.
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This article will be released from the conversation, a non -profit, independent news organization that brings you facts and trustworthy analyzes 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.
