What Occurs to a Deceased Individual in Space? NASA’s Protocol Provides Answers.

Houston: Undoubtedly, the endeavor of sending human beings into space is an incredibly challenging and hazardous undertaking.

In the past six decades, human space exploration has witnessed the loss of 20 lives – 14 in the NASA space shuttle disasters of 1986 and 2003, three cosmonauts during the 1971 Soyuz 11 mission, and an additional three astronauts in the Apollo 1 launch pad fire of 1967.

Considering the intricacies involved in human spaceflight, it is quite remarkable that the number of lives lost has remained relatively low thus far. Nevertheless, NASA has ambitious plans to send a crew to the Moon in 2025 and aims to send astronauts to Mars within the next decade. Additionally, commercial spaceflight is steadily becoming a routine practice. As space travel becomes more frequent, it also raises the possibility that fatalities might occur during these journeys.

It makes us wonder: If someone dies in space, what happens to their body?

Loss of life on the Moon and Mars

As a space medical doctor, my focus, along with my team at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health, is to discover innovative methods to ensure optimal health for astronauts during space missions.

Currently, the procedure for dealing with death in space is as follows: If an individual were to pass away during a low-Earth-orbit mission, like on the International Space Station, the crew could swiftly return the body to Earth using a capsule, a process that would only take a few hours.

If such a scenario occurred on the Moon, the crew would be able to bring the body back home within a few days, thanks to established protocols already in place by NASA.

The circumstances would vary significantly if an astronaut were to pass away during the 300-million-mile journey to Mars.

During this time, the crew would likely store the body in a distinct compartment or a specially designed body bag. The controlled temperature and humidity within the spacecraft would theoretically aid in preserving the body.

However, all these situations would only be relevant in the event of a death occurring in a pressurized setting, such as a space station or spacecraft.

If someone were to venture outside into space without the safeguard of a spacesuit, what would be the outcome?

In such a scenario, the astronaut would face immediate fatality. The absence of pressure and exposure to the vacuum of space would render breathing impossible, causing blood and other body fluids to boil.

If an astronaut were to step out onto the Moon or Mars without a spacesuit, the outcome would be similar to exposure to open space. Both the Moon and Mars have minimal atmospheres – the Moon practically has none, while Mars possesses a very thin atmosphere with almost no oxygen. Consequently, the result would be suffocation and the boiling of blood.

What about the burial process in space?

In the event that the astronaut passed away after landing while on the surface of Mars.

Cremation is not a favorable option as it consumes excessive energy needed for other critical purposes by the surviving crew. Burial is also not a viable choice due to concerns about potential contamination of the Martian surface from bacteria and other organisms in the body. Instead, the crew would probably opt to preserve the body in a specialized body bag until it could be transported back to Earth.

Numerous uncertainties remain regarding how explorers would cope with a death in space. It goes beyond merely deciding how to handle the body. Equally crucial is providing support for the crew to cope with the loss and offering assistance to grieving families back on Earth. To achieve the genuine colonization of other worlds, such as the Moon, Mars, or planets beyond our solar system, careful planning and protocols for dealing with this challenging scenario will be indispensable.