About 21 lives have been lost since the first man climbed into a rocket and jumped into space 60 years ago, but as space agencies prepare for the first human mission to Mars, many are confident the death toll is sure to rise.
Astronauts going to the Red Planet will spend at least seven months in a capsule on a path never traveled by humans, and if they survive the journey to the Red Planet, they will endure the harsh conditions of the Martian world.
When a crew member dies, it takes months or years for the body to be returned to Earth, which begs the question, What happens to the body of a person who dies in space?
Experts have suggested a number of ways to dispose of the body, including ‘throwing’ the person into the dark abyss or burying the person on Mars – but the remains must be burned first so as not to contaminate the surface.
However, a worst-case scenario has been presented where the heroes of the space cockpit run out of food and the only thing edible is the dead body of their fallen crew member.
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When a crew member dies, it takes months or years for the body to be returned to Earth, which begs the question, What happens to the body of a person who dies in space?
We are entering an exciting space age that many hope will lead to the first boots on Mars.
But, as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk once said, “if you want to go to Mars, prepare to die.”
NASA has not established protocols for dealing with death in space, but researchers around the world have made every effort to respectfully dispose of a fallen astronaut, as reported by Popular Science.
If a crew member dies while traveling more than 170 million miles to Mars, the body can be placed in cold storage or freeze-dried until the craft lands.
Experts have suggested a number of ways to dispose of the body, including ‘throwing’ the person into the dark abyss or burying the person on Mars – but the remains must be burned first so as not to contaminate the surface.
Freeze-drying in space is very different from on Earth – the body would be kept outside of the capsule where space would cover it with ice.
But if keeping it cold isn’t an option, the surviving crew can send their deceased partner into space.
Catherine Conley of NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection told Popular Science: “ Currently, there are no specific guidelines in planetary protection policy, either at NASA or at the international level, that would address the ‘burial’ of a deceased astronaut through release into space . ‘
Releasing the body in space seems like the easiest option, it would get stuck in the path of the craft and hang exactly where it was released.
And if countless missions choose this method, future rockets going to Mars will fly through a sea of dead bodies.
When astronauts arrive on Mars, they face new challenges that jeopardize survival, including radiation.
Previous data from the Red Plant suggests it is hit with 700 times the radiation experienced on Earth.
Radiation can alter the cardiovascular system, damage the heart, harden and narrow arteries, or eliminate some cells in the linings of the blood vessels, which can lead to cardiovascular disease and possibly end in death.
In this case, a Martian burial will be required, but NASA has strict laws about contaminating other planets with terrestrial microbes.
“Regarding the removal of organic matter (including bodies) on Mars,” NASA’s Conley told Popular Science, “we don’t impose any restrictions as long as all microbes on Earth are killed – so cremation would be necessary.”
Freeze-drying in space is very different from on Earth – the body would be kept outside of the capsule where space would cover it with ice
When astronauts arrive on Mars, they face new challenges that jeopardize survival, including radiation. Previous data from the Red Plant suggests it is hit with 700 times the radiation experienced on Earth.
If they die while on the Red Planet, a Martian burial will be required, but NASA has strict laws about contaminating other planets with Earth’s microbes – the body will have to be burned first
However, not every dead astronaut is likely to be buried, but eaten differently so that the others can survive.
It may sound barbaric, but experts are looking at what happened when a plane crashed in the Andes Mountains in 1972.
The passengers had no food, no way to communicate, so in order to live, they made the difficult decision to eat those who died when the plane crashed.
Bioethicist Paul Wolpe said: ‘There are two kinds of approaches. Although we owe the body a tremendous amount of respect, it is said that life is primary, and if the only way anyone could possibly survive was to eat a body, it is acceptable but not desirable. ‘