Understanding NASA’s Procedures for Handling Astronaut Deaths in Space

Most people never have to contemplate death under extreme conditions like weightlessness, freezing temperatures, or exposure to the vacuum of space. However, NASA must thoroughly prepare for every eventuality, including the possibility of an astronaut passing away during a mission.

Though it might sound like something from a sci-fi story, NASA approaches this grim reality with detailed protocols and even conducts "death scenario" drills. Former ISS commander and astronaut Chris Hadfield shared insights with Popular Science, revealing how the agency plans to respond if tragedy strikes in orbit.

How Would NASA Handle an Astronaut’s Death During a Spacewalk?

Picture an astronaut dying during an EVA (extravehicular activity), the iconic spacewalks that highlight human space exploration. According to Hadfield, the utmost concern would be retrieving the body back inside the spacecraft’s airlock. However, the way bodies decompose in space brings unexpected challenges.

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The warm, pressurized confines of a spacesuit accelerate decomposition, risking contamination and unpleasant odors that could affect the crew. "The smell of decay or gas release must be avoided," Hadfield elaborated. To mitigate risks, the deceased astronaut remains sealed in their suit and is placed in a cold storage area—essentially a temporary morgue aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Options for Managing Death on the ISS Are Limited

The ISS has strict procedures to deal with a crew member’s passing. According to NASA’s document on ‘Mortality Related to Human Spaceflight’, there are three primary measures for handling remains:

1. Transport the body back to Earth: The ideal solution, although it’s often complicated by mission parameters and logistics.
2. Discard the body into space: Though seemingly straightforward, this option breaches international regulations on space debris and could provoke significant diplomatic issues.
3. Atmospheric burn-up during re-entry: Similar to cremation upon returning through Earth’s atmosphere, but this method raises ethical and practical concerns.

Space Cremation by Freezing and Fragmenting the Body

To address some of these issues, NASA scientists have proposed a novel concept: breaking the body down into smaller pieces. This involves encasing the corpse in a special bag, freezing it with space’s cold environment, and then using a robotic arm to vibrate the body into manageable fragments for easier storage and transportation.

While this may sound like science fiction, it reflects the harsh realities and spatial limitations astronauts face when dealing with remains in orbit.

Death on the Moon Presents Additional Ethical and Logistical Challenges

If an astronaut were to die on the Moon’s surface, the lack of moisture and Earth-based microbes would preserve the body almost indefinitely. However, letting it remain there isn’t an option due to NASA’s dedication to planetary protection, which requires avoiding biological contamination of extraterrestrial environments. This necessitates recovering and bringing the remains back, complicating an already difficult situation.

NASA’s Unspoken Concern: Coping With Loss in Space

While NASA’s protocols cover most technical aspects, the human factor—the emotional impact of death so far from home—remains an unscripted and deeply personal challenge for astronauts and their loved ones. For now, the safest hope is that all crew members return safely to Earth.

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