Imagine a journey into the great unknown of space, where even death takes on a different form. When living things pass away here on Earth, they decompose with the help of tiny creatures and environmental factors like temperature. But out in space, things are entirely different. There's no air or tiny life forms to break down bodies. Instead, they freeze and dry up, almost like they're mummified, floating among the stars. It's a strange fate to ponder for those who dare to explore the cosmic frontier: What happens to them when they meet their end in the massiveness of space?
Suppose an astronaut suddenly falls down and dies while floating in
space during a spacewalk. This actually not happened before, thankfully. When
people have died in space, it's usually because of problems with the spaceship
that affected everyone, not just one person getting sick. But let's say it did
happen, and there were still other astronauts left. They have to figure out
what to do with the body, or else it might start to rot and cause problems. One
idea might be to let it drift off into space.
Now, what would happen to a dead body out there in space? And where
might it end up floating?
In space, where there's barely any pressure, if someone's body is
exposed, any liquid on the surface — like sweat, tears, saliva, and even blood
— would quickly turn into gas. This means that all the moisture on their skin,
eyes, mouth, ears, and even lungs would just disappear. Also, the blood vessels
near the surface of the body could burst and bleed, even after the person has
passed away.
Since space is super cold, around minus 454.81 degrees Fahrenheit
(minus 270.45 degrees Celsius). Any water left in the body would freeze. With
the liquid gone and everything frozen, the body might end up looking like a
dried-up mummy. It’s just then a dehydrated body floating in space.
Any astronaut exposed to space without a spacesuit would meet this
fate. What would happen next would depend on if any bacteria were around.
Research on the International Space Station (ISS) found that
bacteria can live in space for a long time, up to three years at least. If
there are still bacteria on the body, they could start to break it down. Even
though space is usually very cold, sometimes it can be really hot, especially
on the outside of the ISS. Temperatures there can swing from minus 328 F to 392
F (minus 200 C to 200 C). In these hotter conditions, the body would decompose
much faster.
The strong radiation in space would probably damage the body. It
could break apart the bonds in carbon molecules and make the skin and muscles
start to break down.
Once thrown out of the spacecraft, the dried-up and rotting body
would start orbiting around in space, moving in the direction it was pushed
unless it bumped into something else along the way. There's a real chance that
the dead body could hit something in space, like other satellites or space
junk. If a body were to hit a spaceship or satellite, it could cause serious
damage to both. To prevent this danger, NASA suggests taking the body far away
from Earth's orbit before letting it go.
If the body managed to not crash into any satellites or space
debris, it would start moving closer to Earth because of gravity. This would
happen especially if the person died close to Earth, within about 1,200 miles
(2,000 kilometers). Eventually, the most exciting part of the body's trip
through space would be when it comes back into the Earth's atmosphere and burns
up.
Apart from letting go of a body from a spaceship, there's another
choice called space burial. However, it carries a risk of polluting other
planets. NASA is working on a special bag that can keep the body preserved on a
spaceship for up to 48 to 72 hours, which is enough time to get back to Earth
from the International Space Station. But for longer trips, like going to Mars
where it takes seven months to return to Earth, the crew would need to think of
different solutions.
As space missions go farther away from Earth, NASA is getting ready
for what to do if someone dies during the trip. The companies that run
spaceflights also need to think about how to deal with death in space. "We
hope it never happens, but it could... And… if it does… It’s good to be ready.
