There have been 21 people who have died in space. Their cause of death is due to a spacecraft malfunction that killed the entire crew, instead of health problems that affected only a single person. However, if a crewmember died and others remained, they needed to do something with the body. Otherwise, they will risk contamination as the body starts to decay.
One option to get rid of the dead body is to release it into space, a harsh environment with harmful radiation, freezing temperatures, and a new vacuum. So, what would happen to the body of a dead human if it gets exposed to the elements in space?
Decomposing in Space
Since the vacuum of space has very low pressure, any form of liquid from the surface of the human body would quickly turn to gas. These include lungs, ears, mouth, eyes, and skin liquids. Blood vessels near the surface can also rupture and bleed, even after the person's death.
Meanwhile, the remaining water in the dead body would likely freeze because of the space's low baseline temperature of -454.81 degrees Fahrenheit (-270.45 degrees Celsius). Loss of liquid, combined with freezing, would bring the body into a mummified state, essentially preserving the corpse. This might look like some dehydrated body in space, according to Translational Research Institute for Space Health chief engineer Jimmy Wu.
Even living astronauts would meet this fate if exposed to space without a spacesuit. The next thing that could happen would depend on the presence of bacteria in the surroundings.
According to International Space Station (ISS) research, bacteria can survive in space for at least three years. Bacteria that were still alive will begin to digest the dead body. The decomposition process can also greatly accelerate if the body is exposed to a hotter setting in space. The powerful radiation can also affect the body by breaking apart carbon bonds and causing the skin and muscles to degrade.
Where Would the Corpse Go?
After being discharged from the spacecraft, the dehydrated and decomposing body would go into orbit. It will follow the direction where it was pushed out unless it encounters another object.
Since there are lots of space debris and satellites that orbit around the Earth, colliding into one is a dangerous encounter that the dead body can face. To avoid this, NASA recommends going further into space and leaving planetary orbit before releasing the dead body.
At this point, the dead body may start decomposing, but it is still a hard object. This means that a collision between the body and a satellite or spaceship can cause damage to both of them. If the corpse successfully avoided collision with space debris and satellites, it could slowly be drawn toward Earth by gravity. This can happen especially if the death occurred within low Earth orbit, about 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) or less from Earth. What seemed like a dramatic journey of the corpse through space would end up reentering the atmosphere and cause the cadaver to burn up.
Releasing the dead body from a spaceship is not the only option after death. Space burial can also be done, although it can cause contamination of planetary surfaces. For this reason, NASA tries to develop a body bag that can preserve the dead body on a spaceship for 48 to 72 hours. This time is enough to return to Earth from the International Space Station. If the journey were far away, like a Mars mission, crewmembers would need to find other options since it would take several months to fly back to Earth.
Read also: Cardiovascular Disease: Common Cause of Death Among Cosmonauts According to Russian Researcher Say
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