As the era progressed and the focus was on traveling outside of Earth to establish colonies on other planets. We might have to think about the worst possible case of failure: ‘death in space’.
In a NASA report told to the Popular Science website (popsci.com), it is stated that “NASA does not prepare contingency plans for all remote risks. (such as a long trip to Mars)
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NASA’s response to unplanned on-orbit situations will be determined in a real-time collaborative process. Between the Flight Operations Committee Director of Health and Human Performance, NASA leaders, and our international partners.”
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That means Even NASA doesn’t have any plans if a crew member or astronaut dies outside of Earth or even outside the spacecraft. How to deal with corpses is an immediate problem-solving process.
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But what if humanity intends to travel far to colonize other planets? We may have to consider the matter. And what will happen to the body? If we died in space
Dying in space, an event that no one wants to happen.
“In the worst case Something happens during space travel,” said Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. And a former commander of the International Space Station said, “Suddenly you could be hit by a small meteorite. And you can’t do anything about that. It can punch holes in your outfit. And within seconds you ‘Incompetent’”
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In general, The hypothetical astronaut would have only about 15 seconds before losing consciousness. But the unlucky one couldn’t do much. The cold pressure and temperature of outer space will quickly wash over you. Then your body starts to harden. Exposure to space causes your body’s fluids to suddenly turn to gas.
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In a low-pressure vacuum, any liquid from our body surfaces such as the skin, eyes, mouth, ears and lungs instantly turns into a gas, said Jimmy Wu, chief engineer of the Space Health Research Institute at Bay College. Doctor of Medicine Said blood vessels near the skin may be more likely to rupture and bleed. Even though he has died
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However, the little water left in the body tends to freeze. Since the base temperature of space is -270.45 degrees Celsius, loss of fluidity combined with freezing results in ‘mummification’, and then bacteria in the body come into play.
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Research on the International Space Station (ISS) suggests that some bacteria can survive in space for at least three years. And if they survive in the body, that means They will continue their normal process. along with starting to digest from within
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The intense radiation in space can also cause damage to the body. It breaks the carbon bonds that are the building blocks of cells. This causes the skin and muscles to deteriorate quickly. The corpse of a fictional astronaut has now been transformed into a whole. A dehydrated, solid, mummified body is digested from within. and damaged from outside and will continue to float in the direction from which it was pushed until it collides with another object. And that’s the next problem.
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Myles Harris, scientist at the Institute for Disaster Risk and Reduction of University College London said corpses “actually pose a risk” to all satellites in Earth orbit.
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To avoid that happening, NASA recommends (taking the body) further into space and out of planetary orbit. Because a solid corpse can cause further damage.
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But as time passed Earth’s gravity gradually pulls the body back. Eventually, it will burn up in the atmosphere and disappear. That’s what might happen if you die in outer space and the body is difficult to recover. But what happens if we die in a spaceship?
Dying in Space – A Freeze-Dried Funeral
“During my 16 years as an astronaut, I don’t recall talking to any of the other astronauts about the possibility of death,” said NASA astronaut Terry Virts. “But we all understood it was. You can go. But there was no mention in the room.”
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Although death is not officially part of the operations of various space organizations, But many space partners, like NASA, provide training on these missions before travel. or the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and Europe (ESA), which is prepared in the event of the death of any crew member.
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“We have these things called ‘Emergency simulation’ where we discuss what to do with the body,” Werts said.
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Corpses in space are more of a problem than people think. It’s not just that someone dies and then they go through a religious ceremony and then it’s done. But space is tricky, starting with the body bags that are mostly unprepared for missions. Therefore, the body may be kept in an astronaut’s suit. So what’s the matter with the smell? And most importantly, it is a biological hazard. This makes it difficult to decide whether to keep it, return it to Earth (where it is not designed to transport corpses), or launch it into space.
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Many scientists have suggested guidelines. If there really were a death, it might be done in the same way as death in a submarine. When a crew member dies, no captain would immediately order the ship to be moored. Therefore, the corpse is kept near the torpedo. This is the area that is cold and most separated from living quarters.
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Likewise, space station crews may need to keep corpses in the coldest spots on the station and in pressurized suits. To reduce the impact of odors and bacteria
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“I might put them[the bodies]in a pressurized suit. The body actually decomposes faster than in a spacesuit. And we don’t want the smell of rotting flesh or gas. It’s not clean, so we’re going to keep it in the suit somewhere cool on the station,” Hadfield said. “Keep it until one of the ships gets home. They will have third-class seats on the ship.”
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Some agencies are going further. ‘Promessa’, a Swedish eco-burial company, has come up with a new solution using a technique called ‘Promession’ in which the body dries out until it hardens. Instead of turning the body into ashes through traditional cremation. Instead, it turns frozen corpses into millions of tiny pieces of ice.
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The process can be a little scary. It will use a robotic arm to ‘hang’ a corpse inside a bag outside the spacecraft. To allow the coldness of space to harden the corpse until it becomes brittle. The robot’s arms then vibrate, causing the body to shatter into ash-like debris. This allowed the other crew on the ship to keep this ‘corpse’ for years, odorless, harmless. Here’s how it would work if that hypothetical astronaut died during a spaceship flight.
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But what if we died on another planet?
Burial like a Martian
Elon Musk (Elon Musk) once posted on his social network openly saying that “If you want to go to Mars Prepare to die.” And it appears that way. The journey to Mars took a very long time. Moreover, mistakes can occur at any time in any event, just as many movies clearly suggest.
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If someone dies while going to Mars or staying on Mars Keeping it there might be a better idea. “I think that if the crew died while on Mars, We will bury them there instead of bringing the bodies home,” Hadfield said.
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The ship does not have a morgue. The space station located on Mars doesn’t have such a room either. Therefore, burying it on Mars is the remaining option. But many experts are concerned about planetary contamination. Because every regulation states that ‘Earthly microorganisms should not be transported to other planets,’ so to speak, not to mention corpses full of tiny bacteria.
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For this reason, all rovers and spacecraft are repeatedly cleaned and disinfected before launch, to help protect the alien space from being invaded by Earth’s brave bacteria, but instead, transporting corpses back to Earth. It itself is very difficult. Therefore, this matter may be ‘cheap’.
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“Regarding the disposal of organic matter (including corpses) on Mars, we do not impose any restrictions as long as terrestrial microorganisms are killed off,” said Catherine Conley of the Planetary Protection Agency. of NASA, therefore cremation is necessary,” then put it away.
Prepare for the worst.
In fact, NASA has not published an official emergency plan for corpses. But they knew they had to be in place to deal with the loss of crew. And as we enter the era of space exploration filled with rocket launches. There will definitely be more such cases, which everyone is thinking about.
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“Explorations have always killed people. And I’m sure that will always be the case,” said shuttle astronaut Mike Massimino.
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Thinking about your options regarding death in space can help everyone prepare more consciously for the unexpected. Humans tend to adapt quickly to this event. and continue to progress Just like the journey to reach the top of Mount Everest. Every climber knows the risks. And someone always dies. But a determined heart and conscious confrontation It will help everything run as it should.
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“If you climb Everest You’ll know that if you die You will be left there,” says bioethicist Paul Wolpe. There will be no funeral up there. There is no storage location. and was not brought down Hundreds of bodies lie on the mountain, reminding a new generation of climbers just how risky life can be. But humans still move forward.
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“You just accept that,” Volp said. “That’s part of climbing Everest.”
Searched and compiled by Witit Borompichaichartkul
Origin
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https://www.sciencefocus.com/space/would-a-corpse-decay-in-space
https://theconversation.com/death-in-space-heres-what-would-happen-to-our-bodies-169890
https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/what-would-happen-to-a-dead-body-in-space
