Table of Contents
What happens if someone dies on ISS?
Because astronauts are in impeccable health at the time of launch, a death in the ISS crew would likely result from an accident during a spacewalk. Their lungs would collapse, and after 30 seconds they would be paralyzed—if they weren’t already dead by this point.
Would a human decompose in space?
If you do die in space, your body will not decompose in the normal way, since there is no oxygen. If you were near a source of heat, your body would mummify; if you were not, it would freeze. If your body was sealed in a space suit, it would decompose, but only for as long as the oxygen lasted.
What happens when a person dies while on a space mission?
Body storage – Only an issue if the person died while aboard the spacecraft (as in the previous point). Procedures would depend on the spacecraft, its current configuration, the agenda for the mission and the wishes of the family.
What would happen to a fatality aboard the Space Shuttle?
A fatality aboard the Shuttle would either be committed to space from the airlock or would be stowed in their sleeping bag for return to Earth. A fatality aboard the ISS, or any other station, would likely be handled similarly, with the additional option of placing the body aboard a Soyuz or Dragon for return to Earth.
What happens to the body after a Space Shuttle jettison?
After LEM jettison, the body would simply be strapped into the person’s seat and would ride down to Earth with the rest of the crew, likely being committed to the sea by the crew of the recovery vessel. A fatality aboard the Shuttle would either be committed to space from the airlock or would be stowed in their sleeping bag for return to Earth.
How many people have died in space?
So far, no individual has died of natural causes in space. There have been eighteen astronaut deaths, but all were caused by a bona fide space disaster.