Despite being prestigious and well paying, astronauts are one of the most risky jobs. Astronauts can die at any time due to various reasons, such as asphyxia (low levels of oxygen in the body) to plane crashes.
So, what protocol is applied if someone dies in outer space? Here is the answer from Emmanuel Urquieta, professor of aerospace medicine and emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
1. The causes of death for astronauts vary, from internal to external factors
Studies published in the journal IntechOpen in 2018 explained the causes of death for United States (US) astronauts from 1960 to 2017. For natural factors, most were caused by cancer (19 people), cardiovascular disease (11 people), and others (16 people).
Meanwhile, for external factors, the cause was a spacecraft accident (15 people) and other incidents (18 people). Considering how dangerous it is to send humans into outer space, actually the number of people who die is less than the number of people who make it back to earth safely.
2. Location of death determines how to handle
illustration of the moon’s surface (wikimedia.org/NASA)
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Collect ScienceAlert, the location of death determines how to handle the body. If the death occurs in low earth orbit, for example on the International Space Station (ISS), then the crew will send the body to earth in a capsule within hours.
If death occurs on the moon, the body will be brought home in a matter of days. Since the top priority is the safety of the remaining crew, preservation of the remains will not be a top concern. What if death occurs on the way to Mars?
Due to the great distance (over 365 million kilometers), the remains will return to Earth with the remaining crew at the end of the mission. The body will be preserved in a special bag or separate room where the temperature and humidity are stable.
Also Read: 5 Amazing Facts about Astronaut Clothing, Has a Heavy Weight!
2023-08-27 22:06:00
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