If An Astronaut Died On The Moon, What Would Happen To Their Body?

When you die on Earth , you generally knowwhat will happento your body , even if you ’d rather not . But what happens to it if you go in space , on the Moon , or on the way to the Moon ?

Though it ’s not something NASA belike require to think about , the space agency does have plans in place in the effect of a death in space . According to spaceman and former commanding officer of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield , the space bureau even work " death simulation " with astronauts look at these scenario .

“ If someone die while on an EVA I would fetch them inside the airlock first , ” Hadfieldsaidof his decision from one such exercise . “ I would probably keep them inside their pressurized cause ; body actually rot faster in a spacesuit , and we do n’t want the smell of decompose meat or off bluster , it ’s not healthful . So we would keep them in their suit and store it somewhere moth-eaten on the station . ”

Onboard the International Space Station ( ISS ) , the trouble could be share with comparatively fleetly : Temporary storage in the cooler part of the ISS , followed by possibly the most awesome hearse solicitation / funeral cortege in human history .

" The final disposition of remains will follow , with the ISS Program Office responsible for the final determination of clay disposition,“NASA outlinesin guidance . " For a crew human death occurring on the ISS , options would be limited to the return of remains , jettison to a disposition trajectory , or destructive reentry . "

Of naturally , the crowd ’s wishes , submitted to NASA , would be occupy into story in the event of such a decease . On longer missions – say , toMars – other solutions could be necessary .

You could , of track , jettison the physical structure out into space , turning a former fellow worker into potentially dangerousspace debris . This really move against aUN distance debris extenuation agreement , potentially turning that relate send - off into an international incident .

One choice proposed by a research team set up by NASA could be to impound the corpse , inside a travelling bag , to a automatonlike limb on the outside of the spaceship . The physical structure would freeze solid , at which point the arm would begin to vibrate the bag for 15 moment until the brittle consistence has been deoxidise to small piece . weewee is allowed to evaporate out of the base through a vent , leave the ship with about 25 kilograms ( 55 pounds ) of remains to bring dwelling house to Earth .

AsSusanne Wiigh - Masak of eco - favorable burial caller Promessatold Vice,“Everything on the ship has to be very minimal and cautiously weighed and stored . There ’s not a lot of extra room , so if you have a full - sized departed consistency , where are you go to keep it ? "

To this ending , there would only demand to be the same number of torso bags as crew members , minus one . AsWiigh - Masaksaid , the excess pocketbook " could n’t fill up itself " .

But what happens to your body if you make it to the Moon , only to die there ?

In terms of appendage , there is n’t much that has been set out – it would likely come down to a discussion between astronauts on the missionary station and the squad back on Earth , as well as the astronaut ’s own wishing . NASA assume large care not to contaminate other bodies in the Solar System andwould preferthat bodies be cremate to wipe out off all Earth microbes , if the body is n’t taken home by their crew .

If that is n’t potential – say something happened to the whole crew – it could be that they areburiedor left on the control surface of the Moon .

If you are go out on the open of the Moon , you will not decompose as you would here on Earth . If you die during the lunar day , the bacteria inside you would begin the normal cognitive operation of breaking down your body , assuming your astronaut suit still kept you control . This would n’t last long or be very effective , however , as the body of water in your body wouldquickly evaporateaway in the approximate - vacuity surround . Once the long lunar Nox ( 14 Earth days ) hits , your eubstance will immobilise and the bacteria will be discontinue in their racetrack entirely , if they have n’t been already . With no bacteria to decompose you , your soft tissue stay on safe and you will start tobecome a Moon mammy .

Without the shelter of Earth ’s atmosphere and magnetosphere , actinotherapy would infract down your body further , but over a much longer timescale , perhaps leaving your bones to retrieve 10 of trillion of years in the future .

The temperature variation on the Moon , fluctuatingup to 127 ° C ( 260 ° degree Fahrenheit ) during the 24-hour interval to -173 ° C ( -280 ° farad ) at night , would also have aneffect on your dead body , potentially better it aside as you immobilise and thaw in perpetuity .

Burial , while protecting you from irradiation at the surface , would subject you to consistentlycold temperatures , likely leaving your mummified stay intact for some fourth dimension .

All in all , if you ’re going to die , it ’s plausibly best to prove to do it on Earth , where it is n’t a logistic nightmare for space agencies .