Last year, NASA published a technical brief on mortality on human spaceflights, stressing how 'comprehensive plans' must be in place to protect the crew and mission objectives, determine the cause of death, and handling of the remains with 'dignity, honour, and respect'.
NASA reveals exactly what needs to happen if someone dies in space With human missions into space becoming more common and adventurous than ever, the chances of an astronaut fatality increases.
In the closed atmosphere of a space vehicle, the natural byproducts of decomposition and/or potential pathogens released during the decomposition process could contaminate the enclosed vehicle environment.
"The health of the surviving crew must be maintained within the habitable environment as after death, the body begins to decompose and becomes a biohazard.
This could be caused by a slew of events, from vehicle malfunctions and fire depressurisation to insufficient access to food and water due to contamination or spoilage.
