How are astronauts dying in Mars missions handled?

According to experts, missions to bring people to Mars in the future cannot avoid the loss of life. However, NASA does not currently have a process to handle corpses in space.

Astronaut in space. Illustration. Many plans have been proposed, such as “launch” ill-fated astronauts into space, burial on Mars, even used as food for the crew. If there is a problem on the flight itinerary We are entering an exciting space era, in which many hope human’s first step on the surface of Mars will not be far away. However, as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk once said, “If you want to go to Mars, prepare for death.” About 21 astronauts have been killed since humans first set foot on a spacecraft and flew into space 60 years ago. According to experts, the death toll will inevitably increase as space agencies prepare for missions to send humans to Mars. To get to the Red planet, astronauts spend at least seven months living inside a cramped spaceship, traveling long distances, deep. If they survive this journey, they will have to endure the harsh environment of the Martian world. When a crew member dies while on a mission, it will take months, even years, for their bodies to be brought back to Earth. This situation raises a question: What happens to the body of a dead person in space? NASA does not have procedures to handle corpses in space because the astronauts selected for the mission are guaranteed physical and mental health. However, researchers around the world have thought of this situation and proposed measures to handle when an astronaut accidentally dies. During the mission on the journey to Mars, can the astronaut’s body be placed in cold storage or freeze-dried until the spacecraft returns to Earth? The process of freezing drying in space is much different from that on Earth. On Earth, people would use liquid nitrogen to freeze bodies, but in space, a robotic arm would hang the body wrapped in a bag on the outside of a spacecraft. The body will freeze for an hour, become brittle, then the arm will shake, breaking into small pieces. This process will theoretically turn an astronaut weighing 90kg into a mass of only 22kg, which can be stored on a spaceship for many years. But if this freeze-drying isn’t an option, the crew can send off their deceased companion to stay forever in the vast universe. Catherine Conley of NASA’s Office for the Protection of the Planet told Popular Science: “At the moment, there are no specific guidelines in the plan to protect the planet, either at the NASA level or internationally, regarding” bury “a deceased astronaut by throwing the body into space”. The solution of releasing the dead into space seems to be the easiest option, the body will stay on the spacecraft’s journey and linger on the place where it was released. And if more missions choose this approach, future spacecraft heading towards Mars will likely collide with many corpses. The robotic arm holds the dead body in space waiting to freeze. Illustration. Bad situation going to Mars If you are lucky enough to survive on a journey that lasts approximately 7 months and reach Mars, astronauts will face new challenges that threaten their survival, radiation. Previous data showed that Mars is 700 times more contaminated with radiation than Earth. Radiation can alter the cardiovascular system, damage the heart, harden and narrow the arteries, or remove some of the cells in the lining of blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease and may end with the death of the astronaut. In this case, burial on Mars would be necessary, but NASA has strict laws about contaminating other planets from microorganisms on Earth. NASA scientist Conley told Popular Science: “Regarding the disposal of organic matter (including corpses) on Mars, we are not imposing any restrictions as long as all are eliminated. microorganisms on Earth. So it is necessary to cremate ”. However, not every dead astronaut can be buried, but in some emergency situation, such as when the remaining crew runs out of food and in order to survive, the corpse of the human. The team can help them sustain life on their way back to Earth. It sounds barbaric, but there has been such a case in the past, when a plane crashed into the Andes in 1972. The survivors had no food and no way to communicate with them. outside, so in order to sustain life, to find someone to come and save, they made the difficult decision to eat the dead as soon as the plane crashed. Biologist Paul Wolpe said: “Although we give our bodies a lot of respect, life is everything. If the only way a human could survive was to eat a body, then that would be acceptable, even if no one wanted it.