If someone dies on the Moon, the way to handle it will depend on the results of discussions between the astronauts on the mission, the team in charge on the ground as well as the wishes of the dead person.
Human bodies can become mummies on the Moon under certain conditions. Image: Frame Stock
NASA tries to avoid contaminating other celestial bodies in the solar system and wants to cremate bodies to destroy all Earth bacteria, if the crew cannot bring the dead back, according to IFL Science. On the surface of the Moon, bodies will not decompose like on Earth. If a person dies during the day, bacteria in the body will begin the normal process of decomposition, assuming they are still wearing their spacesuit. However, this process will not last long or be effective because the water in the body will evaporate quickly in a near-vacuum environment.
When the lunar night (long as 14 Earth days) comes, the body will freeze and bacterial activity will be completely stopped. Without bacteria to decompose the body, soft tissue remains safe and the dead person becomes a lunar mummy.
Without a protective atmosphere and magnetosphere like on Earth, radiation will cause bodies to decompose further but over a much longer period of time, leaving the dead with only skeletons after tens of millions of years. The temperature difference on the Moon, which fluctuates from 127 degrees Celsius during the day to -173 degrees Celsius at night, also affects the body, possibly causing it to burst when repeatedly frozen and thawed. Burial may protect the body from surface radiation, but will subject the body to prolonged cold temperatures and the mummy will remain intact for a period of time.
Even if you want to avoid thinking about it, NASA still has a plan to handle the situation in case someone dies in space. According to astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station Chris Hadfield, NASA even conducts death simulations with astronauts responding to each situation.
“If someone died while operating outside the vehicle, I would first take them into the airlock,” Hadfield said about the exercise. “I will leave them in full pressurized suits and store them in a cold environment on the station.”
On the ISS, the problem can be resolved relatively quickly. The body will be temporarily stored in a cool area of the station, with final disposition to be determined by the responsible ISS Program Office. For members who die on the ISS, options are limited, including returning the body, launching it into space or destroying it during reentry.
Launching into space could turn bodies into dangerous space debris, going against the United Nations space debris reduction agreement. An alternative proposal from the NASA team is to attach the body in a bag to a robotic arm outside the station. The body will freeze and the robot arm will shake the bag for 15 minutes until the body becomes many small pieces. The water will evaporate from the bag through an opening, leaving about 25 kg of remains to return to Earth. “Everything on the ISS needs to be very small, carefully weighed and stored. There is not much space to fully store the body,” said Susanne Wiigh-Masak, representative of the environmentally friendly burial company Promessa. shall.