SAEDNEWS: Given the Moon's Different Conditions Compared to Earth, Would a Human Body Decompose or Become a Lunar Mummy After Death?
According to the nutrition service of Saed News, when you die on Earth, even if you don’t want to think about it, you usually know what happens to your body. But what happens if you die in space, on the Moon, or en route to the Moon?
Although NASA probably doesn’t like to dwell on the topic, the space agency has pre-planned procedures for handling a death in space.
Chris Hadfield, astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), explains that NASA conducts drills for situations where someone might die in space. In these exercises—called “death simulations”—astronauts learn what actions to take and how to cope with such an event.
Hadfield says that if someone dies during an activity outside the spacecraft, such as a spacewalk, the first step is to bring the body back inside the pressurized section. He adds that if someone dies in space, the body is kept inside the spacesuit because removing it would release the odor of decomposition, disturbing other astronauts. The body is then placed in a cold area of the station to slow decomposition.
On the ISS, a death can be managed relatively quickly. The body is initially stored in the colder section of the station, and then the most unusual funeral—or body handling—possible in human history may take place. Ultimately, the ISS program office decides how the remains are stored or disposed of.
NASA has three options for dealing with a body on the ISS: return it to Earth, eject it into space to completely dispose of it, or burn it up in Earth’s atmosphere. NASA also considers any previously stated wishes of the deceased astronaut. On longer missions, such as a journey to Mars, different methods may be needed.
Bodies can be ejected into space, but this risks creating space debris, which can be hazardous to spacecraft and equipment. Such a method also violates international regulations designed to prevent space debris and could trigger diplomatic tensions.
One NASA proposal involves placing the body in a bag attached to a robotic arm outside the spacecraft. In the vacuum of space, the body freezes. The robotic arm then shakes the bag for 15 minutes, breaking the body into smaller pieces. Water in the bag vaporizes through a valve, leaving about 25 kilograms of remains that must be returned to Earth.
Susan Wigg-Masak from an eco-friendly burial service notes that space travel requires everything to be compact and precise, as there is limited room and no place to store a whole body. For this reason, the number of body bags should equal the crew size minus one—because the last person cannot place their own body in a bag.
Currently, there are no official guidelines for handling a death on the Moon. Decisions would likely depend on the judgment of fellow astronauts and mission support teams on Earth. The deceased astronaut’s wishes would also be considered.
NASA is careful to prevent Earth microbes from contaminating other celestial bodies. Therefore, if a body cannot be returned to Earth, NASA prefers to cremate it to eliminate microbes. If that is impossible—such as if an entire crew perishes—bodies may be buried or left on the Moon’s surface.
If left on the lunar surface, a body does not decompose as it would on Earth. If you die during the lunar day while wearing a spacesuit, bacteria in your body will start the normal decomposition process—but only briefly, because water in the body quickly evaporates in the Moon’s near-vacuum environment.
When the Moon’s long night begins (lasting 14 Earth days), the body freezes and bacterial activity stops entirely. With no bacteria to break down tissue, the soft tissues remain preserved, creating a “lunar mummy.”
Without Earth’s atmosphere or magnetic field, cosmic radiation gradually decomposes the body, a process that may take millions of years, leaving only bones. Temperature swings on the Moon—from 127°C (261°F) in the day to −173°C (−279°F) at night—also affect the body, potentially causing it to crack from repeated freezing and thawing. If buried, however, the body is shielded from radiation, and the extreme cold helps preserve it as a mummy.
Ultimately, if you have to die, it’s best to do it on Earth—space deaths create complicated and unprecedented challenges for space agencies.
