# What happens if an astronaut dies in space? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713 "2014-08-28T01:15:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/21 "2014-08-28T17:50:32Z")
Your payload specialist has died of dysentery. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/22 "2014-08-28T17:54:19Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > [Nixon had this speech prepared.](http://watergate.info/1969/07/20/an-undelivered-nixon-speech.html) I’m surprised to see that Safire paraphrased [Rupert Brooke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Brooke). I suspect that few Americans would have recognized the allusion; in other words, in the minds of most who would have heard it, Safire would have been credited for more than he deserved. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/23 "2014-08-28T18:04:34Z")
Related question: If Armstrong or Aldrin (or any one of a pair of astronauts) had died while on the Moon’s surface, would the other astronaut have been capable of launching the lunar module back into orbit alone? Or did that require both astronauts working in tandem? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/24 "2014-08-28T18:10:08Z")
> [@tallcoldone](#): > > All astronauts must be aware of the hazards of space travel, especially those going “where no (one) has gone before…” . . . . They’d also be aware that this sort of speech should not be rushed. Heck, newspapers keep obituary banks for celebrities. Entries are reviewed and updated yearly, so that when needed they just need a final edit and are good to go. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/25 "2014-08-28T18:19:07Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Yes they would prepare a special trip to get the body from earth orbit. > perhaps even from lunar orbit… I don’t see why this would be so. If the mission included a planned return to Earth, the body would be brought back just as it would have if still alive. If it didn’t, there would be no reason to make a special trip. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/26 "2014-08-28T18:21:01Z")
Too late to add - I’ve heard that in the case of an astronaut refusing or unable to return from a space walk, the procedure is to cut them loose. The astronauts were aware of the difficulty of re-entering the capsule alone and uninjured, and the near impossibility of retrieving an unwilling or injured man. They fully approved of the procedure. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/27 "2014-08-28T18:25:29Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Too late to add - I’ve heard that in the case of an astronaut refusing or unable to return from a space walk, the procedure is to cut them loose. The astronauts were aware of the difficulty of re-entering the capsule alone and uninjured, and the near impossibility of retrieving an unwilling or injured man. They fully approved of the procedure. I would really like to see a cite for this, please. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/28 "2014-08-28T19:18:10Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I would really like to see a cite for this, please. I remember during a TV commentary on the Gemini spacewalks that the Command Pilot had a pair of shears to cut the walker’s umbilical cable if he could not reenter the spacecraft. Goggle fails me, however. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/29 "2014-08-28T19:40:33Z")
I don’t know if [this link](http://books.google.com/books?id=GKvAsaUOA-QC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=space+walk+cut+umbilical&source=bl&ots=fgouSMXQwd&sig=53-LDU0HPYaSxLpnczZCxKHJmYg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=A4T_U7KLCI3FggSqzoKgDg&ved=0CEMQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=space%20walk%20cut%20umbilical&f=false)will go to page 155 or not. On Gemini 9, Cernan had great difficulty getting back inside the spacecraft, and Stafford wondered if he would have to cut the umbilical, as the hatch would not close over it. There is no mention of Cernan offering anything to Stafford. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/30 "2014-08-28T19:45:45Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Related question: If Armstrong or Aldrin (or any one of a pair of astronauts) had died while on the Moon’s surface, would the other astronaut have been capable of launching the lunar module back into orbit alone? Or did that require both astronauts working in tandem? One pilot could have flown the LM from the lunar surface to orbit. The Lunar Module Pilot did get some hours in the simulator flying it himself. In normal operations, the Commander flies it and the LMP just reads gauges for the CDR. In an one man launch, the pilot would have to, after consultation with Mission Control, perform both the CDR and LMP pre-launch checklists, though, and probably have to be coached on switchology timing while flying the LM. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/31 "2014-08-28T19:52:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > I would really like to see a cite for this, please. IIRC, I read it in Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. I’d have to re-read it to be sure, though. Her research is usually pretty solid. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/32 "2014-08-28T19:59:38Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Your payload specialist has died of dysentery. At least he didn’t drown fording a space-river. TBH, that happened to me more often than dysentery. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/33 "2014-08-28T20:30:23Z")
Space Ghost Coast to Coast 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/34 "2014-08-28T21:22:35Z")
Ray Bradbury deals with this somewhat philosophically: [“Kaleidoscope”](http://www.scaryforkids.com/kaleidoscope-by-ray-bradbury/). Whereas [Perry Bible Fellowship](http://pbfcomics.com/97/) is just plain demented. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/35 "2014-08-28T21:36:09Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Related question: If Armstrong or Aldrin (or any one of a pair of astronauts) had died while on the Moon’s surface, would the other astronaut have been capable of launching the lunar module back into orbit alone? Or did that require both astronauts working in tandem? Don’t know about the Apollo missions, but I’m currently reading a biography of [Sally Ride,](http://www.amazon.com/Sally-Ride-Americas-First-Woman/dp/1476725764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409260259&sr=8-1&keywords=sally+ride+lynn+sherr) who flew on the Shuttle as a mission specialist. The author notes she was required to be proficient in something called “Non-Pilot Procedure for Incapacitated Pilot” ---
**Author:** ![buddy431](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@buddy431](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddy431)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/36 "2014-08-28T22:28:37Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I don’t know if [this link](http://books.google.com/books?id=GKvAsaUOA-QC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=space+walk+cut+umbilical&source=bl&ots=fgouSMXQwd&sig=53-LDU0HPYaSxLpnczZCxKHJmYg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=A4T_U7KLCI3FggSqzoKgDg&ved=0CEMQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=space%20walk%20cut%20umbilical&f=false)will go to page 155 or not. > > On Gemini 9, Cernan had great difficulty getting back inside the spacecraft, and Stafford wondered if he would have to cut the umbilical, as the hatch would not close over it. > There is no mention of Cernan offering anything to Stafford. 🙂 See, I thought I had read that Stafford had been instructed to take the body back with him, and he had thought that he wouldn’t have been able to get it into the capsule, and he had thought about what would happen if he tried to reenter with the body hanging out the back and the hatch open. It seems pretty unlikely that they would try that though. I think that’s probably the closest we’ve gotten to part (but not all) of the crew dying in space. Gemini VIII came close enough to killing both crew members. Would they have been able to remotely tell the vehicle to reenter? I suspect no, especially as it would have been spinning violently if Armstrong and Scott hadn’t been able to get it under control. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/37 "2014-08-28T22:32:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Goggle fails me, however. The Goggles, they do nothing. 🙂 Thanks for the link, **cp**. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/38 "2014-08-28T22:34:23Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The Goggles, they do nothing. 🙂 > > Thanks for the link, **cp**. You are very welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/39 "2014-08-28T23:11:15Z")
> [@FUTBOL!](#): > > My guess is that Armstrong and Aldrin had no knowledge that any such speech was prepared, let alone the contents. Oh, please - they were professional military and test pilots and plenty of their friends and colleagues had died flying. They may not have known the specifics but the surely knew that there was something prepared as a contingency. To think otherwise is an insult to their intelligence. To get back to the OP - it would depend on circumstances. If the body was inside a ship sure, they’d probably bring it back to Earth for an autopsy and burial - unless the astronaut had beforehand made clear that he/she would prefer to be buried in space, then they MIGHT make an exception. Or just cremate after autopsy and take the ashes up on a later flight. If the body is outside a ship and can easily be retrieved, again, they’d probably bring it back. If retrieval poses a significant risk, though, the body will stay where it is. Anyhow who dies on the Moon or Mars or likewise outside of Earth orbit will most likely stay there - the cost of transporting anything that far are so steep it just doesn’t make sense to cart around carrion. Tissue samples might be brought back, that’s it, and likely not even that. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713/40 "2014-08-28T23:27:42Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > IIRC, I read it in Packing for Mars by Mary Roach. I’d have to re-read it to be sure, though. Her research is usually pretty solid. I just read it myself, and recall that as well. The gist of it was that the astronauts would consider being “buried at space” to be a great honor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-an-astronaut-dies-in-space/696713.md?page=3)