Living on Mars is fraught with dangers and challenges related to the environment. Unfortunately, if one were to die on Mars, their body would become a natural mummy, with bones remaining for millions of years.
Currently, there are no official regulations regarding what happens to a human body after death in space. NASA’s policy involves decisions made collaboratively by NASA leadership, international partners, and aerospace organizations. However, this space agency does conduct simulations of “death scenarios,” according to astronaut Chris Hadfield, former commander of the International Space Station (ISS).
Astronaut Simulation Floating in Space. (Photo: iStock).
“If someone dies while walking in space, the first thing I would do is bring them inside the airtight cabin. I would likely place them inside a pressure suit. The body decomposes faster in a space suit, and we don’t want any unpleasant odors or gases escaping, as that would be unsanitary. Therefore, we would put them in the suit and store them in a cold area on the space station,” Hadfield stated.
If a person were to die on the ISS, the issue could be resolved relatively quickly: Temporary storage in a cool place, followed by a return to Earth. However, for longer missions—such as those to Mars—experts will need alternative solutions. Disposing of the deceased in space is also an option, but it contradicts the United Nations’ treaty on space debris reduction.
A NASA-formed research group proposed a plan to attach the body (enclosed in a bag) to a robotic arm outside the spacecraft. The body would be frozen and the arm would shake the bag for 15 minutes until the body shatters into small pieces. Water would evaporate from the bag through a vent, leaving about 25 kg of remains that could be transported back to Earth. According to Susanne Wiigh-Masak, an expert at the environmentally friendly burial company Promessa, everything on the spacecraft must be kept to a minimum, measured, and stored carefully due to limited available space.
So, what happens when an astronaut dies on Mars? This could lead to discussions among the astronauts on the mission and the team of experts on Earth. NASA does not want to contaminate Mars and hopes to incinerate the body to eliminate all Earth bacteria.
If this solution is unfeasible or if the entire crew encounters a mishap, they may be buried or left on the Martian surface. On the surface of Mars, the body will not decompose like it does on Earth. If death occurs during the day, bacteria will start the normal decomposition process. However, at night, the body will freeze, halting bacterial activity. Without bacteria, soft tissues remain intact, and the deceased begins to become a mummy on Mars.
Without the protection of Earth’s atmosphere and magnetosphere, radiation will gradually destroy the body, but this process takes a significantly longer time. Bones could remain intact for millions of years.
