In the event of death in space, it is necessary to investigate and organize a burial.
Along with the development of the activities of commercial space companies such as Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, as well as the planned exploration of the Moon and Mars by the colonists, an unresolved problem arose – how to investigate the causes of the probable death of any of the tourists or colonists and what to do with the body of the deceased.
This is discussed in a publication on the TNW website.
For the official procedure for investigating deaths during long-term space missions, obviously, the norms of the current legislation on Earth will be taken. International space law provides for a provision according to which the country that has registered a spacecraft has jurisdiction over the space object and its personnel. In all likelihood, according to the laws of that country, an investigation into the cause of death in space will take place.
More difficult is the question of what to do if someone dies in space or dies a natural death.
“Planning a mission to space includes considerations such as the provision of electricity, food, radiation protection and waste disposal. Establishing processes for what to do if a person dies, and including these processes in any plan will make such an event somewhat less traumatic, ”the publication says.
The publication suggested that during short missions, it is likely that the body will be returned to Earth. But until landing, it will need to be stored in conditions that will avoid contamination of the rest of the crew.
During a trip to Mars, which will last for several years, the deceased can be frozen in the cold of space in order to reduce its weight and facilitate storage on the way back to Earth.
Disposal of human remains in a space colony on another planet can biologically contaminate it, cremation can also lead to pollution and require significant resources. Therefore, new technological solutions are required here.
Recall that British scientists have proposed a variant of the teraforming of Mars, that is, the creation of conditions on the Red Planet similar to those on Earth.
