Posted on 04/17/2021 10:33:07 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Experts have suggested a number of ways to dispose the body, including 'jettison' it into the dark abyss or burying the person on Mars – but the remains would first need to be burned to not contaminate the surface.
However, a worst case scenario has been presented where the space fairing heroes run out of food and the only thing edible is the dead body of their fallen crew mate.
NASA does not have set protocols for dealing with death in space, but researchers around the world have put the work in to respectfully dispose of a fallen astronaut, as reported on by Popular Science.
If a crew member dies while making the more than 170-million-mile journey to Mars, the body can be placed in the cold storage or freeze dried until the craft touches down.
Releasing the body into space seems like the easiest option, it would become trapped in the path of the craft and linger exactly where it was let go.
And if numerous missions choose this method, future rockets heading to Mars will soar through a sea of dead bodies.
NASA has strict laws about contaminating other planets with Earth microbes.
'Regarding the disposal of organic material (including bodies) on Mars,' NASA's Conley told Popular Science, 'we impose no restrictions so long as all Earth microbes have been killed—so cremation would be necessary.'
However, not every dead astronaut will likely be buried, but otherwise eaten so the others can survive.
It may sound barbaric, but experts are looking to what happened when a plane crashed into the Andes mountains in 1972.
The passengers had no food no way of communicating, so in order to live they made the hard decision to eat those who had died when the plane went down.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Astronaut jerky.
Absurd speculation.
Yum Yum!
Donner Party?)
Tradition would dictate a ground burial if on the surface, or “burial at sea” if in the ocean of space.
Would not the atmospheric friction of the body falling from space to the planet’s surface cremate the body?
Cannibal #1: I really can’t stand your Aunt Marjorie
Cannibal #2: Then just eat the vegetables.
Mars = Donner Pass
If you are going to settle there it is going to happen. And if you are terraforming it MUST happen.
Martian to another in an underground city: “See? I told you keep those filthy humans away from here. They’re no good.”
Orbit of dead body option....
Also, as I mentioned on another thread recently, the Arthur C. Clarke sequel novel 3001: The Final Odyssey is partly about one of the 2001 astronauts Frank Poole, killed by HAL 9000. Synopsis: “One millennium later, Poole’s freeze-dried body is discovered in the Kuiper belt by a comet-collecting space tug named the Goliath, and revived. Poole is taken home to learn about the Earth in the year 3001.”
Yup—and if they go Donner Party you can be sure there will be a cover up—don’t want to spook the herd....
Wasting perfectly good protein is not recommended.
Well boys, I’m done for, I’ve got a gammy leg.
I’m more concerned about contaminating Earth with Mars organisms.
I never heard of that novel sequel nor a movie. I was a big Clarke fan even before 2001.
Will NASA beam up a copy of Jeffrey Dahmer's cookbook, or will that be standard equipment on board?
3001 novel....
As far as I know there is a novel (good one) but no film.
White meat? Dark meat? Both?
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