How To Dispose of a Body In Space

One solution for disposing of a body in space is to adapt the naval practice of burial at sea by launching the deceased into the void.
Credit: Mitch Lobrovich via Midjourney

With so many issues to deal with on Planet Earth, the last thing most people are thinking about is how to dispose of a body in space. But as interplanetary travel approaches reality, forward-thinking minds are already pondering that challenge.

Inevitably, as space pioneers start colonizing other worlds, some folks will die from accidents or unforeseen medical ailments. So what do you do with the body in the midst of a space mission?

Institutions ranging from NASA to Johns Hopkins University have been working on this challenge. Several options for disposing of a body in space are being considered.

Burial in Space

Similar to burial at sea, a body could simply be ejected into space. But there are ethical and biological concerns. Scientists note that just tossing a body off the spacecraft could be problematic. The microorganisms in a human body that break down flesh after death need oxygen to speed the process. Since space is a vacuum, that would mean decomposition would take much longer. Plus, wouldn’t that simply be adding to space debris?

With 34,000 pieces of debris now orbiting Earth at 18,000 miles per hour, potentially wreaking havoc on whatever they hit, the space industry has learned that it needs to be mindful of what it turns loose out there – even in deep space. There’s also the theoretical possibility that a body could end up on another planet, where its bacteria could contaminate its resting place.

Disposing of a body in deep space poses ethical, technical and psychological challenges.
Credit: Mitch Lobrovich via Midjourney

Storage and Preservation

On a larger spaceship, a body could be preserved in cold storage units. Or the body could be frozen using the extreme temperature of space. NASA has studied the process of freezing a body with liquid nitrogen and vibrating it into small particles, which can be stored or disposed of safely.

Cremation and Recycling

The most popular body disposal option on Earth, cremation is also being considered on larger spacecraft, where the remains could be repurposed. For example, they could be incorporated into future habitat construction. However, this process would be energy intensive and could pose a challenge for engineers.

Organic Processing

The body could be broken down biologically, similar to composting, with nutrients repurposed for hydroponic or bioregenerative life-support systems – in other words, used as fertilizer for food production on board. This actually aligns with NASA’s closed-loop sustainability goals, but researchers note that it could be psychologically difficult for crew members to be eating greens or potatoes grown with nutrients from a fellow astronaut.

Whatever options are chosen, researchers agree that cultural and religious preferences must be respected. Consideration should be given to the possibility that crew morale could be impacted by keeping a deceased member on board. There’s also the legal issue – yet to be clarified – of who has authority over human remains in space.

Though the protocols for disposing of a body are among the least glamorous aspects of space exploration, the details will need to be finalized before the first SpaceX (or other) rocket fires up for humankind’s maiden voyage to Mars, because as private space industry pioneer Elon Musk famously said, “If you want to go to Mars, prepare to die.”