What will happen to the bodies of dead space travellers?

[Eldorado]

Astronauts heading to the Red Planet will spend at least seven months inside a capsule on a path never taken by humans and if they survive the journey to the Red Planet, they will then endure the harsh environment the Martian world.

When a crew member dies, it would take months or years before the body is returned to Earth, raising one question: what happens to a person's body who dies in space?

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.

UK Mail article

Edited April 18, 2021 by Eldorado

[Silver]

We can't even recover the bodies of climbers on Everest. Some have been there of decades, I believe there are several hundred, this has something about it: ‘Walking over bodies’: mountaineers describe carnage on Everest | Mount Everest | The Guardian

[Eldorado]

14 minutes ago, ted hughes said:

We can't even recover the bodies of climbers on Everest. Some have been there of decades, I believe there are several hundred, this has something about it: ‘Walking over bodies’: mountaineers describe carnage on Everest | Mount Everest | The Guardian

Aye... we have some threads on that.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/326397-melting-glaciers-expose-mt-everests-dead/?tab=comments#comment-6694228

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/327465-beer-bottles-dead-bodies-litter-everest/?tab=comments#comment-6730173

[jethrofloyd]

1 hour ago, Eldorado said:

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.

Yuck......this remainded me of ''Alive'' film which was filmed after a true event. Film details a Uruguayan rugby team's crash into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972. To survive 72 days, the starving passengers decided to eat the flesh of their dead relatives and friends.

[Grim Reaper 6]

2 hours ago, ted hughes said:

We can't even recover the bodies of climbers on Everest. Some have been there of decades, I believe there are several hundred, this has something about it: ‘Walking over bodies’: mountaineers describe carnage on Everest | Mount Everest | The Guardian

Yes that is a very true story, and some of the recent remains that have been uncovered by ice melting do to Global Warming. Each person left on the mountain has a story to tell, and while it is very sad it is also very Risky to climb that mountain.

The gentleman below is nicknamed Green Boots, he is the most well know deceased climber on Everest. This is because he did died on the main climbing trail to the summit. So he is now used as trail marker, and every climb that climbs the Mountain see him. His given name is Tsewang Paljor and died in 1996 on the decent from the summit during a snow storm.

* Snip *

Below is Hannelore Schmatz-Hannelore is a German climber who died from exposure and exhaustion in 1979. She was the first woman to die on Mt. Everest. It is believed she stopped to rest and leaned up against her back pack, leaving the body propped in this unusual way.

* Snip *

Below is Shriya Shah–Klorfine-Shriya reached the summit in 2012. Supposedly, she spent 25 minutes celebrating her victory before beginning her descent. She ultimately ran out of oxygen and died from exhaustion. Her body is 300m below the summit, draped in a Canadian flag.

* Snip *

The Body below George Mallory’s body was found 75 years after his 1924 death. His remains are the oldest known remains at this time.

* Snip *

Edited April 18, 2021 by Tiggs
Images of dead bodies removed -- see rule 2a

[Silver]

George Mallory! I remember that name from school decades ago! We rather prefer out heroes to fail I think, think Scott of the Antarctic, Sir John Franklin. 

[+OverSword]

Something romantic about being jettisoned. Hopefully far enough from a planet that you just go essentially forever.

[Jon the frog]

On Mars.. you have soil to do a proper grave. Dig a hole, put the corpse and a marker. 

Edited April 18, 2021 by Jon the frog

[godnodog]

If it was to happen to me, you can aim at a direction into deep space. who knows what will happen, maybe It´ll be the origin of a strange alien monster for some species.

[Seti42]

I think the question is: Will we recycle the corpse like the mass of organic material it is, or will we jettison it into space while praying?

[Timothy]

[godnodog]

6 hours ago, Seti42 said:

I think the question is: Will we recycle the corpse like the mass of organic material it is, or will we jettison it into space while praying?

Most likely recycle, I don´t think we´ll destroy it or incinerate it, despite lots of people think its morbid.

Rembmeber that all of what we are, was something before, and before that it was something, in us there are once a  megalodont atoms or zulu or viking or apache or a mongolian warrior atom, maybe a butterfly, or even part of Cleopatra´s turd.