There is always a set of astronauts on the International Space Station (Image: Getty)
A former astronaut has revealed the rules that have to be followed if someone dies in .
Former commander of the International Space Station (ISS), which is in orbit and constantly manned by a group of astronauts, Chris Hadfield, explained that NASA prepares its personell using “death simulations”.
These involve playing out possible scenarios.
He told : “If someone died while on an EVA [extravehicular activity] I would bring them inside the airlock first.
“I would probably keep them inside their pressurised suit; bodies actually decompose faster in a spacesuit, and we don’t want the smell of rotting meat or off gassing, it’s not sanitary.
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Chris Hadfield is a Canadian former astronaut (Image: Getty)
“So we would keep them in their suit and store it somewhere cold on the station.”
While onboard the ISS, he described, this could be done by storing the body temporarily in a cooler area before the “final disposition of remains”.
NASA’s for Mortality Related to Human Spaceflight explains the ISS Program responsible for “the final determination of remains disposition”.
It adds: “For a crew fatality occurring on the ISS, options would be limited to the return of remains, jettison to a disposal trajectory, or destructive re-entry.”
If a death were to happen, the crew’s wishes would also be taken into account, reports.
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Astronauts live on the ISS in orbit (Image: Getty)
NASA guidance adds: “If a death were to occur during a mission, one of the most immediate and main concerns would be how to ensure the safety of the remaining crewmembers.
“The health of the surviving crew must be maintained within the habitable environment as after death, the body begins to decompose and becomes a biohazard.
“In the closed atmosphere of a space vehicle, the natural byproducts of decomposition and/or potential pathogens released during the decomposition process could contaminate the enclosed vehicle environment.”
Documents also state: “Another complex consideration are the responsibilities of the living crewmembers to the deceased.
“The goal is to ensure that the procedures are performed as set forth, professionally, and with dignity and respect without compromising the health of the surviving crew.”