The idea of being lost in space is very terrifying. Even more haunting is the idea of death in space. It’s been a long time since we have been exploring space. We sent animals into space, and now we are capable of sending humans into space as well.
You probably have seen those rocket failure videos of Spacex, and you already know how hard it is to get anything into space with the rocket.
So it is natural that a question might come to your mind: Has anyone died in space? Let’s explore this in detail.
Has anyone died in space?
The short answer to your question is “NO“. So far, no one has died in space, but there have been many tragic incidents that happened during space missions that resulted in the deaths of some astronauts.
When it comes to space missions, safety is the most important parameter. Astronauts go through very extensive safety training, which prepares them for any unfortunate mishaps. This training includes everything from operating a spacecraft to surviving in the event of an emergency.
Despite all these precautions, accidents can still happen. One of the famous incidents is the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. During this mission, an explosion occurred in one of the spacecraft’s oxygen tanks. This led the crew to abandon their plans to land on the moon and instead focus on returning safely to Earth. The crew, consisting of Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise, faced numerous challenges during their return journey, they were on limited supplies and a shortage of power. However, with the help of the team at NASA, they were able to make it back to Earth safely. In this incident, the astronauts had a near-death experience.
Incident 1
One of the unfortunate incidents that resulted in the death of an astronaut was in 1967. Three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, died in a fire during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission. As this incident happened, it was a kind of wake-up call for NASA. After this incident, NASA changed a lot of methods and procedures regarding astronaut safety.
Incident 2
The second incident in which astronauts died is in 1986. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which occurred on January 28, 1986, was a tragedy that resulted in the loss of all seven crew members on board. The disaster took place just 73 seconds after the shuttle’s launch from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
The Challenger was carrying a crew of seven, including five NASA astronauts, a payload specialist from Hughes Aircraft, and a teacher, Christa McAuliffe, who had been selected to participate in NASA’s Teacher in the Space program. The mission was intended to deploy a satellite and conduct various experiments in space.
The disaster was caused by the failure of one of the solid rocket boosters (SRBs), which were used to help propel the shuttle into orbit. Specifically, a seal on one of the SRBs, known as an O-ring, failed due to the cold temperatures on the morning of the launch. The failure of the O-ring allowed hot gases to escape from the SRB, causing it to break apart and leading to the destruction of the shuttle.
Incident 3
The third incident is from 2003. During this incident, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003. The shuttle disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in the loss of all seven crew members on board. The disaster took place just 16 minutes before the scheduled landing of the shuttle at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
All these incidents were tragic and happened during the launch or landing. But not directly in space. So technically, not a single astronaut has died in space so far.
If no one died in space, then you might have another question. As seen in many space movies, you can get lost in space easily. So has anyone lost in space so far? Let’s see this in detail.
Has anyone been lost in space?
Well, all the incidents mentioned before were tragic. But one thing is certain: so far, not a single human being has been lost in space. There are lots of dangers in space travel. All astronauts who have flown to space have safely returned to Earth. It is a good thing that space travel involves so much risk, yet so far no astronaut has been lost in space.
The possibility of getting lost in space is greater when astronauts go on a space walk. It is also known as extravehicular activity. All the precautions are taken during the spacewalk. One of the important precautions taken is known as tethering.
Astronauts are tethered to the spacecraft at all times during spacewalks to prevent them from floating away into space. They are also equipped with the jet thrusters backpack to allow them to maneuver in space. One of the best examples you can see of ‘how tethering is done?’ is in the last scene of the movie “The Martian“.
Before sending humans to space, we used to send animals. So has any animal died in space? Let’s see this as well.
Has any animal died in space?
Yes, several animals have died during spaceflight missions. Many of the early space missions involved sending animals, such as mice, rats, dogs, monkeys, and chimpanzees, into space to study the effects of microgravity and other space-related conditions on living organisms.
The first animals to be sent into space were fruit flies in 1947, and since then, a variety of animals have been sent on space missions. Unfortunately, many of these animals did not survive their missions. In 1957, the Soviet Union sent a dog named Laika into orbit aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft. Laika died a few hours into the mission due to overheating and stress.
In 1960, the United States sent a chimpanzee named Ham on a suborbital spaceflight. Although Ham survived the mission, several other chimpanzees died during similar tests in the years that followed.
While the loss of animals in space missions is certainly unfortunate, it has helped to further our understanding of the effects of space travel on living organisms and has contributed to the development of safety measures and technologies that have made human spaceflight possible.
Conclusion
There have been many fatal incidents that happened during the launch and landing that resulted in the loss of life. But no person has died in space so far.
So far, not a single person has been lost in space, and extensive precautions are taken while going for a space walk. These precautions have turned out to be perfect so far.
In the early stages of space exploration, we sent many animals into space, and many of the animals lost their lives during those missions. But their loss of life also taught valuable lessons about space exploration and what improvements we needed to make.
