Cosmic exploration is a noble endeavour but certainly a dangerous one. Ironically, the dangers, as far as the mortality rate is concerned, are not as high as many people believe. In over sixty years of manned spaceflight, 30 people died on missions or while preparing for future missions. Most of these deaths happened below the Karman line — a conditional altitude of 100 km, above which space begins. But has anyone died in space without a suit, way beyond our planet’s atmosphere? Sadly, yes — three Soviet cosmonauts have died above the Karman line as part of the Soyuz 11 mission.
But the Soviet crew may not be the only astronauts lost in space forever — there was another accident that qualifies as a space death according to NASA’s definition of cosmic border. So, let’s try to find out what happens if someone dies in space? Or instead — what already happened?
First Death in Space: Soyuz 11 Mission Accident
Soyuz 11 was the only crewed mission to Salyut 1, the first orbital station launched by the Soviets. Soyuz 11 crew consisted of 3 cosmonauts — mission commander Georgy Dobrovolsky, first engineer Vladislav Volkov, and research engineer Viktor Patsayev. The mission that launched on June 6, 1971, went without a flaw first. Soyuz 11 spacecraft docked with Salyut 1 on June 7, and all astronauts remained aboard the station for 22 days — which, for the time, was a record stay in orbit.
However, only the first 11 days were successful. On day 11, a fire broke down, which was put down, after which the astronauts continued their experiments with weightlessness and its effect on the human body.
Soyuz 11 successfully undocked from the station on June 29, 1971, and started preparing for atmospheric re-entry. Suddenly, all contact with the crew was lost. Still, the descent capsule landed without a crash and straight at the allocated spot. However, when the rescue team opened the vehicle on June 30, the whole team was found dead. There were attempts to revitalize the commander, at least, whose body was still warm, but to no avail.
The investigation confirmed that all astronauts had died of suffocation due to cabin depressurization. By this point, you may be wondering — is death instant in space? In the sheer vacuum of open cosmos, it would have been almost instant — a person would lose consciousness in about 15 seconds and would suffocate in about 90.
So, has anyone died in space without a helmet? So far, only the Soyuz 11 crew. Their deaths are the reason why all astronauts have to wear suits and helmets during the descent. According to Orbital Today, Soyuz 11 astronauts tried to eliminate the air leak that led to cabin depressurization, but they did not have enough time because of the severe pain throughout their bodies and burst eardrums. So, unfortunately, their death was neither instant nor painless.
Up to this day, the Soyuz 11 accident remains the only doubtless case of an astronaut death beyond our planet’s atmosphere. However, this was not the first death of a spaceman and, sadly, not the last either. Before this tragic accident, one Soviet cosmonaut and three US astronauts died during flight preparation, and almost twenty more lost their lives later. But has anyone died in space is the kind of question that depends on how you define its borders — NASA’s definition, for example, is 20 km lower than the Karman line, which leaves room for another tragic incident.
Has Anyone Died in Space Without a Suit Besides Soyuz 11 Crew?
Has anyone died in space without a suit after the Soyuz 11 tragedy? Fortunately, no, but another tragic accident occurred slightly before that — this time, with NASA’s X-15 Flight 191. The accident happened below the Karman line — a border that NASA recognizes, too. However, according to NASA’s definition, space begins at an altitude of 50 miles (80 km) — exactly where NASA’s X-15 Flight 191 went wrong.
Mission pilot Michael J. Adams was flying an experimental hypersonic aircraft/rocket operated by US Air Force and NASA. On November 15, 1967, Adams was flying his 7th flight with X-15, which would, sadly, become his last. A few minutes after launch, an electrical failure caused Adams to lose control of the aircraft, and the vehicle broke apart in the air ten minutes after the lift-off. Further investigation showed that besides electrical failure, human error on Adams’ part might have been another explanation for the accident. However, this did not prevent NASA from awarding the pilot astronaut wings posthumously.
So, how many astronauts have died in space? If we consider deaths above 80 km altitude, based on NASA’s definition — four. If we stick to the FAI definition of 100 km— three. However, more people have died on missions — either shortly after launch or while preparing for it. So, perhaps, it’s not a matter of altitude after all.