
Death in Space - ygd
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/09/02/death-in-space.html
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wazoox
I find quite absurd the concept of bringing back home the explorer's dead
body. Seamen traditionally are buried at sea, it seems quite obvious that the
right thing to do for a space explorer is to be made a permanent asteroid.

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rbanffy
The problem then is that, while a dead seamen doesn't pose a threat to the
ship, in the case of a dead astronaut, you must be sure the body's trajectory
won't intersect your own at any significant speed.

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JoeAltmaier
It cannot intersect your own at significant speed, unless you expend
significant energy to diverge your trajectory. Otherwise it simply continues
to accompany you at some slightly varying distance.

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khafra
Makes looking out the window slightly disturbing.

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jdietrich
I think the author is underestimating the psychology of astronauts. We often
think of them as some kind of scientist or explorer but in fact they are an
elite military force, made up of the sort of men that we would expect to fly
dangerously unpredictable test aircraft.

Anyone being sent into space is well aware that they have about a one-in-
twenty chance of not coming back. They are selected and trained on the
understanding that if they become unwell in space, they could jeopardise the
lives of their fellow crewmen.

Repatriation of remains is an unaffordable luxury in space and will continue
to be so for the foreseeable future. No-one with the constitution to be an
astronaut would allow their own death to hamper a mission.

As to whether Mars is worth dying for -
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/390933.stm>

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tdfx
I'm always amazed at the amount of thought that people seem to put into the
handling of their bodies after they're dead. Elaborate rituals and strange
requests that provide no benefit to them and only seem to inconvenience the
people who are in fact still alive.

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joshuacc
This makes sense in many religious contexts. For instance, traditional
Christianity asserts belief in the "resurrection of the body." This implies
that the body isn't a mere shell to be cast off, but is actually part of what
made the person who they are, and is worthy of respect. Thus you have saints
relics in Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

I assume that other religions offer explanatory contexts for their rituals as
well. These may or not make sense when transferred to a modern secular
society.

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allenp
I think it is important to note that ceremonial burial was practiced by
archaic secular societies as well - including Neanderthals. I think that we
need some sort of group activity to help us transition to new situations - ie
graduations, weddings, funerals, in Japan there are now wedding-like
ceremonies for divorce with both families attending.

I think at its basic level there is something along these lines: change is
uncertain, the group is here to witness the change and the group is not
startled, I'm ok because the group is ok.

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jimbokun
How do we know Neanderthal society was "secular"?

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allenp
You got me - we don't really know either way.

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pascalchristian
Reminds me of this proposal: <http://www.thespacereview.com/article/669/1>

One man, one way to Mars. There's no need to carry a body then.

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jiganti
I'm surprised that anyone willing to risk a mission to mars wouldn't be
satisfied with the glory alone of attempting such a mission. I suppose the
religious reasons are what would motivate people to want this.

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prodigal_erik
Seems a shame to deliberately destroy the frozen body, when there are people
back on earth paying to be vitrified and kept artificially frozen for a chance
(however small) of resurrection. And I would think an explorer would prefer a
tombstone as a last mark on the new world.

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patio11
There is nothing on Mars worth dying for. Build the lander if you must, let
the defense contractors collect their contracts, then blow it up on the
launchpad. All objectives accomplished, everyone goes home to their families.

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tdfx
We're on borrowed time on this particular rock. I think the continued
existence of the human race is a pursuit worth dying for.

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petercooper
I agree, though I see no harm in waiting a bit. Going to Mars soon feels like
an attempt to build a billion dollar supercomputer in 1979. Technology useful
for space missions moves slower than computers alone, but I can't help but
think that in just 50 years we'd be far more prepared if we diverted today's
Mars cash into robotic space exploration and, particularly, space mining
research.

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stan_rogers
It isn't minerals we're running out of. If we, as a species, expect to
survive, we're going to have to stay at a population below the carrying
capacity of this planet. Failing that (and we are failing badly, a fact barely
disguised by petrochemical fertilizers) we need to spread. There's good reason
to believe that Mars can be terraformed (imperfectly, since there won't be
adequate natural magnetic shielding against radiation). Colonization
technologies are what we desperately need to work on. Mining's the easy part
once we're there; food and water are a little more difficult to dig for.

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eru
Fertilizers can last forever. Matter is not actually used up.

As long as we have enough energy, we can make fertilizers. Of course,
petrochemicals are a nice raw material, but not necessary.

And we are not running out of energy, anytime soon. (Though we may run out of
oil.)

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hnal943
The conservation of matter is an amazing thing.

 _If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the
universe_ \- Carl Sagan

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eru
Yes. Though to be more precise, in the process of using fertilizers, even the
atoms are conserved. Though you will have to re-build the molecules.

On the practical side: Using coal as a raw material, you should be able to
make fertilizers with only somewhat more energy than from oil.

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DanielBMarkham
I certainly hope we're not spending a lot of money on death-in-space
scenarios.

Wrap the body up, strap a 4-kilo rocket on it, say some nice words, and off
she goes. No new technology or engineering required.

Unfair question, but it's how I feel: Does NASA always have to have some great
new over-engineered plan for every little new thing they come across?

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dalore
You might want to reclaim the bodies water first, ala Dune.

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tomjen3
It seems wrong to return the body - wouldn't it be better to bury it where it
died (if on Mars) or send it into space ala Star Trek (complete with
bagpipes).

That would have been my choice anyway.

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edge17
where is that background image from?

