Originally posted by works4dhs
There are NO dead astronauts (or cosmonauts) in space.
the only off-ground fatalaties were the Shuttle disaster (the Challenger iirc), and one Voshkod craft that suffered a malfunction in space that produced an accidental vaccum in the capsule; the cosmonauts died but the capsule and their bodies landed.
It is impossible to launch a manned flight into space without multiple countries knowing about it, as everything going up and coming down is monitored (not just by the US and Russia either). This has been the case since the 1950s.
there were no secret manned flights, no secret Russian moon flights, no stranded astro/cosmo nauts, none, nil.

Well, it may be that some missions were 'secret' to the general public, yet not secret to other parties.

X may not call BS on Y for fear of having Y then call BS on X.

Originally posted by 1nquisitive
How many dead astronauts litter space, and is it possible official figures are purposefully inaccurate?

There are some reasonably interesting reports that the Soviets lost some people in space in the 60s, although who could say if they're true. I don't believe we have. Certainly never heard any rumors to that end.

What happens to a dead body in a vacuum?

Over time, it freeze dries. Instant mummy.

Do astronauts carry some form of 'suicide assist', in the chance that events may unfold in an unplanned catastrophic manner, ie. cyanide etc, to avoid a painful death?

Naw, all you have to do is drop the pressure with the cabin pressure controls, you'll go right to sleep, the end.

And what happens to the bodies?
They slowly mummify. As the life supports run out, they would be in deep freeze and an anaerobic space so little or no decay.
Freeze-dried.
Found this out from a book I highly recommend...Death to Dust, by Kenneth V Iverson, MD.
It tells you everything you ever wanted to know about death and what happens to the body after death. In all conditions, even space. It's a great read, great for a bathroom book and will make you think about your final wishes.
I loaned the book to someone who read it on a long plane trip. Freaked out fellow passengers totally. Because she started "sharing" the section on how they identify people from a major catastrophe, like a plane crash.

Thing is, anything in low earth orbit will eventually re-enter the atmosphere and burn up. So even if there were any dead astronauts floating up there in the past, they are long since gone.

Alexey Leonov, the first person to perform a spacewalk, carried a capsule with cyanide, in case he could return to his spacecraft.

Originally posted by Morgil
There are rumours of various lost cosmonauts
.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Cosmonauts]Phantom cosmonauts

which states

The evidence cited to support Lost Cosmonaut theories is generally not regarded as conclusive, and several cases have been confirmed as hoaxes. In the 1980s, American journalist James Oberg researched space-related disasters in the Soviet Union, but found no evidence of these Lost Cosmonauts.[1] Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, much previously restricted information is now available, including on Valentin Bondarenko, an early cosmonaut whose death on Earth the Soviet government covered up. Even with the availability of published Soviet archival material and memoirs of Russian space pioneers, no hard evidence has emerged to support the Lost Cosmonaut stories.

There were lots of stories. tracking them down was a significant effort. In the end, all the stories were explained as misunderstandings or hoaxes.

every story.

but it was fun.

There's a new book out about the private 'Soviet space sleuths' who did this work.

Originally posted by MarioOnTheFly
If you happen to spot a floating body on some NASA photos...it's probably debris. It's just paranoia/elia...something....oddly shaped like a human corpse in a space suit.

Very good thought!

Actually, on several Mir missions, worn-out space suits WERE discarded, once at least with an amateur radio transmitter in the helmet. The photos were privately circulated but I think officials didn't want people to see them and get the wrong impression.

Originally posted by works4dhs
'Red Star in Orbit' is an excellent book about the Soviet space program, and addresses many of the 'lost cosmonaut' rumors.
...

Aw, shucks, thanks....

My subsequent book, 'Uncovering Soviet Disasters', had updated info, and the relevant chapters are on the 'History' page of my website [see signature].

ha dont go saying tehres no dead comanots in space the russions have been very hush hush about how many of theres have died . i reda 58 dead russian
but i KNOW for a FACT one russian who died in space her name was lika and unless the craft she was on has rentered the earth shes still tehre today
for all thous whon think im full of it loook her up

Originally posted by midnightstar
ha dont go saying tehres no dead comanots in space the russions have been very hush hush about how many of theres have died . i reda 58 dead russian
but i KNOW for a FACT one russian who died in space her name was lika and unless the craft she was on has rentered the earth shes still tehre today
for all thous whon think im full of it loook her up

"Laika" was a bitch.

Originally posted by JimOberg

Originally posted by midnightstar
ha dont go saying tehres no dead comanots in space the russions have been very hush hush about how many of theres have died . i reda 58 dead russian
but i KNOW for a FACT one russian who died in space her name was lika and unless the craft she was on has rentered the earth shes still tehre today
for all thous whon think im full of it loook her up

"Laika" was a bitch.

Don't be so mean, did you ever meet her?

yes liaka was a bitch I knew that but whos to say how many the russians lost they didnt tell us about.
unlike the us the russians were very quite about this.
like i said at one time i read they have lost 58 of theres over the years if true how many in space and yes if they died in space im sure they tryed to get the bodys or alest decelrate the ))ship to burn up .
but again who knows would our goverment tell us i know the russians would not.
poor liaka i rember her because someone should shes the true pioner .
Not fond of the russians you should study ther3e bso called space program they started ahead because of lack of care for life using brute forced look up spudnik omg taht thing was one heck of a fire cracker.
we the us won because brut force alone isnt enough it may get you to the moon but the object was to return as well

o would a gun discharge in space?? i dought it . as the gun powde3r relys on o2 to burn and in space there is none.
even though rigging a special round shouldnt be hard but tehn you have the temp factor awhat happens to a gun in teh cold or hot of space - 200 pluse 400 depending on sun or showado

Originally posted by midnightstar
o would a gun discharge in space?? i dought it . as the gun powde3r relys on o2 to burn and in space there is none.
even though rigging a special round shouldnt be hard but tehn you have the temp factor awhat happens to a gun in teh cold or hot of space - 200 pluse 400 depending on sun or showado

Gunpowder includes its own oxidiser. Think about it: a gun round is tightly sealed, and when the powder is ignited, it cannot get air from anywhere.

Originally posted by midnightstar
o would a gun discharge in space?? i dought it . as the gun powde3r relys on o2 to burn and in space there is none.
even though rigging a special round shouldnt be hard but tehn you have the temp factor awhat happens to a gun in teh cold or hot of space - 200 pluse 400 depending on sun or showado

As wildespace posted: yes, a gun using modern ammunition will fire in the vacuum of space.

Fire requires an oxidizer to burn. Normally when you are burning say wood or paper, the oxygen in our atmosphere acts as that oxidizer.

However, the chemicals in modern gun powder contain their own oxidizer. All it needs is the impulse from the primer, which you get when the hammer strikes it.

So yes...a gun will fire in space.

Now, again, as to the practicality of it or safety, I think it would be a lot better to use something else to give you a reaction for thrust than a gun.

Joke went around in Brooklyn soon after launch of 'Layka'.

Caution -- ethnic stereotypes.

I was a kid at the time, already a space nut, and i heard it.

Man discusses space events with Giuseppi, his barber.

Giuseppi is sad that "Laika, she's-a gonna die."

Man -- a Russian from Brighten Beach - corrects his barber.

"No, no, moy frend, 'layka' iss nyet her name, 'layka' iss breed of dog.
She is NOT 'Layka", nyeh, she is A 'layka'."

Giuseppi is even more upset.

"What'a you mean, she's-a 'layka'? She's-a NO 'layka'.

She's-a hav-a no CHOICE."


No dogs were harmed in the production of this horrible pun.