Since the body would need to be isolated within 24 hours to avoid contamination, it would be immediately placed into a GoreTex bag that would be inflated into a type of sarcophagus. Funeral rites would be performed very quickly, in a location on the ship where the astronauts could contact Earth.
“A funeral in space would be an unprecedented event, which might well involve the involvement of government figures, media and the public at large,” Body Back researcher Wiigh-Masak said at an Explore Mars workshop. “Speeches from the home nation, family members and the captain may be followed by last goodbyes from crew members, writing on the Body Back, celebrations, songs and so forth. It will be possible to transfer data to the Body Back from Earth, delivering any final messages to the decedent that his or her family or friends may wish to deliver.”
After the funeral, the bag would be placed in the airlock, but instead of releasing it into space, the crew would expose it to space until the cold temperatures froze it solid.
From: What NASA plans to do if an astronaut dies in space | 3tags
