Death on Orbit: Extreme Environmental Conditions and the Deaths of American Astronauts

When the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost in 2003, the investigation presented many unique challenges, including numerous findings that had never been observed by forensic pathologists. The previous two major space shuttle fatality incidents also presented unique and complex issues. The causes of these incidents are now identified and the environmental impacts on the astronauts were a major contributor to the tragedies. Even with the improvements learned from the losses of Apollo 1 (1967), the Challenger (1986), and the Columbia (2003), space flight continues to be one of the most dangerous professions and environmental factors are significant contributors to this threat. While many have now been explained, the myriad of environmental insults to the crew continues to be a source of interest for those involved in space flight. Most forensic pathologists will never be involved in a death investigation of astronauts at the edge of outer space, on a mission, or during training, yet the findings are nevertheless of interest in the field of environmental death.