Has anyone ever died in outer space?

Question

Of the peopl who traveled into outer space, has anyone actually died while in outer space, if so who, when?

Answer 1

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_burial

The list of space disasters shows that four cosmonauts and 15 astronauts have perished in flight as of 2006.

Soviet Air Force Colonel Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov crash-landed following a parachute failure aboard his Soyuz 1 spacecraft on April 24, 1967.
U.S. Air Force test pilot Major Michael J. Adams was killed November 15, 1967 when his X-15-3 research aircraft began to spin on re-entry and descent and disintegrated near Randsburg, California. Maj. Adams was posthumously awarded astronaut wings for his last flight in the X-15-3, which had attained an altitude of 266,000 feet (81.1 km).
The three crew members of Soyuz 11, Georgi Dobrovolski, Viktor Patsayev and Vladislav Volkov, were discovered dead after a successful landing following a nearly 24-day mission in earth orbit aboard the Salyut 1 space station. The cosmonaut's death were attributed to asphyxia, caused by a rapid decompression mishap during re-entry on June 30, 1971.
The seven bodies of Greg Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Michael J. Smith, and Dick Scobee were recovered in the mostly intact cockpit after the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger of January 28, 1986.
The seven-member crew of Rick D. Husband, William McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel B. Clark, and Ilan Ramon were killed in the re-entry disintegration of the Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003.
Thus no remains of these victims are or have been in space.

Answer 2

Well, ..., unfortunately yes. In the 60's there was a terrible accident in a Russia Capsule where all of the oxygen vented into space before it could be contained and another where a Cosmonaut floated away from the capsule. In the US we lost an entire Shuttle on reentry a few years ago. There have also been other deaths on the PAD, during ascent and decent as well for both the US and Russia. See the link below for a list of incidents.

Answer 3

Not that I know of. The dying has generally happened in the going up and coming down.

Aside from personal health issues, vaccuum would pose the primary danger in low earth orbit, I suppose. A space capsule or spacesuit only needs to maintain about half an atmosphere of pressure. That doesn't take extraordinary engineering (a two-liter soda bottle can hold much more).

The energetics of launch and reentry pose much bigger challenges.

Answer 4

No. No one has died in space. America has lost astronauts in Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia, which all occurred within our atmosphere. The Russians lost some during launch, but their biggest loss was after an Apollo-Soyuz mission when their craft was damaged on orbit and the capsule depressurized during reentry and the cosmonauts suffocated. Others died when landing chutes failed to deploy and the craft crashed to the earth at high speed.

Answer 5

No, no person has died outside of the earth's atmosphere. However, many accidents have occurred during takeoff and while entering the atmosphere, specifically "Colombia."

In the book "Space Travel Guide," it states that space travel in the future will be one of the safest ways to travel.

Answer 6

If you count monkeys, yes, I believe. One of the monkey's before man came back down dead. I think.

Gimme a min to google that, I'll brb to edit this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys_in_space
Has all the dead spacemonkey info we need.

I would like to add that we know nothing of all secret space missions. IF there are aerospace planes tested by the USAF, it should be assumed they make it into space, and maybe even one test pilot died up there. That, and of course, the Stargate Program, which we don't have either - or anything like it.

Answer 7

I don't believe so. Though a Russian astronaut died during the luanch process back in the 60's I believe.

Answer 8

Nobody has died IN space, but people have died during failed launches, may their souls rest in peace.

Answer 9

It was rumored that the Russians lost some people on a capsule decompressed on reentry.

Answer 10

Spock, in Wrath of Khan. Although they gensesized him back in the next sequel