How Many Astronauts Have Died In Space
As of 2020 there have been 15 astronaut and 4 cosmonaut fatalities during spaceflight.
How many astronauts have died in space. Because of this necessity space stations have exercise equipment that astronauts or cosmonauts can use to stay fit. During the 1971 flight of the soyuz 11 three soviet cosmonauts died when a ventilation valve ruptured asphyxiating the crew and exposing them to the vacuum of space. The most recent disaster occurring near the end of the space shuttle.
Astronauts have also died while training for space missions such as the apollo 1 launch pad fire which killed an entire crew of three. But the vast majority of these deaths occurred either on the ground or in earth s atmosphere below the accepted boundary of space called the kármán line which begins at an altitude of about 62 miles 100 kilometers. In the last half century about 30 astronauts and cosmonauts have died while training for or attempting dangerous space missions.
Nasa since the 1960s spaceflight missions have resulted in the accidental deaths of more than 20 astronauts. At the time of his death he was a usaf astronaut candidate in the manned orbiting laboratory mol program which had planned to use small space stations as reconnaissance platforms. There have also been some non astronaut fatalities during spaceflight related activities.
Only three people have actually died in outer space as of 2014. The last half century has witnessed the death of about 30 astronauts and cosmonauts while training or attempting dangerous space missions. That program was cancelled in 1969 and seven members of the mol program eventually flew on the space shuttle.
Bringing the universe to your door. However of the roughly 550 people who have so far ventured into space only three have actually died there. During a mission to the mir space station in 1995 astronaut norman thagard was attempting to do just that with a piece of exercise equipment for performing deep knee bends.