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OK, it's a bit morbid, but I guess it's something you really have to think about if and when humans start directly exploring the Solar System. Mauna Loa has been used to test what astronauts should do if one of them dies on a planetary mission:
"How to die on Mars"
"
At HI-SEAS, on the side of Mauna Loa in Hawaii, with Mauna Kea in the background, Hastings put on the garments. She demonstrated what a Martian death ritual might look like one day [...]".
https://www.space.com/how-to-die-on-mars...itual.html
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The HI-SEAS program on Mauna Loa has certainly tackled a wide array of issues during the missions held in their dome. Like boredom. Nobody likes to think about the boredom of space flight, but it will be a part of any mission to another planet and some people can adapt to it easier than others.
The journey to Mars, or life on Mars will inevitably include death. It’s probably a good idea that some protocol is developed in advance so astronauts and their families understand all aspects of the mission. Weight requires fuel for landing, and takeoff, from Mars or the Moon. Should one or more of the crew die, it’s not in the best interests of the survivors to carry dead weight, as it were.
It’s a change from earlier plans for space travel. The Army’s Project Horizon for a 12 man moon base in 1959 included a medical facility and an isolation room for “psychological patients.” In one version if I remember correctly even a jail. But death wasn’t anticipated, perhaps because this was a few years before we had sent a human into orbit. Like the potential uses of nuclear power back then, program developers only focused on the brave new frontiers.
https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEB...01A_sm.pdf
The HI-SEAS program on Mauna Loa is more based in reality now that we’re 60 years into manned space flight, and recognize the dangers.
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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"The HI-SEAS program on Mauna Loa is more based in reality now that we’re 60 years into manned space flight, and recognize the dangers."
Completely agree, and combined with our experience of long-term stays in space on the ISS will give us the knowledge of how exactly we do carry out planetary missions with humans. It's a goal I would love to see reached in my lifetime.
