How many astronauts have died in space? Who were the first astronauts to fly in space? – Express.co.uk

The criteria for determining who has achieved human spaceflight varies. The Fdration Aronautique Internationale defines the cosmic threshold as any flight above the Krmn line 62 miles (100km), a definition recognised by every country, except the US Department of Defense in the 1960s. As of September 26, 2019, 565 people from 38 countries have boldly gone to space.

The last half-century has witnessed the death of about 30 astronauts and cosmonauts while training or attempting dangerous space missions.

However, the overwhelming majority of these deaths occurred either on the ground or technically within Earths atmosphere.

Of the 550 people who have ventured into space, only three have actually died there.

The first space station to park itself above Earths atmosphere was the (then) USSRs Salyut 1, which launched without a crew on April 19, 1971.

SEE HERE:NASAs best pictures of Earth from the International Space Station

Only a few days later, a crew of three Soviets launched aboard Soyuz 10 intent on entering the space station and remaining in orbit for a month.

Though the Soyuz 10 crew managed to safely dock with Salyut 1, issues with the entry hatch prevented them from entering the space station.

The USSR made another attempt at accessing the space station a few months later, on June 6, on the Soyuz 11 mission.

Unlike the previous crew, the three Soyuz 11 cosmonauts Georgi Dobrovolski, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev successfully entered Salyut 1.

Once orbiting Earth, the trio spent the following three weeks not only setting a new record for the longest time spent in space, but conducting many of scientific experiments focused on how the body deals with extended periods of weightlessness.

On June 29, the three cosmonauts returned to Soyuz 11 to began their descent to Earth.

To those on the ground, everything about Soyuz 11s reentry seemed to go off without a hitch.

The spacecraft appeared to make it through the atmosphere just fine, ultimately landing in Kazakhstan as planned.

However, it was not until recovery crews reached the spacecraft they discovered all three crew members were dead.

On opening the hatch, they found all three men in their couches, motionless, with dark-blue patches on their faces and trails of blood from their noses and ears.

They removed them from the descent module. Dobrovolski was still warm.

Based on the doctors reports, the cause of death was suffocation.

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How many astronauts have died in space? Who were the first astronauts to fly in space? - Express.co.uk