Would a dead body decompose in the vacuum of space?
The decomposition of a body occurs in stages. In the first stage enzymes within the body begin to break down the cells and vapours are released. In the second stage scavengers (bacterial and animal) are responsible for a great deal of the decompostion. Obviously these scavengers don’t exist in the vacuum of space so it’s unlikely this part of the process would take place. Decomposition is also influenced by temperature, availability of oxygen and humidity. All of these being low in space would indicate the body would be more likely to be preserved. In fact frozen. However, without a space suit it’s equally likely that the body would degrade as the sun’s ray’s slowly ‘microwave’ it. This may not totally degrade the body but may simply dry it out completely.
