“Ending Communication”- Ethics on the Moon

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DiscerningTheTruth

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Fully theoretical question here. At the time of the flight of Apollo 11 and its successful moon landing, President Nixon’s administration prepared a speech and a plan for the possibility that the astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would be trapped on the moon to die. This plan held that the astronauts would commit suicide so as to not prolong a horrific death. But! What is the Catholic stance on this? Would these men be justified in taking such action? Would they be morally condemned?
 
DiscerningTheTruth said:
This plan held that the astronauts would commit suicide so as to not prolong a horrific death
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That’s never been proven, actually. If you have a source stating the contrary, I’d be interested in seeing it.
DiscerningTheTruth said:
What is the Catholic stance on this? Would these men be justified in taking such action?
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No, because there are no circumstances under which direct suicide may be willed for its own sake. Obviously there’s a difference between committing suicide to avoid prolonging a painful death on the one hand, and sacrificing oneself for the good of others on the other hand, but this would be a case of directly intending one’s own death. The ends don’t justify the means.

-Fr ACEGC
 
A theoretical question like that doesn’t matter. A direct order written by the appropriate commanding authority does. Right now, the United States is building a massive launch capability in preparation for a base on the moon. Many things can go wrong and part of astronaut training will include what to do if you are about to die on the moon.
 
For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t be a painful death. Hypoxia makes you feel lightheaded and eventually you pass out. Running out of oxygen is in no way painful.
 
That’s not the only thing that can happen. A tear in a spacesuit will lead not only to hypoxia but exposure to the outside environment. Depending on your specific location, the temperature in your suit will drop rapidly. A major break in your suit can result in what is called ‘explosive decompression.’ Your spacesuit must maintain a certain positive pressure. Losing that pressure rapidly would lead to not quite a quick death.
 
A year in a space suit is different than being stuck on the moon. It would be an accident, not running out of oxygen or a suicide unless they cut it.
 
The first plan for a moon base was published in 1960. The US should start or have a finished base by 2024. No one is expected to spend a year in a spacesuit. Any activity outside of manned structures on the moon will be dangerous. Those living there will be directed to frozen water ice for drinking water, and mineral deposits. Any fall risks damage to the suit.
 
The question was regarding the Apollo
11 mission. Not moon bases.
 
Convert3 said:
For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t be a painful death. Hypoxia makes you feel lightheaded and eventually you pass out. Running out of oxygen is in no way painful.
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Really? Air hunger is extremely uncomfortable and frightening.
 
Frightening does not mean painful. It’s not uncomfortable because you just get lightheaded. Military fliers all go through training to experience the signs of hypoxia.
 
If air is being filled with carbon-dioxide, it is frightening. This is the case when air can no longer be refreshed and becomes stale. It feels like drowning and may induce panic.

However, dropping air pressure or lack of oxygen is something brain is not accustomed to notice. If air pressure is dropped enough that there is little oxygen but not so much that saliva in the mouth starts boiling, death can be peaceful. Breathing nitrogen has a similar effect.
 
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The plan didn’t require them to commit suicide. It simply acknowledged that suicide was something than one of them (esp Armstrong) might have selected.

Neil Armstrong (while raised Methodist) considered himself to be a deist (at least when he was a younger man).

Buzz Aldrin is/was practicing Christian, so the chances he would kill himself were much lower, but I would imagine there was a greater chance of Armstrong killing himself.

Regardless, this was NOT an order by NASA, it was simply an acknowledgement of the truth that one of them might attempt it.
 
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I really don’t like threads that ask us -
as laypeople with no special knowledge, training, or insight - to pass moral judgement on one-in-a-million,
High-stress events where those who would be living the events would be totally alone and largely cut off from all human contact.

If an astronaut were ever in that situation (stranded alone on the moon with no hope of rescue) I would suspect God would be merciful were the astronaut to flip his visor open.
 
VonDerTann said:
I really don’t like threads that ask us -
as laypeople with no special knowledge, training, or insight - to pass moral judgement on one-in-a-million,
High-stress events where those who would be living the events would be totally alone and largely cut off from all human contact.

If an astronaut were ever in that situation (stranded alone on the moon with no hope of rescue) I would suspect God would be merciful were the astronaut to flip his visor open.
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OK. But to be clear, I didn’t pass any moral judgement. I simply refuted the idea that NASA ordered them to commit suicide.
 
Yep, that’s a fair response. And it’s an interesting question nonetheless.

To be fair, maybe it’s not really the question I’m opposed to. It’s the fact that by asking it we’re rather setting up people to judge, including people who either can’t really see the nuances of the decision, or where the response really ought to be “a person in that position is dealing with stresses none of us would ever encounter, so let’s leave it up to God.”
 
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