The most unbelievable part of any sci-fi space movie is usually the most basic — we have no idea how humans could ever venture beyond our solar system in one lifetime. The distances are just too big and the trip would take too long with the propulsion systems we have now. And even if we do sort out the travel, space is an unforgiving place, more inhospitable than any place on Earth. If and when we get to another planet, a few intrepid astronauts aren’t going to make it.

It’s a morbid thought made delightful in a short animated film from Thomas Lucas. Below are over a dozen ways we’re likely to meet our maker, from a loss of suit pressure to ingestion by space eagle:

Maybe a few of the astronauts above liked Prometheus a bit too much. Never take your helmet off, and never poke an alien worm. Aliens won’t be friendly (probably).

Thankfully, we take enough precautions with our astronauts to ensure that when Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon he wasn’t instantaneously vaporized by the Sun. A well-trained astronaut isn’t going to open a window to space when she gets too sweaty (and she wouldn’t be sucked out anyway), nor would she violate the Prime Directive and start messing with the eggs of some giant space eagle. She might walk into an extraterrestrial cave that is actually a monster mouth though. Even Han Solo made that mistake.

How do you think a few humans will win their Darwin Awards in space? My bet is on falling into a Martian crevasse. Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Thomas Lucas