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My interpretation is that they are not, but they can be in eternal agony or be rendered a chunk of living meat that’s too damaged to sustain sapience.
If the astronaut is unable to sustain sapience then there’s no problem. It’s no different from regular death.
True. It’s the best outcome if they’re unable to make it home. Gross, though.
But it IS a problem for the astronaut, as “I don’t want to die!” implied they didn’t want to lose sapience. Only a problem until it happens, of course, but then, so is death.