51 U.S.C. § 20147 — Recovery and disposition authority

(a) Definitions. (1) "Administration^* human space flight vehicle" means a space vehicle, as already defined in section 20138(a), that is meant to carry one or more people, is designed to operate in space, and is either owned by NASA or owned by a NASA contractor or partner and used on a NASA mission or joint mission. (2) "Crewmember" means an astronaut or other person assigned to one of these vehicles.

(b) Control of Remains. (1) In general: if an accident or mishap kills a crewmember of one of these vehicles, the Administrator^* may take control of the crewmember's remains and order autopsies or other scientific or medical tests, subject to paragraphs (2) and (3). (2) Honoring preferences: each crewmember must tell the Administrator, in advance, what they want done with their remains, and the Administrator must respect those wishes as much as possible. (3) Limits: this section does not let the Administrator get in the way of any federal investigation into the mishap or accident.