In this short story, probably from the late 70's/early 80's, an astronaut ejects from his ship in a specially designed suit with a computer and life support that keeps him alive, though basically immobile in the suit, his entire remaining life which he lives traveling through the void of space. The computer ends up cloning him after he dies -- not sure about the rest of the story.
Does anyone know the name, author, and book of short stories that this story appeared in?
Maybe Coffins by Robert Reed (1992)? Anthologized in The Best from Fantasy & Science Fiction A 45th Anniversary Anthology (1994, Ferman & Rusch, eds.), pp.153-164.
Excerpt:
A little short of his thousandth birthday, he dies. And the griefless computer watches the peaceful failure of organs and the ancient brain. It’s done its primary job as well as possible; it contemplates the silence within and without. But life persists even now. Bacteria begin to feed on the corpse, harvesting its latent energies. Dozens of species thrive, and the computer consciously helps them with warmth and oxygen. Dead tissues become a living goo. The entire body is eradicated, bones dissolving and then the hard white teeth. The goo is fed sugars and amino acids made by the recyke systems. The computer uses its autodoc needles to ensure fair shares to everyone. And it learns as it works, discovering which species prefer which treats, then moving on with the man’s strange, patient plan.
