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posted by CoolHand on Saturday August 22 2015, @09:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the just-like-aliens dept.

Long-term cryogenic and hibernative sleep may be the key to getting humans to Mars — and beyond. But with research and funding active concerns, it may first come to a spa near you.

Our bodies aren't meant for space. It's heartbreaking for science fiction fans to hear, but it's also a self-evident fact. Our bodies require too much maintenance to speed through the stars. We need a steady supply of those things absent from space —namely water, food and oxygen. We crave warmth but won't find it in deep space, where the average temperature is minus 455 degrees Fahrenheit.

Even if we could survive in an icy vacuum without sustenance, we'd probably go insane without distractions and room to move. In 2013, participants in a 17-month Russian spaceflight simulation became depressed and lethargic in the cramped quarters. They grew desperate for privacy and often skipped exercises that would be crucial during a real spaceflight.

Ensuring space travellers stay healthy and active during long flights is a puzzle with two pieces: cargo and weight. Food, water, exercise equipment and televisions are heavy. Fuel is expensive and volatile. The more weight you're bringing into space, the more fuel you need. But aeronautic engineers (of SpaceWorks) believe they have found the key to solving that puzzle: put your space travellers to sleep.

https://vanwinkles.com/latest-science-of-cryogenic-sleep-human-hibernation-for-space-travel

[Also Covered By]: http://gizmodo.com/how-traveling-to-deep-space-in-cryogenic-sleep-could-ac-1725605323

[Related Blog]: http://spacetorpor.blogspot.com/

[Related NASA Coverage]: http://www.nasa.gov/content/torpor-inducing-transfer-habitat-for-human-stasis-to-mars/


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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Bot on Saturday August 22 2015, @11:36AM

    by Bot (3902) on Saturday August 22 2015, @11:36AM (#226225) Journal

    space sucks, sci fi and space programs just distract the masses from what is done to their planet.
    /unpopular opinion puffin

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  • (Score: 2) by Bot on Saturday August 22 2015, @11:39AM

    by Bot (3902) on Saturday August 22 2015, @11:39AM (#226226) Journal

    also look at these ----- -- - --- -- -- - - - ---- ----^

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    • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Saturday August 22 2015, @02:43PM

      by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 22 2015, @02:43PM (#226266) Homepage Journal

      Could there be a typo there? Couold you, for example, have meant ----- -- - --- -- -- - --- ---- ----^ ?

      • (Score: 2) by Bot on Sunday August 23 2015, @10:25PM

        by Bot (3902) on Sunday August 23 2015, @10:25PM (#226736) Journal

        Well, ABCABC happens 999 times, dubs happen 99999 times.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by ikanreed on Saturday August 22 2015, @02:26PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Saturday August 22 2015, @02:26PM (#226262) Journal

    Not so much unpopular as shallow and one dimensional.

    Literally everything that isn't [important issue X] is a distraction from [important issue X]. Even if it's [important issue Y] instead.

    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday August 25 2015, @07:42AM

      by Bot (3902) on Tuesday August 25 2015, @07:42AM (#227450) Journal

      I do not imply that space exploration is not important, I state that the way it is portraited in popular media and culture is akin to saying:"I will pay up soon, just let me win the lotter some oy". It is a lottery which a dedicated player WILL eventually win, but in thw meantime one needs to pay the bills some other way.

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