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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/
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday August 23 2015, @08:35AM
Your questions are hard to answer. Gravity is the toughest part of all of it. Today, we don't have the capability to turn gravity up, or down. But - it could be in the immediate future, or it could be decades away, or hundreds of years.
Interesting article here: http://gizadeathstar.com/2014/01/fringe-science-boeing-admits-anti-gravity-work/ [gizadeathstar.com] Not especially informative, except for the fact that Boeing sees potential in the man's ideas, and the Russians are apparently pursuing the research.
There are many many google links to gravity research, few if any really informative, except that they hint at a lot of research in the field. Where governments and large corporations are spending tons of money, one can expect for things to happen, if only incrementally.
I was about to close the Google page, when I spotted SpaceX - - - ehhhh. The guy seems to combine elements of fact with elements of conspiracy theories, but here it is anyway - http://supersoldiertalk.com/2015/05/29/spacex-to-create-mars-colony-antigravity-technology-makes-possible-in-a-decade/ [supersoldiertalk.com]
Guess it's safe to say that I'm hopeful, regarding gravity research. The real problem is, virtually all research into gravity is aimed at creating a weapon, or a space drive. There doesn't appear to be any research into mundane uses, such as anchoring pregnant women to the floor of the base, so that gestation can proceed normally. As usual, the weapons will come first, then practical applications will come decades afterward.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday August 23 2015, @03:04PM
Guess it's safe to say that I'm hopeful, regarding gravity research. The real problem is, virtually all research into gravity is aimed at creating a weapon, or a space drive.
That's because if you figure out how to bypass gravity, you've probably also just figured out how to bypass lightspeed, and entered into a whole new realm of physics. Mundane uses aren't nearly as important as having FTL drive.
The problem with "gravity research" is that our understanding of physics has no allowance for changing gravity, or for exceeding lightspeed (without negative mass as in the Alcubierre Drive). It's not often that a real-world effect is found which isn't backed up by basic physics; normally the physics are worked out years or decades before the effect is found in nature.