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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 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.