How Cryogenic Sleep Could Bring Astronauts To Mars (And To The Moon!)
511From the moon to Mars, NASA is aiming to use new technology to get astronauts there safely! Join me as we explore the use of cryogenic sleep in space!
What Kind Of Sleep is It?
Cryogenic Sleep, or if you want to think of it in more loose terms, it's the idea of putting people into hibernation in space travel so that they don't need to worry about piloting the space shuttle or have to do daily routines and such. Or, heaven forbid, be bored in space while waiting for something to happen (and yes, boredom in space does happen).
Now you might think that this is an odd thing to consider in space travel, but, if you think about many classic sci-fi movies, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, the idea of cryogenic sleep chambers in spacecraft has been around for a while. Yet, we've never used it for a whole host of reasons. Not the least of which was that at the time of early space missions, and even in the early 21st century, the idea of having astronauts "sleep" on their way to missions was basically ludicrous. Someone NEEDED to fly the ship, make repairs, and whatnot. If something went wrong while in cryogenic sleep, the whole mission would be in jeopardy. Not to mention the lives of the crew. But now, with the advent of new technology, including wireless communication and massive jumps in computer programming, scientists are honestly starting to wonder if this could work. And they've realized something rather interesting. If they were to put the crew in sleep pods or chambers...they wouldn't need as big a ship to fly in:
“We worked on adjusting the architecture of the spacecraft, its logistics, protection against radiation, power consumption and overall mission design,” comments Robin Biesbroek of the CDF.
So IF they do this, theoretically, space travel could be done in more compact ways, saving time, money, and energy and getting people to the moon and Mars faster.
Could Humans Really Survive In Pods For Long Periods Of Time?
Of course, one of the biggest questions right now in regards to space travel cryogenics is, "How would we survive?" Well to explain this, you need to go back to the other word I used earlier, "Hibernation". Many animals in the world hibernate in their own forms. Mammals though have true hibernation abilities, including being able to shut down their bodies in a way to conserve warmth, not require food, and more. Then, when winter is over and spring arrives, they wake up and go on with their lives as if nothing happened.
Humans technically can't do that naturally, which is why many scientists are working on creating stasis pods that will invoke a state of being known as Topor. Which is another word for "short-term hibernation".
Now if you think about it in the broader sense, there are some cases where humans are in a state of hibernation for long periods of time without the need for major "maintenance" if you will. One of these is a coma. Granted, that's a reaction to severe trauma, but the effects are the same. The body is in an unconscious state, only light touches are needed to keep the person alive, and so and so forth.
“And the basic idea of putting astronauts into long-duration hibernation is actually not so crazy: a broadly comparable method has been tested and applied as therapy in critical care trauma patients and those due to undergo major surgeries for more than two decades,” said one person on the project. “Most major medical centres have protocols for inducing hypothermia in patients to reduce their metabolism to basically gain time, keeping patients in a better shape than they otherwise would be.”
Many of these same procedures would be done if Topor statis is able to be achieved on the spacecraft.
For example, the obvious question of food and water is apparently. But not unlike certain sick patients, an IV can be put into the astronaut in question and deliver the necessary vitamins and minerals to keep the human body strong.
What's more, the breathing part is relatively simple. After all, you breathe less when you're sleeping because it's more of regulated action versus your constant breathing in and out and reacting to certain situations with heightened breathing. That wouldn't happen in topor because your body would be on a baseline level.
Finally, there is of course the need to...relieve yourself in space. Because your body is still going to be breaking down stuff in your body and needs to get it out of you. But again, not unlike certain hospital patients, there is a simple method of having that work, it's a called a catheter. It's disgusting, but it works.
All in all, the more basic factors of doing hibernation in space are already taken care of. There would just need to be certain factors put in to make sure things don't go horribly wrong. Including one you might not be thinking of...
Like...muscle problems?
Yeah, if you know about coma patients, you'll know that the longer they are in a coma, the longer they have to rehab their bodies once they get out of it.