Showing posts with label space flight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label space flight. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Hibernation to reduce the cost of manned space flights

Here is a fascinating article about space travel. Apparently, a trip to Mars will take about 6 months. A team at NASA has shown that putting astronauts in a form of hibernation can significantly reduce the cost of a trip, as much less food will need to be brought if the crew is hibernating.

The way it works is that the crew members will be cooled down to 89°F – 93°F by fluid pumped through their noses! The crew will be fed intravenously while they hibernate. The article does not mention how urination is dealt with - catheter maybe? When the crew arrives at Mars, they will be warmed up again and woken up. The article mentions that during hibernation, the crew will be in a "spinning habitat...to offset bone and muscle loss." Sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, only apparently it's very possible to do this now.