NASA is investigating the possibility of traveling to Mars crew members plunged into hibernation mode. It is believed that this may significantly reduce the human expedition to the red planet in price, while bringing these plans to reality.
Normal medical procedures caused deep (also known as lethargy) reduce astronauts sleep and metabolism induced hypothermia (a state where the body temperature drops to lower than needed to maintain the body's metabolism and function).
"Therapeutic lethargy of sleep opportunity theory has been studied since 1980, and the practice became operational only since 2003, critically ill patients - the International Astronomical Congress in Toronto in early September said space engineer Mark Schaffer - Major medical centers promote the adaptation of hypothermia treatment method for patients with need to keep them alive to reach the necessary assistance. "
The functioning of the body pausing can be applied during a trip to Mars, which in the best case it would take 180 days to one side. While traveling this way people sleep, they would be fed intravenously.
So far, the application of hypothermia, lethargy, patients sleep could spend only one week, but during the mission to Mars, they would have to sleep through to 90, or even 180 days - this is the whole of the journey.
From an economic point of view, such a trip is impressive: the crew can live without comforts and much smaller ships. They do not need to kitchen or bathroom or exercise room, and of course, less water, food and clothing supplies. True, it would be necessary for the sleeping device bone and muscle tone maintenance.
"SpaceWorks" study funded by NASA revealed that the need for watertight crew "deep sleep" is reduced up to five times, and the traffic load weight - three times. In general, the astronauts traveling immersion lethargy sleep reduces the total spacecraft mass from 400 to about 220 tons.
"The weight is equivalent to heavy lift rocket" - said Schaffer.
