Scientists believe that this is a real time frame for testing the technology.
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Scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) believe that the first application of hibernation technology to humans is possible within the next 10 years. And these experiments will lead to the realization of a science-fiction approach to long-term space missions, during which crew members of ships will be put to sleep for weeks or months en route to distant destinations, according to Space.com.
Such “hibernation” during a trip, for example, to Mars would not only save the crew members from boredom, but also reduce the cost of the mission. The crew, which is in a state of sleep, does not need to eat or drink, and also requires less oxygen than the awake one. There are other, less obvious advantages of prolonged deep sleep. Experiments on animals have shown that bodies immersed in hibernation are depleted less than those that are awake in microgravity.
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Considering all hibernation has long been one of the main elements of films about space, from “Alien” to “Passengers”. In them, crew members covered huge distances in a state of sleep, being in high-tech capsules.
But hibernation cannot be considered exclusively a product of science fiction. So, Jennifer Ngo-An, Coordinator of Research and Payload Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA and co-author of a recent article outlining the space agency's approach to hibernation research, told the publication that depending on the availability of funding, the first human trials of hibernation technology may take place already in the mid-2030s.
“Of course, we need to fine-tune everything before we can apply it to people. But I would say that 10 years is a realistic schedule,” said Ngo-An.
And this “setting” is already underway. Studies have shown that it is possible to introduce animals that do not hibernate, such as rats, into a state of hibernation, and then successfully bring them out of this state. The hibernation process is quite complex and includes a reduction in exposure to daylight and a period of intensive feeding, followed by strict starvation.
But the development of hibernation technology is important not only for space travel, but also for the development of medicine. Just like astronauts in a state of microgravity, patients in a coma or with prolonged bed rest suffer from “wear and tear” of the body. Recovery is long and expensive.
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Scientists note that patients who spend a long time in the intensive care unit often look like skeletons due to the fact that the process of tissue degradation begins. Immersion in hibernation could put the ego on pause.
