Could Suspended Animation Be Reality?

NASA plans ‘suspended animation’ cryosleep chamber to put humans to sleep for up to two weeks at a time as they journey through the solar system.

00:17 20 May 2016

NASA is investing up to $500,000 to develop a hibernation chamber which will put humans to sleep up to 14 days whilst travelling to distant worlds. The pioneering “cryosleep” system is part of the space agency’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program, which has been linked to ambitious and forward-thinking projects.

 

The cryosleep system is designed to artificially induce state of hypothermia by chilling humans. This technique is currently being used to cool body of patients who have suffered a cardiac arrest to avoid brain damage.

 

If successful, the use of the system will mean that only one individual is needed to maintain the ship so the spacecraft could be much smaller and travel more efficiently through space.

 

SpaceWorks, the firm that is helping NASA build the system, said: "NASA should leverage these advancements for spaceflight as they can potentially eliminate a number of very challenging technical hurdles and ultimately enable feasible and sustainable missions to Mars."