Mars trip is manageable for ‘hibernating’ astronauts
ASTRONAUTS could be put into hibernation to travel to Mars, European Space Agency scientists have revealed, as they called for further research on its impact on the brain.
Being cooped up in a spacecraft for a long period of time could take its toll on physical and mental health, according to Prof Vladyslav Vyazovskiy, who is leading the research.
He said the “huge implications” could be mitigated if astronauts were put into a “state of stasis”, and said investigation was needed to establish what effect this might have on their brains.
“Hibernation is a fascinating biological phenomenon. Sometimes it is confused with sleep because when an animal is hibernating it looks like it is sleeping, but it’s a fundamentally different state,” said Prof Vyazovskiy, an Oxford University neuroscientist.
“Imagine you had to take a very longhaul flight to Mars, and how much fuel, water supply, air you’d need to take along. If you were awake all the time, there are also huge implications for mental health, spending so much time in a highly confined environment – so it would be really advantageous to put the astronauts in a state of stasis.
“A lot of research on hibernation has focussed on the body because it is a physiological state and biochemical processes in the body are slowed down, but very little has looked into what happens to the brain. The brain could experience something similar to anaesthesia or a sleep-like or comatose state, but we need more research.
“Hibernation is a widespread phenomenon and many animals hibernate. We know that some primates are able to. So I can’t think what is special about humans that means they can’t hiber
‘I can’t think what is special about humans that means they can’t hibernate. We just need to find the secret’
nate. We just need to find the secret.
“We can produce an artificial state of hibernation by administering drugs, but I don’t think this is the most promising approach. We should learn from other animal species and how they trigger that process spontaneously.”
During hibernation, physiological functions such as metabolic and respiratory rate slow down significantly and body temperature drops. In contrast, sleep is a gentle resting state lasting hours rather than months, during which physiological functions do not change to a great extent.