The Hype around Hibernation - Henry Klepper
A Hypersleep pod as seen in the film Alien
(source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078748/mediaviewer/rm3374159872 )
Hypersleep is a fairly common trope in science fiction, the advanced technology that allows Humans to enter a state of hibernation in order to sleep through their journey to the stars. With Hypersleep, one could theoretically send a human on a journey thousands of years long, and they would wake up on the other side perfectly healthy, ready to colonize distant worlds. But this is just science fiction - or is it? A recent study by the European Space Agency suggests that long-lasting human hibernation is well within the realm of possibility, and the necessary technology may be developed within the next few decades.
Like some animals, humans would need to enter a state of hibernation, or torpor, in which their metabolic rate is slowed. Their heart would beat slower, their breathing would slow, and overall their body would require less resources to operate. Surprisingly, the kind of technology that could induce torpor is actually not so far-fetched. There are certain techniques used in medicine to slow someone’s heart rate down by inducing hypothermia, and this process could possibly be used on a larger scale to slow down someone’s body for an extended period of time.
The prospect of human hibernation has its ups and downs. On the upside, a spaceship equipped for hibernation would not need to accomodate for the various “quality of life” fixtures that humans require. Crew quarters, restrooms, and forms of entertainment would all be unnecessary. Since flavor is not a factor, food could instead be engineered to be highly nutritious, and be delivered through an IV. On the other hand, the challenges involved with human hibernation are also numerous. Humans do not naturally enter hibernation, so some sort of artificial means would have to be used, and slowing down someone’s body too much could kill them. Furthermore, a spaceship designed for hibernation would have to be completely autonomous.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Hibernating_astronauts_would_need_smaller_spacecraft
- Would you be willing to undergo hibernation in general? What if you were being sent to another planet? Why or why not?
- How else could the capability to slow down the human body be used? For example, in emergency rooms, patient’s bodies are slowed down in order to provide the doctor more time to operate.
- Do you think research into human hibernation is useful, or should other methods of space-travel be researched?
I believe that there is a great possibility of this actually happening. If we can figure out the science to do it it is possible because other animals like bears can do it.
ReplyDelete-Spencer hyatt
I feel that this is a real rare thing that can happen. I personally would not want to try this because of any "what if's" that could take place.
ReplyDeleteNyah elbert
I think that this may be a way to solve a good amount of the problems that humans could face when traveling to far away planets when we get to that opportunity. Personally I wouldn't like to try it just because it's a little weird and kind of scares me.
ReplyDelete-Jessica DeMoor
Although I believe this technology will be greatly important in our near future as a society, I believe that there are many other innovations we have to make first before hibernation will be useful. This includes faster space travel, the ability to terraform other planets, and better telescopes to find planets in the first place. However, once these other pieces are in place, I think that hibernation will become immensely useful.
ReplyDelete-Dorian Kavadlo
I agree. It seems right now the technology would have little to no practical use as we are not even close to that stage of travel yet. As of now we have our sights set on Mars, which isn't as far as this technology would suggest. However, as we try and explore other things (Jupiter's moons, for example) then this will be very helpful.
Delete-Wesley Henshaw
I think it's possible for humans to find a way to hibernate, but it might be taking science too far. Some people may be willing to sacrifice their lives on Earth to explore distant planets, but for many people this just wouldn't be worth it. By the time people got back to Earth, everyone they knew would be older or possibly dead and everything would be different. It'd be impossible for that person to come back and fit into society.
ReplyDelete-alyssa cearley
I think it's very interesting and could be beneficial to certain people that doesn't want to alive at this moment. Also I could really see this happening in less than 30 years or so because everyday we humans, are getting smarter and smarter so I find these kind of things very interesting.
ReplyDelete-Gyeom Kim
I think this is very fascinating and has the possibility of happening. With the improvement in technology who knows, maybe that's how we can visit other places and other galaxies, by hibernation.
ReplyDelete-David C
If this practice does take place in the near future, then i think that the best choice for hyper sleep is to be concluded into space needs only. What i mean by that is, if we get to the point where space travel goes to father lengths beyond the cosmos, then hyper sleep would speed up the explorer process for the future astronauts.
ReplyDelete-raven
This could be very beneficial to mankind. But i agree that it should only be allowed for space needs.
ReplyDelete~Trevor
I think that this can be possible but it might be risky for some as this is an artificial hibernation.
ReplyDelete-Jahanvi
I would want to try this. I find this very interesting, animals do it.
ReplyDeletei feel this could be very helpful to people
I think the idea of hibernation pods is very cool and we could travel to far away places and learn new information with the hibernation pods. - maddie hoffmeyer
ReplyDeleteI think that this idea of a state of torpor can be used a lot in space travel. It helps out when humans need to for example travel to further away planets that they can't make in a lifetime.
ReplyDelete-Nate