ESA, the European Space Agency (ESA), has announced that no later than 20 years from now, astronauts going on space travel will be in hibernation chambers, making travel to other, very distant worlds a reality.
The theoretical idea of hibernation first appeared at the beginning of the last century, when the creators of science fiction, in books and on the screen, sending their heroes on distant missions, immersed them in cryosleep.
ESA believes that immersion of astronauts in cryosleep is the best solution. In particular, to ensure the life of even a small crew for several years, you need a certain living space, air and water regeneration systems, and serious food supplies. If all this is removed, then the size of the spacecraft is reduced by at least a third.
However, to implement this idea, serious research in medicine is still required, and right now the hibernation of astronauts is not yet possible. Nevertheless, ESA doctors already have certain groundwork.
First of all, these are procedures to slow down the metabolism of people in the postoperative period, after various injuries. All of this is already actively used in modern medicine, but researchers are looking further and intend to reduce the metabolic rate by 75%.
Dr Jennifer Ngo-An, Research Team Leader, explains:
The second direction of research is obtaining a kind of antifreeze, which is evolutionarily used by bacteria capable of freezing and even some reptiles. For example, the so-called tree frogs are being studied, which easily survive any frost, before turning into an ice stone.
The mechanism for this is currently well understood. Antifreeze of these animals is specific nucleator proteins and glucose. Before freezing, frog cells collect so much of it that the cytoplasm looks more like sugar syrup than water. At the moment, the technology is being tested on animals with the prospect of using it for long-term preservation of donor organs.
In addition to these studies, ESA is taking other practical steps. In particular, the agency operates the CDF (Concurrent Design Facility), a modern technical center that brings together groups of specialists of different profiles for an initial assessment of proposed future missions.
Robin Bisbrook of CDF explains: