Hibernation: Sleep while traveling to other planets

Hibernation - sleep while travelling to other planets ESA TV Exchanges Manned missions to Mars are no longer wild dreams. For example, ESA's Aurora programme is studying how, after exploring Mars with robotic missions, it is possible to send astronauts to the red planet. Astronauts on such missions would face the challenge of living in a confined space with not much to do for extremely long periods. "Might as well sleep it off!" Studies initiated by ESA's Advanced Concepts Team have gone one step further. Couldn't astronauts mimic the hibernation of animals? Two biologists are conducting, as ESA consultants, investigations into the physiological mechanisms that mammals use to hibernate. Although these studies are in a very early stage, and do not address missions to Mars, it is obvious that the astronaut's ability to hibernate would have a significant benefit in abort and emergency scenarios. Of course, a suitable and lightweight 'hibernaculum' to shelter astronauts during their 'long sleep' would have to be designed. The images for this programme were recorded at the University of Pavia in Italy where these experimental studies are conducted. The programme includes a 6-minute A-roll with split audio (English/international) and a B-roll with clean international sound. The script is on-line as a PDF document under http://television.esa.int/photos/EbS37360.pdf A Media Player File for preview is on line now under http://esa.capcave.com/wmp/hiberna_22112004_wmplow.wmv