I'm not really seeing the innovation as this idea has been around for an extremely long time.
Perhaps the article writer is referring to the specific techniques that would be involved. However there is no guarantee that torpor will either be universally effective or universally safe. Plus there will be the danger of a difficult and untimely revival.
And obviously you can't put everyone in torpor, that's far too dangerous.
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A NASA-backed study explores an innovative way to dramatically cut
the cost of a human expedition to Mars -- put the crew in stasis.
The deep sleep, called torpor, would reduce astronauts’
metabolic functions with existing medical procedures. Torpor also can
occur naturally in cases of hypothermia.
ANALYSIS: Private Mars Mission in 2018?
“Therapeutic torpor has been around in theory since the 1980s and really since 2003 has been a staple for critical care trauma patients in hospitals," aerospace engineer Mark Schaffer, with SpaceWorks Enterprises in Atlanta, said at the International Astronomical Congress in Toronto this week. "Protocols exist in most major medical centers for inducing therapeutic hypothermia on patients to essentially keep them alive until they can get the kind of treatment that they need.”
Perhaps the article writer is referring to the specific techniques that would be involved. However there is no guarantee that torpor will either be universally effective or universally safe. Plus there will be the danger of a difficult and untimely revival.
And obviously you can't put everyone in torpor, that's far too dangerous.
NASA Eyes Crew Deep Sleep Option for Mars Mission
Oct 3, 2014 12:00 PM ET
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During interplanetary transit, the crew would receive
low-level electrical impulses to key muscle groups to prevent muscular
atrophy.
SpaceWorks
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NASA'sSpacesuitsThroughtheYears:Photos
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Last year, NASA announced the discovery of water on Mars.
This posed a question to scientists: Could we grow plants in the soil of
Mars? Trace explains what is necessary to grow crops on Earth, and if
Mars is able to sustain life.
ANALYSIS: Private Mars Mission in 2018?
“Therapeutic torpor has been around in theory since the 1980s and really since 2003 has been a staple for critical care trauma patients in hospitals," aerospace engineer Mark Schaffer, with SpaceWorks Enterprises in Atlanta, said at the International Astronomical Congress in Toronto this week. "Protocols exist in most major medical centers for inducing therapeutic hypothermia on patients to essentially keep them alive until they can get the kind of treatment that they need.”
