SpaceWorks Continues Statis Research
ATLANTA (SpaceWorks PR) — SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) is pleased to release an update to its research into a human stasis approach at the 2016 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The concept involves placing the crew of a Mars mission into a prolonged hypothermic state during the in-space transit phases, both Mars-outbound and Earth-return. With Phase II support and funding provided by the NASA HQ’s NIAC program, SpaceWorks has identified four key areas to further focus their efforts and assembled an invaluable medical team to assist in the research.
Placing a crew in torpor, an induced deep sleep state achieved via mild hypothermia, during the in-space mission phases appears to address a number of the medical challenges associated with space flight, including: bone demineralization, muscle atrophy, increased intracranial pressure (IIP), radiation exposure, and psycho-social problems. Furthermore, the reduced metabolic rates achieved through torpor relax the mission requirements on consumable food and water, and positively impact the design of the habitat’s environmental control, life support, and power systems.
Under the 24-month effort, SpaceWorks has identified four key areas to focus on as they continue their research of the torpor concept. Specifically:
- Medical assessments and evaluations including metabolic suppression approaches and the prolonged physiological impact of hypothermia
- Mars mission habitat design refinement with a focus on radiation assessment and shielding as well as internal thermal environment
- Extensibility beyond Mars to Martian moons, Main Belt asteroids, and the Jupiter and Saturn systems
- Technology roadmap development to identify key challenges and maturation costs
SpaceWorks has assembled an expert medical and research team to address challenges astronauts face with deep space flight. The medical team lead is Dr. Doug Talk, Departmental Director of Surgical Services at the Naval Air Station in Lemoore, CA. Team members are: Dr. Kelly Drew, a Neuroscientist and Professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; Dr. Alejandro Rabinstein, Medical Director of Neuroscience in the Intensive Care Unit of the Mayo Clinic; Dr. Matthew Kumar, Department of Anesthesiology Chair at the Mayo Clinic; and Dr. Leroy Chiao, NASA Astronaut and Commander of International Space Station Expedition 10.
“Following up on our IAC 2015 presentation showcasing the capabilities of our technology towards enabling transport of 100 colonists to Mars, we are pleased to be continuing this important research and breakthrough capability with support from NASA”, said Dr. John Bradford, NIAC Fellow and President/COO of SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI).
The findings and associated presentation given by Mark Schaffer at IAC 2016 are available here:
Presentation:
A Feasible, Near-Term Approach to Human Stasis for Long-Duration Deep Space Missions
Paper:
A Feasible, Near-Term Approach to Human Stasis for Long-Duration Deep Space Missions
For a list of FAQ, please visit our website at: https://spaceworkseng.com/
10 responses to “SpaceWorks Continues Statis Research”
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I’m not sure that medical stasis would maintain muscle or bone more than does modern in-space exercise protocols.
Supposedly at the reduced, near halted metabolic rate, most of the adverse physiological effects of micro-gravity would be minimized. Bones and muscles aren’t just not being used, they are not allowed to carry out their housekeeping either.
But this was just a paper-study, probably with not much more than speculation and the known research on it (not much). Tons of work to be done before they can even think of doing human tests, much less putting a bunch of astronauts in “3rd class”.
This is just supposition on my part, JamesG, but, I would assume that they will trying to understand just how animals, e.g. bears, enter and exit the hibernation state, which they apparently can do without any ill effects except for stored body fat loss. Inducing the same state within humans, if possible, will be the key. Regards, Paul.
Yeah but that’s not the line of research they are doing here. They are exploring the stasis effect of hypothermia. Deep chilling the body to get the tissues to individually stop doing their thing. AFAIK humans (and all primates) lack the biochemistry and other adaptions to pull off hibernation, and it probably wouldn’t be useful in space anyway because we don’t just need them to sleep thru the trip.
Then they’re wrong, James, which doesn’t surprise me. Lacking the biochemistry would be a big problem if we are talking about only reptiles here, but, as I posted, bears, which are high mammalian life forms can do it, so it should be possible to identify and artificially create the same hormone state within the primate mammalians. Worth a try, think of the possible spin off’s. E.g. critically ill patients, awaiting organ(s) from suitable donors, could be “put on ice” until the organ(s) become available. Regards, Paul.
If you look at their IAC 2015 presentation they address many of the above queries as well as outlining the (considerable) areas of further investigation needed before this could be operationally deployed. Having said that this is a technique already in use on a regular basis so to some extent it is a case of investigating the effects of extending it over a longer period of time.
From what I have read in passing, from the decades of hap-hazard funding, inducing hibernation in primates has not been successful. We evolved in the tropics where it wasn’t a useful adaptation. Thus why this project is pursuing the “not quite frozen to death” approach.
Thanks James, That is helpful.
I still wonder what happens to the life expectancy of the “participant”. Say they spend a year total in “medical stasis”. Does that mean they gain a year of life expectancy or does it mean they just lost a year of consciousness and their life expectancy is the same? Or is the answer somewhere in-between?
Seems like a sticky ethical question to be putting otherwise healthy individuals into a “medical stasis” without any medical need.
It would be cool if it worked. TONS of applications for this besides sending astronauts somewhere on the cheap.
But yeah, there is no free lunch (or immortality) in this Universe.