Cryosleep?

Some of the major issues with deep space travel lie with how to sustain human life.  Humans eat, sleep, exercise, work, and relax.  All of these facets of life require space and some form of energy.  These two factors cause the price of sending a person into space to literally skyrocket.  One way to get around all of these issues would be an extended human hibernation.  You may be thinking cryosleep that's only in science fiction movies, but recently NASA has been looking into a process much similar to it.  The process is called Torpor.  To put the astronauts to sleep their bodies are put into a low-metabolic state using therapeutic hibernation and total paternal nutrition.  These processes would keep a person's body asleep but also supply them with the nutrients they need.  The leading research partner to NASA in this process is called SpaceWorks and already the company is making huge plans.  As seen on their power point on Torpor, Torpor pdf , the company has already made preliminary designs for deep space travel using their system of hibernation.  With this system it would allow for a 180 day journey where the crew of the spaceship would be awake for just the beginning and end of the voyage. The continuation of research into this area may be one of the largest contributing factors to allow the human race to finally explore the universe.

Artist’s concept of “sleeping to Mars”. Photo Credit: SpaceWorks Enterprising

                                                                 Artist’s concept for Mars-ready habitat. Image Credit: SpaceWorks