The future is now

[Brian Johnson]

I can't believe they are actually planning on doing this. Wait a minute, yes I can.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/04/04/space-hibernation.html

[MichaelF (FPIE)]

Interesting that they are actually starting to look seriously at it. 

[ttjoon]

They should keep this on the down low, because it will be the next thing that "Jacko" will want to try.  He already looks like he is in suspended animation anyway.  :

[PPI Brian]

Thanks for the post, Brian.

Human hibernation is fascinating. There have been documented cases where people have fallen through ice and drowned in freezing water, and been revived without any apparent brain damage even though they were deprived of oxygen for over 30 minutes.

I can see why it would be necessary for long duration interplanetary space flight... it takes so friggin' long for us to get anywhere in the solar system with our current technology. Wouldn't it be interesting if such a procedure could extend human life on earth?

I'm still waiting for my flying car. When I was a kid back in the 60's all the TV shows that took place in the far-off futuristic year 2000 featured flying cars.   

[MichaelF (FPIE)]

It always bothers me when people gripe about us spending money on our space program.  I'm all for helping the people here on Earth (homeless, hungry, etc....) but there are already massive amounts of money spent on that.  I think that money needs be spent more wisely, not throw more money at it.  I guess the same could be true for our space program, but I am massively in favor of increasing that funding.

[ttjoon]

Thanks for the post, Brian.

Human hibernation is fascinating. There have been documented cases where people have fallen through ice and drowned in freezing water, and been revived without any apparent brain damage even though they were deprived of oxygen for over 30 minutes.

I find this so fascinating.  There was a story in the paper not long ago about a little boy in Minnesota that fell through some ice into a pond and drowned. They declared him clincally dead.  Well, suffice to say, he was not.  They detected a faint pulse and actually brought him back by warming his body up very very slowly and giving him warm fluids via an i.v.  That little boy was the son of one of our Vice President's here at my company.  He is 3 years old and thanks to a little luck and some great doctors, he will live to see many more birthdays.

[leslie]

Very intersting. There is a rumor Walt Disney was frozen for future reseach for the cure of lung cancer. This is a false rumor, but if anyone could afford it, it would have been Walt.