Episode 68 of SfS – The STASH Experiment and Hibernation Technology for Space, with Dr. Ryan Sprenger – is now Live!
This week, I sat down with Dr. Ryan Sprenger, the Senior Research Physiologist at Fauna Bio Inc., a California-based biotech company specializing in genomics research. Sprenger and his colleagues have developed a new concept for testing hibernation in space, the Studying Torpor in Animals for Space-health in Humans (STASH) experiment. Their concept was selected by NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program for Phase I development this year.
With NASA’s support, Sprenger and his team will develop a technology demonstrator that will be sent to the ISS. Their concept has the potential to revolutionize space exploration by allowing astronauts to enter synthetic hibernation during the long voyage to Mars and beyond. In essence, astronauts could sleep for the duration of long-term spaceflights, reducing the physiological impact of exposure to microgravity and radiation and the psychological impacts of months spent in a cramped spacecraft.
It will also reduce the amount of supplies missions need to bring along and the amount of waste produced. It will also have applications here on Earth, helping to mitigate aging, disease, and genetic disorders. Follow the links below to learn more!
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