There lived a weird old man who liked to spend his time telling fairy tales and science fictions to the children in his village. Although he had been living for a long time in the village, nobody knew his real name. The children in the village called him "Agong", a Chinese term of respect for an old man or a grandfather. As usual, one fine day in 2023, he sat on a rock under a tree outside his house with a group of children gathering around him eager to listen to his stories.
"Some centuries down the road," began the old man, "a certain country might succeed in making an immortality pill which could place astronauts into a state of suspended animation in long-distance space travel. Two candidates -- a young man and a young girl, both of age 18 -- would be selected for the space mission. After being induced into a deep hibernation state by the immortality pill, they would be placed side by side in a lying position in a coffin-shape starship."
"Why should they be made to sleep like Sleeping Beauty in their deep space mission?" A 15-year-old boy interrupted Agong.
"The hibernation technology is considered essential for humans to explore distant planets," replied Agong. "In my science fiction or fairy tale, the couple would not be sleeping for 100 years like Sleeping Beauty. Their biological clocks would be halted after taking the immortality pills, and they would be sleeping for billions of years in their space odyssey instead. Any astronaut travelling for so many years in an enclosed space would be bored to death, even if he could survive without food or water like a god."
After asking the children whether they had anymore questions about the immortality pill, Agong continued his story: "At the final countdown, the AI-driven, solar-powered interstellar spacecraft, which would also be equipped with stellar engines for converting light energy from distant stars into 'stellar power', would be launched into the vast expanse of the cosmos towards the Andromeda Galaxy."
At this point, Agong paused and told the children, "Sorry, I have to rush to the toilet. Wait here for a short while for the rest of the story."
I have forgotten to inform the readers that the weird old man had a very weak stomach. Hence he often stopped halfway in the story to rush to the toilet. To him, "wait here for a short while" meant waiting for a long time, because he usually spent many hours in the toilet!
Additional Reference:
www.theguardian.com
singularityhub.com
interestingengineering.com
www.sciencealert.com
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.dongascience.com
neosciencehub.com
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Stellar_engine
"Some centuries down the road," began the old man, "a certain country might succeed in making an immortality pill which could place astronauts into a state of suspended animation in long-distance space travel. Two candidates -- a young man and a young girl, both of age 18 -- would be selected for the space mission. After being induced into a deep hibernation state by the immortality pill, they would be placed side by side in a lying position in a coffin-shape starship."
"Why should they be made to sleep like Sleeping Beauty in their deep space mission?" A 15-year-old boy interrupted Agong.
"The hibernation technology is considered essential for humans to explore distant planets," replied Agong. "In my science fiction or fairy tale, the couple would not be sleeping for 100 years like Sleeping Beauty. Their biological clocks would be halted after taking the immortality pills, and they would be sleeping for billions of years in their space odyssey instead. Any astronaut travelling for so many years in an enclosed space would be bored to death, even if he could survive without food or water like a god."
After asking the children whether they had anymore questions about the immortality pill, Agong continued his story: "At the final countdown, the AI-driven, solar-powered interstellar spacecraft, which would also be equipped with stellar engines for converting light energy from distant stars into 'stellar power', would be launched into the vast expanse of the cosmos towards the Andromeda Galaxy."
At this point, Agong paused and told the children, "Sorry, I have to rush to the toilet. Wait here for a short while for the rest of the story."
I have forgotten to inform the readers that the weird old man had a very weak stomach. Hence he often stopped halfway in the story to rush to the toilet. To him, "wait here for a short while" meant waiting for a long time, because he usually spent many hours in the toilet!
Additional Reference:
Hibernation artificially triggered in potential space travel breakthrough
If discovery is feasible in humans it could be used to send astronauts into suspended animation, say scientists
The Fascinating, Creepy New Research in Human Hibernation for Space Travel
If successful, artificial hibernation in humans could delay aging, treat life-threatening illnesses, and get us to Mars and beyond.
singularityhub.com
Induced hibernation-like state in mice could be key for long-term space travel
The Washington University in St. Louis team used non-invasive ultrasound to stimulate the hypothalamus preoptic area of the brain.
interestingengineering.com
Monkey Experiment Reveals a Brain Switch That Could Be Useful For Space Travel
For humans to ever venture out among the stars, we will have to solve some hefty logistical problems.
www.sciencealert.com
Could humans hibernate? How scientists are racing to unlock a sci-fi superpower.
Putting people into sleep mode is a sci-fi concept that's a lot closer to becoming real than you might think.
Researchers Induce Hibernation-Like State in Humans for Deep Space Missions
Winter, with its scarce food and cold temperatures, is a difficult time for wild animals to survive. Many animals store food in the fall or migrate to warmer regions, but some endure the winter by sle
www.dongascience.com
China’s Human Hibernation Research Breakthrough
World's First Human Hibernation Facility Advances Space Exploration Dreams Chinese scientists have made significant strides in human hibernation research, developing
neosciencehub.com
Chinese scientists ponder benefits of human hibernation - Chinadaily.com.cn
In the Hollywood blockbuster, Interstellar, the astronauts hibernate for years during long-distance space travel.
www.chinadaily.com.cn
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Stellar_engine
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