(TibetanReview.net, Dec15’22) – Scientists in the Russian Federation are looking for a way to send astronauts into hibernation for interplanetary travel and have, for this purpose, become interested in the meditation practice of Tibetan Buddhist monks as a possible option, reported thetimeshub.in Dec 14, citing the Russian source ria.ru.
Human hibernation will simplify long-term space flights and save resources. This concept was stated to have been proposed by Sergei Korolev during a discussion on preparations for a trip to Mars. Until now, sending people into hibernation was shown only in science fiction films. Thanks to hibernation, astronauts don’t have to suffer from long periods of being in cramped space.
The report cited scientists as saying a flight to Mars will take about a year and a half and not everyone will be able to survive this period in a very limited space. But sleep will solve the psychological problem.
Hibernation will reduce the habitable module by almost half and reduce the mass of the spacecraft by 70% by reducing the amount of food needed for travel. Artificial hibernation will save you from overload by slowing down your metabolism. And, in this connection, Professor Yuri Bubeev has spoken about the experience of Tibetan monks who have learned to stop the vital processes of the body. This method interested Russian scientists.
The report said representatives of Moscow State University, IBMP, RAS, had started studying the electrical activity of the brain during meditation. And the experts have noted that in altered states of consciousness, sensory deprivation occurs and deep concentration is achieved. And the scientists have said that Tibetan monks were able to slow down the metabolism, which is exactly what astronauts need for interplanetary travel.
The report said experts from the Russian Federation wanted to create a working technology using several effective techniques. The method of Tibetan monks and well-known psychological training will not provide hibernation in a long space flight. A new technology based on synergy is needed.