A habitat that places astronauts bound for Mars in a state of induced hibernation (or suspended animation to sci-fi geeks) is among the newest spate of ideas NASA is considering funding as part of its NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program.

NASA plans to send the first humans to Mars in the 2030s. From now until then gives enough time for the selected concepts to mature into viable systems that will play key roles in the success of the first human mission to Mars.

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NASA is set to award some $500,000 for concepts it selects for development in phase two of NIAC. You can read detailed descriptions of the phase two NIAC projects here.

The project for induced hibernation is described by its proponent, SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc. (SEI), as a "Torpor Inducing Transfer Habitat for Human Stasis to Mars." SEI's idea is put Mars astronauts in a state of advanced hypothermia to better endure the nine-month trip to the Red Planet.

Doing so will lower the astronauts' core body temperatures by some 10 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce their metabolic rate. Astronauts would be fed intravenously.

SEI proposes the development of an advanced habitat system for transporting crews to Mars. Its innovative habitat design is capable of cycling the crew through inactive, non-cryonic torpor sleep states for the duration of the voyage.

Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in a human or animal usually accomplished by reducing body temperature and metabolic rate.

The list of eight concepts vying for phase two funding are (click the links to learn more):

* Advancing Torpor Inducing Transfer Habitats for Human Stasis to Mars

* Flight Demonstration of Novel Atmospheric Satellite Concept

* Magnetoshell Aerocapture for Manned Missions and Planetary Deep Space Orbiters

* Directed Energy for Interstellar Study

* Experimental Demonstration and System Analysis for Plasmonic Force Propulsion

* Tensegrity Approaches to In-Space Construction of a 1g Growable Habitat

* Further Development of Aperture: A Precise Extremely Large Reflective Telescope Using Re-configurable Elements

* Cryogenic Selective Surfaces

TagsNASA, Mars, NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program