
Sleep problems could jeopardise future missions to Mars - DanBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20937729
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pjscott
This is good stuff to know before a Mars mission, but the headline is
unnecessarily dire-sounding. It's a problem, yes, but it doesn't sound
particularly hard to solve. Get bright, sun-spectrum, non-gloomy lighting for
the "day", get dim-to-nonexistent lighting for "night", and establish a
schedule for switching between them. This should help, probably quite a lot.

~~~
TillE
It's possible that some people won't be able to adjust to reasonable indoor
lighting; it's pretty difficult to artificially replicate daylight. Or there
may be energy constraints.

The article suggests that they'll just screen astronauts for irregular sleep
cycles, which should only take a couple weeks of simulation at most.

~~~
InclinedPlane
Or they could just use windows and shades. The lack of windows was an
unnecessary constraint in the study.

~~~
kevin_rubyhouse
It would break the experience. Wouldn't it also facilitate depression by
constantly reminding them that they are on Earth and could leave at any time
they wanted to?

~~~
InclinedPlane
Perhaps I should have said that it was a constraint that is not necessary on
an actual Mars mission.

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duxup
Ask anyone who has gone through long term sleep disruption (parents). It will
mess you up.

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dhugiaskmak
An irregular sleep cycle seems pretty mild compared to super space bacteria, a
weakened immune system, and problems with radiation.

[http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/another-danger-for-
astronau...](http://boingboing.net/2013/01/07/another-danger-for-
astronauts.html) [http://boingboing.net/2013/01/04/how-space-radiation-
hurts-a...](http://boingboing.net/2013/01/04/how-space-radiation-hurts-
astr.html)

