One of the most blindingly obvious problems facing human space travel is that space is very big. It’s like REALLY big.

Space being big means things in it are far away and the amount of time it takes to get from one rock to the next presents a myriad of challenges for any aspiring "Star Trekker". First of all, you’re going to need a lot of supplies, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time exposed to radiation, and you’re going to get bored and old.

Mainly for the sake of storyline, Sci-Fi has often circumvented these problems by putting the crew into hibernation but as it turns out, that might just be a viable solution in the real world as well.

Sandy Martin is Professor Emerita in the Department of Cell & Development Biology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - she joins Jonathan to discuss.