The equipment had been delivered to the base, and the technical personnel arrived with it. However, whether to implement this technology sparked a heated discussion within the expedition team.
"I believe we must proceed with caution!" Zhan Wenyu stated his position clearly. "The prospects of this technology are excellent, but there is too little experimental data. Using it for such an important mission, and if something goes wrong, we cannot bear that responsibility!"
Li Hui adjusted his glasses. "Esteemed sir, our experimental data is already very sufficient. I myself have undergone more than seventy sessions of low-temperature sleep, the shortest lasting six hours and the longest seventy-four hours. I am currently in very good health with no issues."
"Very well, then I ask you, in the seventy-odd times you slept, how long did it take?" Zhan Wenyu questioned loudly.
Li Hui's confidence immediately waned by half. "Intermittently, over a year."
"Listen, everyone, listen. Over a year, only seventy-odd sleep sessions, averaging once every five days? Our astronauts in space need to sleep every day!" Zhan Wenyu's momentum grew stronger. "Leaving aside other issues, tell me, if an accident were to occur, can you guarantee the safety of the astronauts?"
Li Hui wanted to say yes, but he truly dared not make such a guarantee.
He could only offer a wry smile and explain, "Esteemed sir, I am merely a technician. The decision is not mine to make, and whether to use it or not is not my decision."
Zhan Wenyu immediately turned his attention to Shan Qiuyu. "Old Shan, do you agree with this plan?"
Shan Qiuyu considered for a moment. "If it can achieve the desired results while ensuring safety, I agree."
The benefits of prolonged sleep were far more than superficial. More importantly, with reduced metabolism, the body's consumption would also decrease, and oxygen, water, and supplies would all be significantly cut down.
In space, water could be recycled, air could be managed through electrolysis of water and air circulation, and even food could be partially addressed through the synthesis of starch from carbon dioxide.
However, a journey lasting a year still required the preparation of a large amount of supplies, with water and food alone being a considerable burden.
Low-temperature sleep could save a significant amount of food, thus saving space and allowing for more weaponry and equipment, greatly enhancing endurance and combat capabilities.
From this perspective, this technology was of extraordinary significance.
However, although the volume of the low-temperature hibernation cabin was similar to traditional sleep pods, the latter was merely a pressurized sleeping bag with a small space and few additional devices. The former, on the other hand, required a series of auxiliary equipment. From this aspect, it not only occupied valuable ship space but also made the battleship's structure more complex, indirectly increasing the launch frequency of carrier spacecraft.
Considering all factors, the benefits ultimately outweighed the drawbacks. Zhan Wenyu finally relented, "Until a clear conclusion is reached, I reserve my opinion!"
Thus, a special experiment commenced.
The technical personnel transported a low-temperature sleep cabin into the dormitory building. Li Hui prepared himself and, under the gaze of all the trainees, lay down in the sleep cabin. Half an hour later, he successfully entered a critical sleep state at 15 degrees Celsius.
He slept for over seventy hours. During this period, everyone could observe his condition at any time and could use non-destructive methods to probe the cabin's temperature.
In short, "I'll sleep for you to see," dispelling concerns and boosting confidence through practical action.
Ou Zhanpeng specifically went to take a look. Beneath the transparent cabin cover lay the sleeping figure of Li Hui.
Touching the cover, it felt slightly cool, but nothing more.
A full three days later, the sleep cabin was opened again in front of all the training members. Li Hui was unharmed, and he even participated in a five-minute live question-and-answer session to prove that his brain had not been affected in any way.
At this point, even Zhan Wenyu, who had the deepest reservations, had nothing more to say.
From that day forward, the expedition team's training was divided into two parts: simulation during the day, theory at night, and finally, low-temperature sleep.
Over twenty-four hours, excluding meals, bodily functions, and rest, all other time was dedicated to training, not a second could be wasted.
Even so, everyone still felt a sense of urgency, as if time was slipping away, wishing they could stretch each second into eight.
However, upon truly engaging with low-temperature sleep, they discovered that this technology was not as simple as imagined, nor was it something anyone could immediately adapt to.
On his first attempt to enter low-temperature sleep, Ling Xiao spent a full three hours before successfully lowering his body temperature to 17 degrees Celsius.
Shan Qiuyu's expression was grave. He suddenly felt that low-temperature sleep was a pitfall.
Li Hui, sensing his mood, discreetly moved closer and softly explained, "This is all normal. There must be a period of adaptation."
Shan Qiuyu raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
The departure time was drawing closer. If they could not complete the training before the window period arrived, they would have to abandon this technology.
"According to our experimental data, the average adaptation time is five to seven days, with a few individuals taking slightly longer, around ten days," Li Hui stated with confidence.
Shan Qiuyu nodded. "Very well, within ten days, I want to see results."
"No problem!" Li Hui replied.
However, this was just the beginning. Shortly thereafter, new news arrived: Xu Qing had been in the sleep cabin for a full seven hours, yet her body temperature remained at 28 degrees Celsius. Any slight decrease caused a drastic drop in her physiological indicators. Despite increasing medication dosages or attempts to sedate her, all their efforts proved fruitless. It was as if she was destined to disrupt things, causing the entire technical team to be on edge and hesitant to lower the temperature further.
This was Li Hui's first time encountering such a situation, and he had no idea what to do. He dared not intervene arbitrarily and could only continue to observe for a while longer.
While this issue remained unresolved, another problem arose. Luo Tu entered sleep smoothly, and his body temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius, but his brain activity did not decrease. After only seven hours of sleep, he naturally woke up without the warming procedure being initiated.
Li Hui felt overwhelmed. What kind of peculiar individuals were these? How could none of them be normal? Could it be that previous experimental subjects were ordinary people, while these were astronauts with far superior physiques?
He proposed this idea. Shan Qiuyu and Zhan Wenyu were in complete agreement: the physical condition of astronauts had no direct bearing on the success or failure of low-temperature sleep. The inability to resolve problems indicated either an issue with the technology itself or the incompetence of the technical team.
In any case, the safety of the astronauts must be guaranteed; secondly, the ten-day deadline was non-negotiable.
Li Hui was on the verge of tears. However, he firmly believed that those with problems were a minority. He did not dare to expect everyone to have no issues, but the proportion must be kept below the safety line!