This is an interesting story about a research program being run here on earth. Research Scientists who work on the schedule of the Phoenix Martian Lander are also involved in a program to see whether a human body can be retrained to adjust to Mars’ 24.6 hour day.

The key components to this study? Light therapy to reset circadian rhythms, and an adjusted sleep cycle.

Studies like this are vital for potential colonization of the planet.  It simply wouldn’t do to get there, and find out that everybody would fall victim to sleep deprivation and exhaustion.

More information and some interesting interviews can be found here: http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/90802.php

Understanding that the greatest “light therapy” solution we have is simply our own sun, though, I have to wonder if there wouldn’t be a vast difference in what these scientists are doing on earth by adjusting their sleep cycles while fighting ‘natural’ day and night, and living on Mars, where the sun would naturally set its own day and night.