Originally developed for extrasolar travel, the stasis booth (or "pod") allows its incumbent to survive journeys of extreme lengths without ageing a day.
"The stasis room creates a static field of time. See, just as X-rays can't pass through lead, time cannot penetrate a stasis field. So, although you exist, you no longer exist in time, and for you time itself does not exist. You see, although you're still a mass, you are no longer an event in space-time, you are a non-event mass with a quantum probability of zero."
- Lt. Cmdr Frank Todhunter, JMC
The concept of "stasis" was originally devised for interstellar travel for astros in search of extraterrestrial life, based on work done by Albert Einstein.
After those initial interstellar expeditions failed to find anything, human interest in space exploration waned.
Also, due to the use of the stasis field, many astros were now younger than their decedents, which made billions for the greeting cards industry.
Although the presence of a stasis booth on The Red Knight could now be regarded as rather archaic, it is a requirement under JMC guidelines as it can be used as a punishment for certain shipboard crimes where a miscreant is locked away for the duration, forfeiting his pay for that period.
Crewmen are also able to "rent" time in the pod, where they can spend an evening or so "not ageing".
It's also a good place to avoid ship-wide disasters.
NB. Captain Lister has his own, personal, booth in his cabin - which he uses to preserve food and drink.
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