|
Post by auntym on Jan 16, 2011 0:59:23 GMT -6
www.aolnews.com/2011/01/14/sex-in-space-the-final-frontier/Sex in Space: The Final FrontierJan 14, 2011 – 8:10 AM Lee Speigel Lee Speigel Contributor Well, it had to come up at some point. With all the recent talk about a possible manned mission to Mars, one topic that hasn't had a lot of discussion is this: If we send colonists to the red planet, will sex in space be a problem? And just how much fun is it to experience zero-gravity nookie? Presumably, if we're going to send people to live on another world, they'll want to have sex somewhere in that final frontier. NASA hasn't said much about the subject, and it raises some questions: Have any astronauts done it already? And do we know if children could be conceived and survive in space? NASA logo NASA Does NASA have any concerns about male and female astronauts engaging in sex in space? It's apparently a big concern when considering a manned mission to Mars. Writing in the newly released book "The Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet" (Cosmology Science Publishers), Rhawn Joseph of the Brain Research Laboratory in Northern California considers the sexual possibilities of space travel. "Humans are sexual beings and it can be predicted that male and female astronauts will engage in sexual relations during a mission to Mars, leading to conflicts and pregnancies and the first baby born on the red planet," Joseph writes. He even suggests the possibility that male and female travelers to Mars should fly in separate spacecraft. On the general subject of sex in space, Joseph says that "the sex act during a journey to Mars may require potentially complex sexual gymnastics. On the other hand, any difficulties associated with sexual intercourse in space may turn out to be an easily solved problem of docking and entry as humans are notorious for inventing ways of having sex despite all manner of logistical impediments." While NASA doesn't have an official policy regarding sex in space, astronauts are expected to adhere to the part of the "Astronaut Code of Professional Responsibility" that requires them to maintain "a constant commitment to hoannable behavior." But under the conditions of a long space journey, will men and women actually behave according to the rules? "If male and female astronauts share a cramped space ship for years, surrounded by stars blazing in the blackness of night, thoughts are bound to turn to sex and romance," writes Joseph. Mars NASA / AP A mission to Mars is expected to take about two years, plenty of time for crew members to act on their sexual urges. He references "the well publicized [2007] case of female astronaut Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak and Space Shuttle pilot Cmdr. William Oefelein, who flew together on the space shuttle and engaged in an adulterous relationship which allegedly almost led to the kidnapping and murder of Nowak's rival, Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman." It's estimated that a mission to Mars would take almost two years: nine months in either direction and a three-month stay on the Martian surface. And Joseph hints that the emotional bonds created between the astronauts would potentially lead them to act on their sexual urges and would also affect the rest of the crew. "It can be surmised that all aspects of the mission would be put in jeopardy. Crew mates would unlikely be supportive as their ability to perform their duties or to live comfortably would be impacted." Sponsored Links And there are also many unanswered questions regarding any radiation effects on both male and female astronauts during the journey and their time on Mars, as well as how healthy any children who are born in such unknown conditions would be. Should only married couples be chosen for these voyages? There are no guarantees that a couple would stay together, and they may decide to change partners during a two-year mission. But Joseph considers a lighter, positive side of all of this sex-in-space talk. "By contrast, once safely on the red planet, sex on Mars and the subsequent birth of the first Martian would truly make humans a two-planet species, and would be the first step to human colonization of the cosmos."
|
|
|
Post by skywalker on Jan 16, 2011 11:06:19 GMT -6
In the interest of advancing our scientific knowledge I volunteer to be the first person to find out. I am willing to make this noble sacrifice in order to better understand our knowledge of man (and woman) kind.
|
|
|
Post by skywalker on Jan 16, 2011 11:11:22 GMT -6
I am also looking forward to being a charter member of the 100,000 mile high club. ;D
|
|
harmony
Junior Member
Nici
Posts: 135
|
Post by harmony on Jan 16, 2011 11:33:59 GMT -6
In the interest of advancing our scientific knowledge I volunteer to be the first person to find out. I am willing to make this noble sacrifice in order to better understand our knowledge of man (and woman) kind. Becareful what you wish for Also, you must realize you would be with a woman who would be giving birth to your Martian kid, ROFLOL
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2011 12:06:23 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Apr 18, 2013 12:43:40 GMT -6
www.space.com/20718-sex-childbirth-space-mars-mission.html?cmpid=514648Sex in Space Could Be Out of this World ... Or Notby Miriam Kramer, SPACE.com Staff Writer Date: 18 April 2013 Getting busy might sound like a good way to pass the time on long space journeys, but it may not be the best idea, experts say. If humans attempt to push the boundaries of exploration, space-based procreation will be an essential part of keeping a crew alive for the lifetime of a mission to a distant star. However, scientists don't know how safe sex in space and childbirth may be. NASA officials have long maintained that there has never been any hanky-panky between the space agency's astronauts on the International Space Station or during space shuttle missions, which ended in 2011. In light of the nonprofit Inspiration Mars Foundation's recent plan to send a married couple on a 501-day manned mission around Mars in 2018, however, the first documented case of human sex in space might be on the horizon. "Well, I'm sure that the couple chosen for the Inspiration Mars plan will have sex in space," Laura Woodmansee, author of the book "Sex in Space," told SPACE.com in an email. "No doubt there! I think that’s kind of an unwritten requirement. That’s why, I suppose, the foundation is planning to send a married couple." [Private Manned Mars Mission in 2018 (Photos)] But doing the deed in microgravity might be a tall order. "Sex is very difficult in zero gravity, apparently, because you have no traction and you keep bumping against the walls," biologist Athena Andreadis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School told SPACE.com in 2011. "Think about it: you have no friction, you have no resistance." In spite of the challenges sex in microgravity poses, Woodmansee thinks that the Inspiration Mars journey could motivate other couples to take advantage of less ambitious cosmic destinations, such as low-Earth orbit, should they become commercially available. "If how-to stories return to Earth with the Inspiration Mars couple, it really could inspire a true space tourism industry," Woodmansee said. "Hopefully the couple will keep a diary and feel comfortable enough to clue the rest of us in on what to expect." While sex in space could present some mechanical problems, conceiving a child in the final frontier might be downright dangerous. CONTINUE READING: www.space.com/20718-sex-childbirth-space-mars-mission.html?cmpid=514648
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 13:03:48 GMT -6
You are very disturbed people...we haven't even made it into space yet and you're wondering if we can 'make' it in space? Maybe we tend to think with the other brain a bit much LOL
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Apr 18, 2013 13:18:04 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by spotless38 on Apr 18, 2013 13:48:51 GMT -6
You are very disturbed people...we haven't even made it into space yet and you're wondering if we can 'make' it in space? Maybe we tend to think with the other brain a bit much LOL UH ? Can you send me a truck load of Viagra ? ;D ;D ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 14:56:54 GMT -6
'groan' I wonder if a heart attack in space is any less painful? ;D
|
|
|
Post by spotless38 on Apr 18, 2013 15:16:12 GMT -6
'groan' I wonder if a heart attack in space is any less painful? ;D I'LL let you know . Im a Heart person
|
|
|
Post by spotless38 on Apr 18, 2013 15:18:19 GMT -6
Hey , My cardio Dr.told me that sex is a good work out for your heart
|
|
|
Post by swamprat on Apr 18, 2013 15:25:34 GMT -6
No problem, folks! All you need is a table with stirrups and straps! (Don't ask me how I know!)
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2013 15:46:15 GMT -6
I'm AFRAID to ask you how you know ;D
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Apr 18, 2013 20:58:44 GMT -6
No problem, folks! All you need is a table with stirrups and straps! (Don't ask me how I know!) OW... what a painted picture you described... now i have to clean out my eyes... ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2013 15:35:40 GMT -6
Ok miss lily white auntie..may I remind you..that YOU started the subject??? ;D ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Apr 19, 2013 19:18:45 GMT -6
Ok miss lily white auntie..may I remind you..that YOU started the subject??? ;D ;D ;D ...LOL...god knows i'm not lily white...i was just trying to be funny... or...so i thought... ;D
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 19, 2013 22:04:38 GMT -6
Oh it was funny...I'm just working to keep you 'pure' LOL
|
|
|
Post by skywalker on Apr 20, 2013 19:11:38 GMT -6
Since I'm still on my cell phone and don't have access to the little smiley dudes I would appreciate if one of the moderators would put a rolly-eyed dude here. edited to add rolly-eyed dude ~admin~
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2013 20:29:59 GMT -6
~snort~
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2013 4:17:17 GMT -6
~giggles like a middle schooler~
|
|
|
Post by swamprat on Jan 16, 2015 21:24:05 GMT -6
Sex in Space Could Be Out of this World ... Or Notby Miriam Kramer, Space.com Staff Writer Getting busy might sound like a good way to pass the time on long space journeys, but it may not be the best idea, experts say. If humans attempt to push the boundaries of exploration, space-based procreation will be an essential part of keeping a crew alive for the lifetime of a mission to a distant star. However, scientists don't know how safe sex in space and childbirth may be. NASA officials have long maintained that there has never been any hanky-panky between the space agency's astronauts on the International Space Station or during space shuttle missions, which ended in 2011. In light of the nonprofit Inspiration Mars Foundation's recent plan to send a married couple on a 501-day manned mission around Mars in 2018, however, the first documented case of human sex in space might be on the horizon. "Well, I'm sure that the couple chosen for the Inspiration Mars plan will have sex in space," Laura Woodmansee, author of the book "Sex in Space," told SPACE.com in an email. "No doubt there! I think that’s kind of an unwritten requirement. That’s why, I suppose, the foundation is planning to send a married couple."
But doing the deed in microgravity might be a tall order.
"Sex is very difficult in zero gravity, apparently, because you have no traction and you keep bumping against the walls," biologist Athena Andreadis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School told SPACE.com in 2011. "Think about it: you have no friction, you have no resistance." In spite of the challenges sex in microgravity poses, Woodmansee thinks that the Inspiration Mars journey could motivate other couples to take advantage of less ambitious cosmic destinations, such as low-Earth orbit, should they become commercially available.
"If how-to stories return to Earth with the Inspiration Mars couple, it really could inspire a true space tourism industry," Woodmansee said. "Hopefully the couple will keep a diary and feel comfortable enough to clue the rest of us in on what to expect." While sex in space could present some mechanical problems, conceiving a child in the final frontier might be downright dangerous. "There are many risks to conception in low or microgravity, such as ectopic pregnancy," Woodmansee said. "And, without the protection of the Earth's atmosphere, the higher radiation levels raise the probability of birth defects." Microgravity does strange things to the body. From bone density loss to odd fluid distribution, the human body was not built to live in low-gravity conditions. Astronauts combat these less-than-ideal conditions through exercise and other methods, but scientists are not sure how they will affect a mother and child. "The thing is, a baby created and born in space could be perfectly fine," Woodmansee said. "We just don’t know enough about the subject. We've evolved here on the Earth, so moving to outer space is moving evolution in a different direction." www.space.com/20718-sex-childbirth-space-mars-mission.html?adbid=10152587749396466&adbpl=fb&adbpr=17610706465&cmpid=514630_20150116_38918757
|
|
|
Post by swamprat on Jun 13, 2015 10:14:35 GMT -6
I have now officially heard EVERYTHING! The opportunity of a lifetime! Get out your checkbooks........NOT!!Sex in Space: Porn Group Wants to Crowdfund Zero-G Adult Film by Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer June 11, 2015
A group that wants to make the world's first pornographic film in space has launched a crowdfunding campaign to get the project off the ground.
The website PornHub aims to raise $3.4 million via the crowdfunding site Indiegogo for a film that would feature Eva Lovia and Johnny Sins doing what comes naturally in suborbital space.
"Our work is definitely cut out for us. We need to train and outfit our crew, consult with a dedicated team of specialists, purchase custom modified film equipment and completely fund the use of the shuttle that’ll take us on our journey to space," PornHub representatives wrote about their "Sexploration" Indiegogo project.
"By supporting us through the purchase of one (or several!) of our amazing perks, you have the opportunity to be a part of the most epic sex adventure ever caught on tape, causing lives to change, mouths to drop and boundaries to be broken," they added.
Those perks include a lot of film-related swag. In fact, if you donate $150,000 — the top funding tier, classified as "Uranus" — you will receive a spacesuit worn by Lovia or Sins during production, "complete with underwear."
The two-month-long Sexploration Indiegogo campaign launched Wednesday (June 10). About one day in, the project has raised just over $9,000 of the desired $3.4 million.
PornHub representatives don't specify which spaceship they aim to ride, but they may be considering Virgin Galactic's six-passenger SpaceShipTwo. (XCOR Aerospace's Lynx rocket plane is another possibility, though the one-passenger Lynx may be a bit cramped for such a project.)
Tickets to ride SpaceShipTwo and Lynx — both of which will take passengers up to an altitude of about 62 miles (100 kilometers) — currently cost $250,000 and $95,000 each, respectively. Neither spaceship is operational yet.
PornHub has contracted with adult-film studio Digital Playground to shoot and produce the suborbital sex movie, which representatives said they hope to release in late 2016.
You can learn more about PornHub's Sexploration project here:
www.space.com/29642-sex-in-space-crowdfunding-pornhub.html
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2015 11:44:06 GMT -6
Good grief. Interstellar porn..ya gotta admire the ambition of the project if not the idiocy....
|
|
|
Post by plutronus on Jun 14, 2015 11:02:13 GMT -6
I have now officially heard EVERYTHING! The opportunity of a lifetime! Get out your checkbooks........NOT!! Hah hah hah hah....oh man that's a knee slapper!
plutoskee
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Jun 5, 2017 13:45:33 GMT -6
gizmodo.com/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-sex-in-space-1795814247?rev=1496689127306&utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Sex In Space Rae Paoletta / kinja.com/raepaolettaJune 5, 2017 Sex in microgravity, lol. (Image: SyFy) People have been boning on Earth since the dawn of time, literally everywhere they can. Folks bone on beaches, in airplanes, and even volcanoes—you name it, someone’s probably gotten off there. The only place humans have (probably) never banged in is space, which, to some, makes it the final frontier of sexual conquest. Microgravity sexing is an idea that has inspired countless movie moments, but with bonafide space tourism approaching as early as next year, it’s not inconceivable that couples will try and enact their fantasies for real. The problem is, sex in space will probably be the least sexy thing ever. The first dilemma is the lack of privacy. According to Mark Shelhamer, former chief scientist at NASA’s Human Research Program, close quarters might make things a bit awkward for horny astronauts. “If SpaceX sends two people to the moon [in 2018], it’s likely that there would be a third ‘professional’ astronaut with them,” he told Gizmodo, speaking of SpaceX’s recently-announced plan to slingshot two wealthy tourists around Earth’s satellite. “Apollo spacecraft were very ‘cozy’ and I can’t imagine something that would be ready as early as next year would be very large.” “If the motion is vigorous enough it could be ejected from the surface of the body.” SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule holds seven passengers at most. If the sex-havers were able to look past the crowded quarters and lack of privacy—plus the inevitable motion sickness—they could probably bang, but it would be difficult. Microgravity would have seriously deleterious effects on the sexiness of the situation. “The first challenge is simply the result of moving about in near-zero gravity: every push or thrust will propel the astronaut in the opposite direction,” John Millis, chair of the department of physical sciences and engineering at Anderson University, told Gizmodo. “Imagine a pair of ice skaters standing on fresh ice: if they were to push their hands against one another, they would each shoot backwards away from each other.” Basically, the space sexers would have to be anchored to both the spacecraft and each other, making things uncomfortable very quickly. Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) have to be strapped in just to work out on a treadmill, so think about how much more awkward this would be with body chafing. CONTINUE READING: gizmodo.com/everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-about-sex-in-space-1795814247?rev=1496689127306&utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Jun 13, 2017 18:54:19 GMT -6
www.space.com/37168-sex-in-space-mars-colonization.htmlSex in Space: The Final Frontier for Mars Colonization?By Mike Wall, Space.com Senior Writer / June 13, 2017 Artist's illustration of colonists on Mars. Scientists don't yet know how babies would develop and grow away from Earth, and this lack of knowledge poses a possible hurdle to establishing sustainable space settlements, experts say. Credit: Illustration: Pat Rawlings/NASAIf humanity is serious about colonizing Mars, we need to get busy studying how to get busy in space. We just don't know enough about how human reproduction and development work in the final frontier to confidently plan out permanent, sustainable settlements on the Red Planet or anywhere else away from Earth, said Kris Lehnhardt, an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. "This is something that we, frankly, have never studied dramatically, because it's not been relevant to date," Lehnhardt said May 16 during a panel discussion at "On the Launchpad: Return to Deep Space," a webcast event in Washington, D.C., organized by The Atlantic magazine. [The Human Body in Space: 6 Weird Facts] www.space.com/20730-human-body-spaceflight-weird-facts.html "But if we want to become a spacefaring species and we want to live in space permanently, this is a crucial issue that we have to address that just has not been fully studied yet," he added. Off-Earth reproduction isn't a completely ignored topic, of course. Just last month, for example, a group of researchers in Japan announced that freeze-dried mouse sperm that was stored on the International Space Station for nine months gave rise to healthy pups. Those results suggest that the relatively high levels of radiation experienced in space don't pose an insurmountable barrier to reproduction. But the mouse sperm was brought back to Earth to produce embryos, which grew here on terra firma. How a human embryo would fare when away from Earth — in the microgravity environment of orbit or deep space, or on Mars, whose surface gravity is just 38 percent as strong as that of our planet — remains a mystery, Lehnhardt said. "We have no idea how they're going to develop," he said. "Will they develop bones the way that we do? Will they ever be capable of coming to Earth and actually standing up?" And there's a lot to think about beyond the nuts-and-bolts developmental issues. For example, people who are born and grow up on Mars, or in huge Earth-orbiting space habitats, "are going to be vastly different from what we are," Lehnhardt added. "And that may be kind of a turning point in human history." The panel discussion also featured former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría; Sheyna Gifford, a member of the HI-SEAS IV simulated Mars mission in Hawaii; and journalist Alison Stewart. You can watch the entire discussion on the AtlanticLIVE YouTube channel. WATCH VIDEOS: www.space.com/37168-sex-in-space-mars-colonization.html
|
|
|
Post by paulette on Jun 13, 2017 19:45:27 GMT -6
Well here I come into this conversation. I think I think that a lot of the commentators points and concerns are irrational. In no particular order: No privacy. The issue of the other astronauts being what did the one say..."It can be surmised that all aspects of the mission would be put in jeopardy. Crew mates would unlikely be supportive as their ability to perform their duties or to live comfortably would be impacted." Read more: theedgeofreality.proboards.com/thread/3432/space#ixzz4jw5BkolU. Astronaults no doubt sign agreements (lots of agreements) about the rules and etiquette (spelling)to be observed. People have to move their bowels (I'm being careful for any delicate readers, empty bags of said materials. They will no doubt fart, snore, and sing off key. There could be a small area - maybe the size of a small shower stall - to use to have sex. I always assumed that Diana Troy, the empath, was also the crew's go to woman. That that was part of her job. They were all fond of her, that's for sure. Monogamous applicants who would be offended to know that so and so were doing this or that would have to washed out before flying. Maybe married astronauts would have to be counselled and screened before flying--with their spouses present and participating. But there are several realler problems. A pregnancy might result in the growth of fetus who, due to low or no gravity, would not have strong bones and probably couldn't walk or stand. THAT is a real problem. So having or starting babies would be a science experiment. Birth control exists that eliminates this problem! The other problem might be the judgements of people once they got back (if they got back). Sex is powerful medicine. It energizes, soothes, creates tenderness, pair bonding...It reaffirms one's humanity if done with heart. Or even civility. That's my opinion. And duh..people have probably already had sex in space. It's a no brainer.
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Apr 24, 2020 22:22:41 GMT -6
www.discovermagazine.com/health/sex-and-the-cosmic-city?utm_source=asytwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=asytwitter Can Humans Have Babies in Space? Colonizing space means reproducing there. We still don't know if that's possible.By Amber Jorgenson / www.discovermagazine.com/author/ajorgensonApril 18, 2019 Amber Jorgensen is an assistant editor at Discover. This feature originally appeared in print as "Sex in the Cosmic City."(Credit: David Curtis) If there’s one thing people are good at, it’s making more people. We’re such prolific baby-makers that 7 billion of us now roam the planet. But our reproductive skills may soon be put to the test. Whether from overpopulation, environmental destruction or just for the sake of exploration, we’ll want to reach out and settle alien planets, too. And Mars will need moms — and dads. But given the harsh radiation prevalent throughout space, and the challenges of reproducing in low gravity, that’s easier said than done. Researchers have known that space travel can be hazardous to human health since NASA’s Gemini missions in the 1960s. Scientists noted that bone density in astronauts’ feet dwindled by some 6 percent after less than two weeks in space. Muscles shrank at an even higher rate. And we've since learned that cosmic rays, ubiquitous in space and within space stations, cause cancer and tissue disease — and would eventually prove damaging to DNA and the nervous system, too. Space is a hostile place, even for trained astronauts. What will the harsh environment do to fragile embryos, fetuses and newborns? How does it affect our reproductive systems in the first place? The answers remain largely unknown. Scientists don’t know if women can even get pregnant — let alone stay pregnant — in space. With biology working against us, researchers are still trying to answer the crucial question: How will we make happy, healthy babies in space? Sperm, Meet Egg Every facet of baby-making in space is difficult.No one’s ever had sex in space, so far as we know. Without gravity, just keeping hold of your partner to do the deed might prove difficult. And then functional sperm and egg cells still need to meet up to kick-start a pregnancy, which requires a slew of cellular actions working perfectly. For decades, scientists have been working to solve the reproductive mysteries of space. After the space race, astronauts started hauling fish, roundworms, frogs and salamanders into orbit to test their off-world breeding abilities. In a series of promising surprises, they all managed to produce healthy offspring. But amid the success, scientists hit a wall. Aboard a Russian satellite in 1979, male and female rats either failed to fertilize during an 18.5-day mission or chose not to have sex — a display of rodent abstinence practically unheard of on Earth. Subsequent experiments with mice have raised other concerns. Unlike their slimy, fertile friends, rodents are mammals, whose anatomy, physiology and genes are similar to ours. Teresa Woodruff, vice chair for research at Northwestern University’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, says mice are so similar that any problems we’d see in their early pregnancies are likely the same we’d see in our own. Other researchers agree. Only mammals have a placenta. So to know the effects of placentadevelopment in space, we have to use mammals, says Teruhiko Wakayama, director of the University of Yamanashi’s Advanced Biotechnology Center in Japan. He’s spent the past decade studying how mammals — mostly mice — could reproduce in space. Without Earth’s gravity pushing everything down, the need to walk, run and lug around heavy things goes away in orbit. Consequently, so do our strong bones and muscles. Since this strength is important for pregnancy, and essential for a growing fetus, Wakayama wanted to see if mice could even become pregnant under these conditions. In 2009, Wakayama extracted eggs and sperm from mice, then set them loose in a device that simulates microgravity (the technical term for orbiting astronauts’ weightlessness). He watched the sperm swim into the eggs, and after a few days of microgravity, he and his colleagues implanted the embryos into female mice in standard gravity. The results were mixed: While many normal, healthy pups were born, a lot of the embryos didn’t develop properly after implantation. As a result, the mice had fewer offspring than mice in regular gravity. To see if these results hold up in space, where high radiation levels accompany microgravity, Wakayama reached out to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency about replicating his study on the International Space Station (ISS). But this time, astronauts would extract the sperm and eggs from living mice, then transfer the fertile embryos back into mice, all in microgravity. That plan proved too difficult, so the mice never made it to space. Their sperm, on the other hand, did. Wakayama, who’s now the principal investigator of NASA’s Space Pup mission, freeze-dried mouse sperm and preserved it at room temperature. Three sets of these freeze-dried samples went to the ISS in 2013, and he’ll study their viability after different lengths of time on the space station. It’s not the same as studying fertilization and pregnancy under microgravity, but this work allows astronauts to analyze the effects of space radiation on male reproductive cells. The ISS is exposed to strong space radiation that may break sperm DNA, and the resulting offspring may be changed, Wakayama says. Not much research has looked at the health of mice made with damaged DNA, but Wakayama is slowly answering those questions. After staying on the ISS for nine months, some of that sperm showed signs of slight DNA damage, yet went on to produce normal, healthy pups. Wakayama’s team is just now analyzing samples that flew on the ISS for three years; the final batch, in space for six years, is set to return to Earth this spring. If his freezing technique works, Wakayama plans to haul frozen mouse embryos to the ISS to investigate the next part of the problem: finding out why they’re not fully developing in space. CONTINUE READING: www.discovermagazine.com/health/sex-and-the-cosmic-city?utm_source=asytwitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=asytwitter
|
|
|
Post by auntym on Dec 27, 2021 13:43:43 GMT -6
mysteriousuniverse.org/2021/12/new-study-calls-for-more-sex-in-spaceNew Study Calls for More Sex in Spaceby Paul Seaburn / December 27, 2021 “Houston, we need a condom.” That may sound like the opening line for a space porn movie, but it’s actually the reality that a psychologist in human sexuality warns that NASA, the ESA and other space programs need to face very soon – humans need to start having sex in space while science studies it and space colonists plan for it. Sure, there’s undoubtedly a private space company (or ten) salivating at the idea of selling tickets to billionaire couples to join a 62-Mile-High Club, but a one-time fling isn’t the same as regular consensual space coitus for the purpose of procreation (as Dr. Sheldon Cooper might say). Fortunately, Simon Dubé — PhD candidate, Psychology of Human Sexuality, Erobotics & Space Sexology, Concordia University – is our space Sheldon. Looking for love in all the wrong outer space places?“Yet, little attention has been given to the sexological issues of human life in space. This situation is untenable considering our upcoming space missions and expansion. It is time for space organizations to embrace a new discipline, space sexology: the scientific study of extraterrestrial intimacy and sexuality.” In “The Case for Space Sexology,” published in The Journal of Sex Research, lead author Simon Dubé chastises the major space agencies for not taking advantage of the long-term missions on the International Space Station to study the most personal of the human aspects of space travel – sex. Has there been no intimacy – emotional or physical – in 60 years of space travel? That’s highly unlikely, but Dubé and his colleagues are pushing for a long-term study with couples and/or volunteers (we’d love to see THAT recruitment ad) willing to be poked afterward by physicians and psychologists. Sex isn‘t exactly easy on Earth and Dubé, in his article in The Conversation, warns it will be even harder (mentally and emotionally, not just physically) in space. “After all, space remains a hostile environment, and life aboard spacecrafts, stations or settlements poses significant challenges for human intimacy. These include radiation exposure, gravitational changes, social isolation and the stress of living in remote, confined habitats. In the near future, life in space may also limit access to intimate partners, restrict privacy and augment tensions between crew members in hazardous conditions where co-operation is essential.” Try finding a nice intimate place in a park in space.Sound like space travelers will need more than Netflix, wine, mood lights and chocolate to get intimate in space. TENGA, a Japanese maker of sex toys, launched one on a rocket to promote its new toy designed for male astronauts looking for solo pleasure. And of course, everyone has seen or heard about the highly suggestive penis shape of Jeff Bezos’ New Shephard rocket. While the Russian space program wants to be the first nation to have a citizen born in space, it publicly denies any past exchanges of bodily fluids on the ISS or in the tight confines of a Soyuz capsule. NASA and the ESA would undoubtedly do the same if asked officially. However, as missions get longer, space organizations need to take a missionary position on love, sex and intimate relationships in space, and design ships and habitats to accommodate it. Based on the seeming reluctance of other programs, Canadian Simon Dubé has a suggestion: “We further propose that, given its expertise and the sociopolitical climate of Canada, the Canadian Space Agency is ideally positioned to become a world leader in space sexology. We have what it takes to pave the way for an ethical and pleasurable space journey, as we continue to boldly go where no one has gone before.” Oh, oh, OH Canada! mysteriousuniverse.org/2021/12/new-study-calls-for-more-sex-in-space
|
|