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Sex in space

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Sex in space is distinguished mainly by the absence of gravity (unless the artificial gravity is created in the space ship) which leads to some difficulties surrounding the performing of most sexual activities. Because no certain sexual intercourse in space is known to have occured, the topic is hotly disputed to clarify its potential impact on human beings in the isolated, confined, and hazardous environment of space. However, the ongoing discussions often include several speculations (e.g., about the STS-47 mission, on which married astronauts Mark C. Lee and Jan Davis flew), and even hoaxes, such as Document 12-571-3570.

Debates

It is assumed that the nervous and vestibular systems may fail to develop "properly" in individuals growing up in a low or zero gravity environment, and that this would have implications for space-born humans making the trip to Earth[1] though the possibility of human pregnancy under spacecraft conditions is currently uncertain.

United States

Science fiction writer Isaac Asimov was probably the first American to conjecture about what sex would be like in the weightless environment of space, in 1973[2]. He anticipated some of the benefits of engaging in sex in an environment of microgravity. Though NASA generally avoids the topic, it has examined animal and plant reproduction in several experiments. However G. Harry Stine, in his book Living In Space, stated that NASA in one of its research centers had a special swimming pool for humans to "experiment" in.

Writer Vanna Bonta [3] has stated, that in zero-G there is no natural convection to carry away body heat. It was also found that people tend to perspire more in microgravity[4]. The moisture associated with sexual congress could pool as floating droplets. The Association of Autonomous Astronauts promotes a meta-approach to space sex[5].

Russia

A leading Russian research facility in the field of space medicine, The Institute of Biomedical Problems, has been involved for decades in the sex-related studies of living species in space. The Institute's interest in topic began in the early 1960s, when it noticed a difference in behavior between two dogs that had flown in space, Veterok and Ugolyok[6]. Ugolyok, unlike Veterok, maintained quite a healthy libido during his longer-than-average life span. Dr. Anna Goncharova however said that if crew members are just colleagues and friends, one should never impose on them any intimate relations for the sake of their psycho-emotional stability. During an eight-month space-station simulation on Earth in 2000, a Russian man twice tried to kiss a female Canadian researcher, prompting the installation of locks between the Russian and international crews' compartments[7].

In his book "Honeymoon in Space" published in 1901 George Griffith described a phallic spaceship with "curtains of ribbed steel" going deeper and deeper through the Solar System while the young maid exclaims how she wants to see more and more.

A protagonist in "American Pie" movie coined an expression that became hugely popular: "It’s not the launch of a shuttle, it’s just sex".

In the James Bond film Moonraker, James Bond (played by Roger Moore), and the token Bond girl, Dr. Holly Goodhead, have sex in the cargo bay of a space shuttle in one scene.

References

  • R. J. Levin (1989). Effects of space travel on sexuality and the human reproductive system. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society.
  • Robert A. Freitas Jr. Sex in Space. Sexology Today.
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