Sex in space
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 occurred, 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
Though NASA generally avoids the topic, it has examined animal and plant reproduction in several experiments.
Science fiction and popular science writer Isaac Asimov made conjectures in writing about what sex would be like in the weightless environment of space, in 1973. He anticipated some of the benefits of engaging in sex in an environment of microgravity.[2]
Soviet Union
A leading Soviet 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.[3] Ugolyok, unlike Veterok, maintained quite a healthy libido during his longer-than-average life span.
A 1976 article[4] reported that an exposure of Wistar rats to 22 days of weightlessness and other space flight factors induced no morphological changes in the spermatogenic tissue or disorders in the spermatogenic process of the rats, and the offspring of the male "space rats" was normal in all aspects.
Regarding human sex, Dr. Anna Goncharova 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. [5] It was rumored that the unhappy marriage of Soviet cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova and Andrian Nikolayev was in part instigated by the pressure of the IBP.[6]
Popular culture
Zero-gravity sex is a common topic in science-fiction. 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. As a matter of fact some pornographic movies have made space sex a common theme.
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.
The comedy Moving Violations (1985) suggests the main characters, John Murray and Jennifer Tilly, have an intimate encounter in a weightlessness simulator.
The Sci-fi horror Supernova (2000) featured sex between several of the characters in zero-gravity areas of the Medical Ship.
References
- ^ http://www.bway.net/~rjnoonan/humans_in_space/sex.html Bway.net
- ^ Isaac Asimov, “Sex in a Spaceship,” [[Sexology (magazine)|]], January 1973. Reprinted in Science Past – Science Future, 1975
- ^ http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/generalscience/russian_sex_studies_000316.html Space.com
- ^ Plakhuta-Plakutina GI, Serova LV, Dreval' AA, Tarabrin SB. "Effect of 22-day space flight factors on the state of the sex glands and reproductive capacity of rats", Kosmicheskaya Bioligiya i Aviakosmicheskaya Meditsina. 1976 Sep-Oct;10(5):40-7. PMID 979120 Template:Ru icon
- ^ http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18825233.600-astronaughtiness-could-cause-problems-in-space.html Newscientist.com
- ^ "Valentina Tereshkova: the Woman who Conquered the Space" Template:Ru icon
- 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 no. 48 (April 1983): 58-64.
External links
- Outer-space sex carries complications By Alan Boyle, MSNBC, July 24, 2006. Concept of "2suit" design of American writer Vanna Bonta).
- Space sex hoax rises again by James Oberg
- Pregnancy in Space Seems Possible
- Sex in Space - a book by Science Journalist Laura S. Woodmansee www.laurawoodmansee.com