Lust in space...

**American Patriot** · July 17th, 2008, 15:08

Lust in space: Nasa must iron out the kinks in space sex if man is to settle on Mars
Telegraph ^ | 5:43PM BST 13/07/2008 | Tim Shipman in Washington

America must begin preparing astronauts for sex in space if it is serious about sending people to Mars, according to a Nasa adviser.

Dr Jason Kring said astronauts might have to emulate polar explorers and take a colleague as a lover for the duration of their three-year mission, to minimise sexual frustration.

Dr Kring, who is studying the best sex balance of crews for the next wave of space travel, is an assistant professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. The university counts several astronauts and fighter pilots among its former students. His findings are due to be published by Nasa’s history division.

Dr Kring said the American space agency needed to study the practicalities of sex and pregnancy in space and should factor the need for privacy into the design of spacecraft intended to return to the Moon after 2015. The same vehicles are expected to fly to Mars to set up a permanent manned base in the following decade. He made the suggestion on Space.com, a website dealing with space issues.

He told The Sunday Telegraph: "The men and women whom we select to go back to the Moon, and on to Mars, will be professionals.

"But the bottom line is that, like hunger and thirst, sex is a basic biological motive. The potential round-trip mission to Mars could take three years. It doesn’t make sense to assume that these men and women are going to have no thoughts of it for three years. Nasa and other space agencies should address this in their training and in crew selection."

Even when at its closest to Earth, Mars is always at least 45 million miles away - 180 times further than the Moon.

Dr Kring's research involves placing highly trained pilots and military personnel in stressful situations and confined

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...

**Luke** · July 17th, 2008, 19:08

Sex in zero-g has been a fantasy since , well forever I guess. What better way to prove Newtons law about for every motion there is an equal but opposite reaction! I wonder if NASA is seeking volunteers?

I was thinking that we had sent a husband and wife team on one of the shuttle missions, but I may be wrong on that.

**Backstop** · July 17th, 2008, 21:42

I have to wonder how a developing embryo/fetus was do in zero gravity.

**Luke** · July 18th, 2008, 00:12

It remains to be seen what effect zero-g will have on embryotic development. If my memeory is correct, one the experiments aboard Columbia's last flight had to do with tadpoles and their development./ Unfortunately it seems that info was lost.

It would seem to me that the real problem would be in adjusting to gravity, because as the song song goes, gravity is trying to bring me down.
If you notice when the crews are replaced from the ISS normally they require assitance in walking as muscles tend to atrophy from lack of gravity. According to what I have seen on the TV a strenous exersize program is included in most extended flights.

I would think that the heart muscle would be affected by the sudden introduction of gravity to someone who had spent their entire life in space.

Which brings full circle this thread, when the space kids get old enough for sex, will it be too much for them to procreate with Earths gravity? Or will it tax the physical body beyond its limits?