A new paper exploring the potential dangers of humans having sex in space suggests that in the near future it may be necessary for space tourists to agree not to have sex.
Currently, space tourism is seen as a very affluent concept, and since most of their time will be spent in close proximity to other tourists, they may not have many opportunities to have sex in zero gravity. However, that may change in the future, and the new paper predicts that the longer the flights, the greater the chance of space relations occurring.
“It is unrealistic to assume that all space tourism participants will abstain from sexual activities while exposed to microgravity and increased levels of ionizing radiation during spaceflight,” the team reports. “This raises the possibility of uncontrolled human pregnancy in space, which poses a significant risk to the burgeoning space tourism industry.”
Problem: Getting pregnant in space
This problem, which they say has been ignored by the industry until now, revolves around the impact that could be had if someone conceived outside of our planet’s protective atmosphere.
“Our knowledge of the early reproductive effects of these space environments and their long-term consequences on human offspring is still in its infancy,” the team writes. for example, litigation, reputational damage and financial loss.”
The team notes that problems may persist after flight, with the effects of radiation on sperm potentially lasting for up to three months.
To mitigate the effects, the team recommends that participants be counseled on risks prior to flight and be asked to sign a legal waiver stating that “if they become pregnant during or shortly after spaceflight, only participants are responsible for the consequences.” He also cites the importance of using birth control, but stresses the real health concern, saying that “an obvious concern is the lack of any studies or validation of the effectiveness of human birth control approaches in a space setting.”
The article was published on Zenodo ahead of the Space Tourism Conference 2023…
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