Space, the final frontier: Over the decades since we first jetted into orbit and beyond, astronauts have been testing what people can and can't do without our feet on solid ground.
From washing their hair to playing guitar, the space-faring few have adapted to life while weightless, but there's one thing that happens every day on Earth that hasn't yet been explored in space: sex.
If we are to ever venture into the stars, how people will have sex in space, and even become pregnant, will become a pressing issue.
Sex in space
Logistically, having sex in space may be difficult due to microgravity, which makes it much harder for objects—and human bodies—to stay in one place. As far as we are aware, nobody has yet tried, though we can't be 100 percent certain.
"No one has had sex in space, or at least admitted having sex in space," Adam Watkins, an associate professor in reproductive and developmental physiology at the University of Nottingham, told Newsweek.
"As such, it's hard to know exactly how easy it will be to have sex in space. Obviously, the International Space Station is quite a cramped space and so it may not be that easy to find a quiet corner in which to have sex. Also, astronauts are very busy people when on the International Space Station, and so finding free time to have sex might also be quite a challenge."
The International Space Station has orbited around the Earth at a height of roughly 245 miles since 1998, and is home to around seven astronauts at a time.
With the rise of commercial space tourism, and future long-term space missions, the assumed space celibacy may change, and therefore the complications it may lead to must be considered.
"With the establishment of orbital hotels and extended missions into the cosmos, national and private space entities must address the inevitable realities of human sexuality and intimacy in space. This topic can no longer be ignored if we hope to secure humanity's long-term survival and well-being beyond Earth," Maria Santaguida, a research fellow at the Astrosexological Research Institute, told Newsweek.
Outside of the difficulty in maneuvering during the act itself, sex in space may come with another issue: bodily fluids. In microgravity, liquids coalesce into spherical clumps, and are prone to flying all over the place unless quickly sopped up. This may already be an issue with astronauts who masturbate in space, though unsurprisingly none have publicly admitted to doing so while aboard space stations, so we don't know how the fluid issue can best be dealt with.
"Astronauts are not particularly forthcoming about their first-hand experiences of self-pleasure in space," Santaguida said. "Devices, including masturbation aids equipped with fluid suction apparatus, could be used to manage the effects of weightlessness on ejaculate, secretions, and lubricant. Although technologies that facilitate partnered and solitary sexual activities in space are being developed, they have yet to be launched in space contexts."
"Ultimately, technological innovations are needed to make sex in space not only possible, but also practical, safe, and pleasurable," she added.
Getting pregnant in space
We aren't even sure if becoming naturally pregnant in space is possible, but if sex in space were to lead to a pregnancy, there may be even further issues, as the microgravity may lead to defects in the development of the fetus.
Previous studies have found that microgravity did not affect the fertilization of an egg in mice, but did affect a fertilized egg's ability to implant in the uterus, while other studies looking into pregnant rats in space found that fetal musculoskeletal and vestibular (inner ear) development were impacted.
"With regard to getting pregnant in space, the simple answer is no one really knows," Watkins said. "Female mice have been sent into space to see if they can become pregnant, but the significant stress and turbulence of being blasted into space meant that none of them got pregnant. Mouse eggs sperm and embryos have also been sent into space to see how eth would develop. It does appear that microgravity interferes with the normal patterns of embryo development."
We have, for ethical reasons, never tested how human gestation is affected by microgravity, but in a far-flung scenario where humans may need to reproduce over the course of a long stretch in space, it may become an inevitability.
In this case, we may be able to use technology to overcome the limitations of microgravity.
"Using simple centrifugal devices can overcome the lack of gravity," Watkins suggests. "Gravity is also a key player in shaping the way we develop in the womb. Babies, as they grow, use the resistance of gravity to help develop and strengthen their muscles and bones. As such, a baby who develops in zero- or micro-gravity might not have the same degree of muscle and bone development as a baby who develops here on Earth."
Additionally, in a scenario where humans are traveling to Mars or another planet or moon, we could send freeze-dried sperm, eggs and embryos instead of an already pregnant woman, Watkins suggests.
"Rather than sending pregnant women into space and to the moon or Mars, it's much more cost- and space-effective to send sperm, eggs or embryos which have either been frozen or freeze dried. These stored samples don't requite any food or oxygen, take up less space and can be shielded from the harmful effects of cosmic radiation. Once at their destination, they can be used for procedures like IVF or simply thawed and implanted into a woman," he said. "Taking such an approach means the potential harmful effects of carrying a pregnancy while being exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation and microgravity, are dramatically reduced."
For now, however, the field of sex and reproduction in space remains in its infancy.
"We have barely begun to scratch the surface in the study of human sexuality and reproduction in space," Santaguida said. "More research is needed to determine whether humans will eventually be able to safely and successfully reproduce beyond our home planet."
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. ... Read more
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