What requires straps, grim determination, and two consenting individuals? Sex in space, of course, which is a whole lot trickier than you’d think. As we continually make advances in the realm of space travel, we consider how the human race might one day thrive in a zero-gravity environment. Naturally, procreation is a very important consideration; one that has yet to be addressed. But thankfully, celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has lent his expertise to the subject, noting, “You need things like straps” in order to have a successful romp in the hay when you’re away from planet Earth.
“Everything is different when you are having sex in a weightless environment,” Tyson explained. And seeing as we already have whiskey glasses that allow you to get buzzed and set the mood miles above our atmosphere, we’re clearly ready to have conversations on how to fornicate when you and your partner are adrift.
Tyson notes the problem with potential foreplay, including bouncing off your partner when trying to get close. While this does occur to some of us on Earth, it is usually for entirely different reasons.
So what’s the solution? “Bring a lot of leather belts. Keep things strapped down and you’ll be just fine,” the space sexpert said. And for added punch, he joked, “There are probably some people who are fully equipped with this anyway.”
Of course, none of NASA’s astronauts will be taking Tyson’s advice to heart anytime soon. The space agency has very strict rules about this sort of hanky panky while on the job, requiring that their employees maintain “professional standards” and “relationships of trust” whenever they’re in space. For the time being, Tyson’s sexy theoretical scenarios must be put aside.
So while there are no members of the million mile high club just yet, it may be something to consider much more seriously in the not so distant future. Start stocking up on straps, friends. Now you even have an excuse for them.
After 13 suborbital test flights and more than $15 billion in development costs, SpaceX's Starship has finally reached orbit. The 407-foot megarocket, the most powerful ever built, lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on Monday and delivered its first real payload on it's 14th attempt. The celebration came with an asterisk, though, since SpaceX had to cut the planned 10-hour mission to roughly three hours.
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/2104601695711904180
SpaceX is finally ready to give Starship its biggest test yet. The company says the massive rocket's 14th test flight is scheduled for September 22, when it will attempt to put the upper stage into Earth orbit for the first time. The launch is currently pending regulatory approval, with a 75-minute window opening at 7:15 a.m. CT.
Starship has 26 Starlink satellites to deliver
For decades, humanity has looked up at the Moon and wondered what it would be like to live on it. Think sprawling cities, factories, research centers, and permanent human settlements. Unfortunately, there is one fairly fundamental problem with that vision.
A new study published in Frontiers in Space Technologies argues that even the Moon's potentially enormous reserves of frozen water may be nowhere near enough to support city-sized populations sustainably. Researchers Martin Elvis and Jonathan McDowell estimate that the permanently shadowed regions near the lunar poles could contain roughly one billion tons of water. It sounds like an extraordinary amount until you put a million thirsty humans next to it.