Well, it's about time

[johnridley]

...if true.
Astronauts test sex in space (unofficial)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2000/feb/24/spaceexploration.internationalnews1

I'd think this would be pretty hard to keep secret on an STS mission; too many people on board. Maybe on MIR. Not sure about the ISS. Honestly, though I hope NASA is giving serious thought to dealing with the inevitability of sex on something like a Mars mission, I don't know whether it's reasonable to believe that they're doing research on the mechanics. If people want to have sex they'll figure something out; we're not sending dummies to Mars.

I will say one thing; it's got to be exhausting. It sure sounds like fun at first, but after thinking about it, I think gravity is a net win in this situation. If they could develop a set of positions that maintained bone mass, they would solve the problem of astronauts not wanting to exercise on long duration missions.

Comments

[tceisele.livejournal.com]

I dunno, the mention of the "elastic belt" and "inflatable tunnel" sounds too much like the probable hoax site that is mentioned about halfway down this Straight Dope column from 1997 (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_214.html). I'm sure somebody has tried something at some time, but NASA and the Russians are sure never going to admit it.

[johnridley.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the STS-XX mission name was a dead giveaway. I posted it only for fun.