In fact, German astronaut Matthias Maurer usually gives interviews with ease and answers any questions from journalists attacking him recently in connection with the six-month expedition of SpaceX Crew-3, which starts in late 2021, in which Matthias is included. And only one topic confuses the astronaut: sex in space. “We have never talked about this, because we are at work,” Maurer replies to DW’s question about whether the astronauts talk among themselves about sex.
German cosmonaut Matthias Maurer
But not only professional astronauts fly into space. Nowadays, more amateurs are sent into orbit through private companies than ever before. By the way, today, October 5, the film crew of the Russian film project “Challenge”, which includes actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko, will fly into space (see title photo). And for the first time in the history of the ISS, it will become a filming location for a feature film. I wonder if it will be about love on board the space station? ..
It is clear that sexuality is an integral part of nature. At the same time, according to NASA, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, not a single person has ever had sex in space.
Cosmic love with health benefits?
“If we are seriously considering the possibility of deep space flights, we need to know more about intimacy in space,” – this is the opinion in an interview with DW said bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe, who worked at NASA for 15 years.
However, as it turned out from a conversation with Matthias Maurer, during the preparation of astronauts for space flights, questions related to sex in space are never raised. Saralyn Mark, a former NASA medical consultant, considers this to be a mistake. “If we recognize sexual health as a fundamental part of our physical well-being, then it is important to understand where we put people,” she says in an interview with DW.
It’s no secret that sex and masturbation have a positive effect on our mental and physical health. Orgasm has been shown to relieve stress and improve sleep quality, which can be especially beneficial during energy-intensive space flights.
Assumptions, legends, fakes
Perhaps “cosmic love” has already taken place. In 1982, Russian woman Svetlana Savitskaya, the world’s second female cosmonaut after Valentina Tereshkova and the world’s first female cosmonaut to go into outer space, was in the space station with her two male colleagues for eight days. In his book Hell’s Journey Through Space and Time, German astronaut Ulrich Walter notes that the mission was originally planned with sexual contact in mind.
Anatoly Berezovoy, Valentin Lebedev and Svetlana Savitskaya on the space station (1982)
Another mission, during which it could get to intimacy, took place in 1992, when NASA’s space shuttle Endeavor went into space with a married couple on board. Astronauts Mark Lee and Jan Davis met and fell in love while working at NASA. They got married a year before the space flight.
American Astronauts Mark Lee and Jen Davis (1992)
There is very little information about the characteristics of sex in space. But it is known that in conditions of weightlessness libido decreases. This is due to the fact that weightlessness changes the hormonal balance of a person: the level of estrogen decreases, and this can lead to a decrease in libido.
Scientific hypotheses and personal experience of the astronaut
Much of our knowledge of hormones in space comes from tests done on male astronauts. This is because only 11.5 percent of all astronauts are women. The few women who have been in space so far have taken special pills to avoid menstruation. Perhaps taking them also affects hormone levels.
Our inner clock is another aspect that can affect libido in space, says Saralin Mark. “In a situation where you make a revolution in the orbit of our planet every 90 minutes, your rhythm of sleep and wakefulness changes. Perhaps this is reflected in libido,” says the former NASA medical consultant.
Ulrich Walter’s personal experience supports scientific hypotheses. In his book, the German astronaut writes that during his 10-day stay in space, he did not experience any sexual attraction.
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