--- title: "Scientists Issue Warning About Sex in Space" description: "As the space tourism industry grows, so too do concerns about the potential for having sex — and conceiving — in microgravity. " date: "2023-04-28" modified: "2023-04-28" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-space-sex-tourism-warning" categories: - "Space" tags: - "Microgravity" - "sex" - "space sex" - "space tourism" --- # Scientists Issue Warning About Sex in Space ![As the space tourism industry grows, so too do concerns about the potential for having sex — and conceiving — in microgravity. ]() *\Image: Getty Images\* As the space tourism industry grows, so too do concerns about the potential for sex — and even conception — in microgravity. In a [new paper](), researchers at the United Kingdom's Cranfield University questioned whether the space tourism industry has even begun grappling with the concept of customers potentially having sex and conceiving children in space, which is a big deal given the [growing body]() of [evidence]() suggesting that microgravity and radiation could [seriously mess up a fetus](). While the idea of getting it on in zero gravity sounds exciting — and has already been the topic of [ample]() [*Futurism*]() [speculation]() — it's an eventuality that private space tourism companies haven't yet given much thought to, at least in a public capacity. "It is unrealistic to assume all future space tourists will abstain from sexual activities," the [Cranfield press release]() about the paper so aptly puts it, "opening the possibility of human conception and the early stages of human reproduction occurring in space." While no space age love children have yet been born, there's a [non-zero chance]() that any fetuses conceived in microgravity and the ionizing radiation of space could suffer even worse outcomes than the known [ill effects of that environment]() on fully-developed human adults. Having no preparation for space conception is a major issue that "appears to pose several risks," the Cranfield statement notes, including "those of a biological nature such as embryo developmental risks," not to mention the legal quagmires it could welcome. While the private space tourism industry hasn't yet begun dealing with the probability of space sex and its reproductive outcomes, NASA definitely has — and on the books, it [bars astronauts from getting down in space]() because of the potentially detrimental effects that microgravity and radiation could have on fetuses. Though there have been limited — and [somewhat successful]() — studies looking at the reproduction of [invertebrates](), insects, and amphibians in space, when it comes to mammals there's been no dice. Considering how huge an outstanding question mark there is when it comes to space reproduction, it makes sense why NASA would ban it — though of course, [not all types of sex]() can even result in conception. All told, unplanned space pregnancy (or "uncontrolled human conception," as the Cranfield researchers put it) seems like a pretty big gamble, and as the green paper notes, "there appears to be no mitigation of the risks" surrounding it in the burgeoning space tourism industry. Eventually, private space companies are going to have to come up with guidelines for safe sex in space — because, if nothing else, we can count on humans to screw each other, one way or another. **More on space cringe:** [*China Addressed Awkward Situation on Mars*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()