Xref: utzoo soc.couples:5588 sci.space.shuttle:7982
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!midway!mimsy!mobby.umiacs.umd.edu!jerrys
From: jerrys@mobby.umiacs.umd.edu (Jerry Sobieski)
Newsgroups: soc.couples,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Best position for pregnancy
Message-ID: <35232@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 4 Jun 91 20:10:22 GMT
References: <8944@pbhyf.PacBell.COM> <1991May23.112037*cindy@solan.unit.no> <19700@sdcc6.ucsd.edu> <1991May27.183119.26625@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Sender: news@mimsy.umd.edu
Reply-To: jerrys@umiacs.umd.edu (Jerry Sobieski)
Followup-To: soc.couples
Organization: UMIACS, Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Lines: 54

In article <1991May27.183119.26625@nntp-server.caltech.edu> dp@deimos.caltech.edu writes:
>In article <19700@sdcc6.ucsd.edu>, jclark@sdcc6.ucsd.edu (John Clark) writes...
>> 
>>Speaking of gravity, want to bet that when a married couple are sent
>>in to space one of the 'experiements' that will be 'announced' is
>>sex and related activities?
>
>Any space
>"hanky-panky" will be strictly non-official (and difficult, since the 
>interior of a shuttle orbiter doesn't have too many private cubbyholes).
>I doubt any such activities by humans will happen until more private
>accomodations are available (small private rooms will be on the space 
>station). 

Difficult? How much space (:-) does a couple need to copulate? The front seat
of a car is sufficient for a determined duo (empiricly determined). 

As to privacy, I don't think astronauts, who have been subjected to a 
plethora of injections, inspections, examinations, peeked at, poked at, etc.
are going to be the "shy, demure" types - particularly if they can go
down (pardon the pun) in history as the first Americans to get it in Space.

These people (astronauts) are risk takers.  I would be surprised if there
wasn't already a 100 mile high club.  Getting "caught", particularly if 
the couple are married (to each other:-), is not likely something that will
worry them.


>However, I have no doubt that some moronic reporter will ask
>this very type of question during the couple's flight (somewhat embarassing
>them, I imagine). I'd bet you that no human sexual experiments will be
>"officially announced" by NASA (probably ever). 

I don't think its a moronic question any more than Chuck Robb's tryst 
with Miss Virginia, Gary Hart's monkey business, etc.  Astronauts, alas,
are public figures on expensive space missions.  What they do up there is
not entirely their own business.  NASA may never announce/plan a mission
in the near future to study copulation dynamics of the human species until
it has been done informally and the stated intention won't raise 
further eyebrows. 

What's moronic is a nation that is too inhibited to allow such an 
announcement.

(Sorry Deborah, this isn't a flame, please don't take it as such.)

Jerry



--
Domain: jerrys@umiacs.umd.edu		     Jerry Sobieski
  UUCP:	uunet!mimsy!jerrys		UMIACS - Univ. of Maryland
 Phone:	(301)405-6735			  College Park, Md 20742