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NASA Puts A Stop To Space Romance

Posted by Zonk on from the heinlein-rolling-in-his-grave dept.

electro-donkey writes "According to a New Scientist article, romantic entanglements among astronauts could derail long-haul space trips. A top-level NASA panel has decided, though it could alleviate boredom, space sex could cause trouble too. On a mission to Mars, for example, which would take up to 30 months, sexual conflict or infidelity could lead to a 'breakdown in crew functioning'."

6 of 431 comments (clear)

  1. From TFA by putko · · Score: 5, Informative

    Fine to make such a well-considered policy -- but if the astronauts are like these brutes, they'll ignore the rules and revert to their natural behavior:

    "Sexual harassment may also endanger a mission. In an 8-month space station simulation on Earth in 2000, a Russian man twice tried to kiss a Canadian woman researcher just after two other Russians had gotten into a bloody brawl. As a result, locks were installed between the Russian and international crews' compartments."

    --
    http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/when_to_s tone_your_children/dt21_18a.html
  2. Misleading title.... again. by Rxke · · Score: 4, Informative

    Nothing in the article suggest they will put a stop on it.

    It's just another overgeneral article about pro's and cons of relationships on long missions, and some examples.

    Oh, and they're going to stuy it some more...

    Nothing to see here, move along.

  3. Somewhat Surprised, Heinlein pointed this out... by rusty0101 · · Score: 2, Informative

    ... in 'Stranger in a Strange Land.' I would have thought that the issues would have been well understood.

    I think it would also be understood that as long as you have a mixed gender group of people together for an extended period of time, there isn't a lot you can do to prevent it either.

    Valentine Smith.

    -Rusty

    --
    You never know...
  4. Re:Geez... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    No space sex?

    TFA (yeah, I read it) doesn't say anything about banning space sex. That's something made up for the Slashdot headline.

    The first paragraph of the article sums it up pretty well "Sex and romantic entanglements among astronauts could derail missions to Mars and should therefore be studied by NASA, warns a top-level panel of US researchers."

    So a panel of researchers want to 'study' sex and romantic entaglements. Nice work if you can get it, but no 'ban' implied.

    First actually-read-the-article post.

  5. Re:Where no man has gone before by 1u3hr · · Score: 4, Informative
    NASA isn't banning interspecial sex, just sex among the crew

    To be serious for a moment, no one seems to have read TFA. The Slashdot heading is false. TFA says nothing about "banning" sex, just that it is a subject that has been ignored but must be studied in planning long missions.

    Now returning you to your scheduled program of sniggering jokes....

  6. Re:Geez... by Surt · · Score: 2, Informative

    No-sex enforcement is traditionally accomplished with chastity belts, male and female versions available and tested for centuries.

    --
    "Who is the Journal of Quantum Physics going to believe?" --Stephen Hawking