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May 02, 2007
Sex and Death on the Road to Mars
Space Sex. They are all grown-ups at NASA. You'd think they could work out the sex bits fairly easy. As for the issue of death, I suppose that could be based off of current military practices.
One topic that is evidently too hot to handle: How do you cope with sexual desire among healthy young men and women during a mission years long?Sex is not mentioned in the document and has long been almost a taboo topic at NASA. Williams said the question of sex in space is not a matter of crew health but a behavioral issue that will have to be taken up by others at NASA.
[...]
"There is a decision that is going to have to be made about mixed-sex crews, and there is going to be a lot of debate about it," he said.[...]
NASA will consider whether astronauts must undergo preventive surgery, such as an appendectomy, to head off medical emergencies during a mission, and whether astronauts should be required to sign living wills with end-of-life instructions.
The space agency also must decide whether to set age restrictions on the crew, and whether astronauts of reproductive age should be required to bank sperm or eggs because of the risk of genetic mutations from radiation exposure during long trips.
Already, NASA is considering genetic screening in choosing crews on the long-duration missions. That is now prohibited.
"Genetic screening must be approached with caution ... because of limiting employment and career opportunities based on use of genetic information," Williams said.
(via apnews)
Posted by Groonk at May 2, 2007 12:01 PM | Ministry of Mars
