The future of love-making in space may involve a lot of leather straps, according to celebrity astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
The pop scientist and "StarTalk" host responded to a question from a fan about how astronauts are supposed to have sex while they are in space.
"Everything is different when you are having sex in a weightless environment," Tyson explained.
"You need things like straps. There are probably some people who are fully equipped with this anyway."
What the astrophysicist was referring to was the aspect of having to drift toward different directions in order to move while being in zero gravity. This weightlessness in space means that people would have to be strapped on to stay in one place amidst carrying out various actions, including having sex.
Tyson pointed out that in this type of environment, people would be able to witness Newton's Law of motion in action.
"You're there floating in space and then you move towards someone and they just sort of bounce off," the scientist said.
He added that the movement of people in space is preserved and it does not involve any friction.
This means that if couples would like to get together and keep themselves from literally drifting apart while in zero gravity, they would need instruments to help them stay together throughout the course of their love-making in space.
Having Sex in Space
While the prospect of engaging in sex while being in outer space seems interesting for some, NASA has treated the subject very carefully in accordance with its strict code of conduct.
The American space agency has required astronauts to maintain "professional standards" and "relationships of trust" at all times while they are in space.
The concept of humans colonizing space, however, would include the exploration of different worlds and require reproduction among participants.
In a study featured in the Journal of Cosmology, NASA scientists discovered that getting pregnant while in space could entail health risks as a result of high radiation.
The researchers said the high-energy particles that typically bombard spacecraft could potentially sterilize fetuses that were conceived while in deep space. This could make it extremely difficult for colonizers to reproduce once they reach their intended destination.
