Sex in Space? Experts Say Cosmic Hanky-Panky Could Be Mechanically Dangerous

Most of us like to be adventurous, risky and even sometimes, dare we say, dangerous, with our sex lives. Unfortunately, when it comes to getting down in space, it might not be quite as simple. For one, the lack of gravity comes into play, and things like oil, water and even gasoline could create a chemical concoction that's harmful for any couple.

NASA officials remain firm that cosmic hanky-panky between astronauts should never take place, according to SPACE.com. Even so, recent announcement by Inspiration Mars Foundations that would send married couples on a 501 day manned mission around Mars in 2018 suggests that first case of human sex in outer space may be just around the corner. But should we be concerned about safety?

"Sex is very difficult in zero gravity, apparently, because you have no traction and you keep bumping against the walls," biologist Athena Andreadis of the University of Massachusetts Medical School told SPACE.com in 2011. "Think about it: you have no friction, you have no resistance."

Besides maneuvering different positions in order to complete satisfactory intercourse, if a couple were to conceive in space, a child's delivery would be "downright dangerous," according to SPACE.com.

"There are many risks to conception in low or microgravity, such as ectopic pregnancy," said Laura Woodmansee, author of the book "Sex in Space" (Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc., 2006). "And, without the protection of the Earth's atmosphere, the higher radiation levels raise the probability of birth defects."

Woodmansee has said she wrote the book after interviewing Sally Ride and Shannon Lucid, among others, about the challenges of being a female astronaut. She wondered what the next step in human space exploration would look like.

"I felt then, and still do today, that it's important for any spacefaring society to discuss sex and reproduction beyond Earth. To put it simply, we need to know exactly what we're getting into because the consequences affect not only us, but the next generation of human beings," Woodmansee wrote in an Op-Ed on LiveScience.