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NASA Puts A Stop To Space Romance
Posted by
Zonk
on Sat Oct 22, 2005 03:20 AM
from the heinlein-rolling-in-his-grave dept.
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'."
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Geez... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Geez... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Parent
Absolutely Brilliant! (Score:5, Funny)
"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 in reality we've got a top-level panel of US researches who are tantalizingly close to achieving the ultimate Holy Grail - pursuing workplace sex, romantic entanglements and porn in the name of "research".
Godspeed lads, godspeed.
Parent
Re:Geez... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Geez... (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Geez... (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Where no man has gone before (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Where no man has gone before (Score:3, Funny)
And also look at Neelix and Kes. He is a pedophile (she wasn't even 10 years old!)
Star Trek as a model for a Mars Trip (Score:4, Funny)
(You know, that blonde geeky guy and the hot chick from Cleopatra 2525.)
They're married and get it on regularly (it seems), but the only conflict that I've seen them have is that he sometimes gets jealous of the relationship between his wife and the captain, and she wants a kid but he doesn't.
Also, Serenity is a small ship with a small crew, and no holodeck, replicators, or transporters.
All in all, Firefly seems to be a much closer match to what an actual Mars mission would be like, in terms of technology and the size of the ship and crew, than the various Star Trek scenarios.
Well, except for the artificial gravity.
And the hooker.
Parent
Re:Where no man has gone before (Score:5, Informative)
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....
Parent
Re:Where no man has gone before (Score:4, Funny)
Virtual Valerie, a fully interactive holographic sex goddess. You want three boobs, you get three boobs.
For the women, from what I hear, they're happy just with this thing called a "Rabbit" right now.
~X~
Parent
Re:Where no man has gone before (Score:3, Insightful)
-ccm
Instead of sex... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Instead of sex... (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Easy one (Score:5, Funny)
Since no one loves Darl, and the Pope loves everyone but does not have sex, relationships are stable.
Re:Easy one (Score:5, Funny)
A mission to where, a bar?
Parent
Re:Easy one (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Easy one (Score:5, Insightful)
Let's send 6 lesbians porn stars and a A film crew . Kills two birds with one stone , no space sex conflicts and you could fund the next Moon landing with "Star whores : A new elope "
Parent
Re:Easy one (Score:3, Insightful)
Then logically, either Darl or the Pope is not a person! (In this case, I highly suspect that Darl McBride is the guilty party)
Re:Easy one (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah... that theory has been working out well in the prison system and in all girl colleges.
Parent
Re:Easy one (Score:3, Insightful)
Then NASA could just sell the video feed of their "fun room" to help recoup the costs on the mission!
Without sex for 30 months? (Score:5, Funny)
In 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'.
30 months??? Who the heck can function properly without sex for 30 months?
Re:Without sex for 30 months? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Without sex for 30 months? (Score:5, Insightful)
Trust me, NASA will find skilled enough psychologists to determine if candidates for Mars mission are up to the job in this regard.
Parent
Re:Without sex for 30 months? (Score:5, Funny)
Well slashdotters are able to function properly without sex for 30 years... oh wait.
Living in parents basement: Check
Anti-social behaviour: Check
Radical beliefs: Check
Terrorist activities: Check
Hmmm, I guess even slashdotters can't function properly without sex for 30 months (which explains a lot).
Parent
Re:Without sex for 30 months? (Score:3, Funny)
Ahem. So, where do I sign up for this Mars thing?
Re:Without sex for 30 months? (Score:3, Funny)
(five-minute delay while the signal propagates to the spacecraft at the speed of light, and then another five-minute delay while the reply makes its way back to Earth)
MARS ONE: Ah, roger that, Houston. We're following that policy.
Re:Sex is an important part of life. (Score:5, Insightful)
If you're telling the truth about this, then your brain is already in a continual fit of chaos.
Parent
Re:Sex is an important part of life. (Score:3, Interesting)
I believe this is true. Humans are going to have sex with each other, whether or not you tell them not to, whether or not you educate them, or even if they are of the same sex. Sex is a part of our physiology, and is integrated into our systems -- we're supposed to screw, and often! It's healthy!
Also, I've noticed that polyamorism is st
Re:Sex is an important part of life. (Score:4, Interesting)
Send them up half male and half female with orders that they need to rotate partners on a daily basis. Well laid people with multiple partners they aren't previously attached to are less likely to get into jealous rages or similar problems.
How would mandatory daily sex be any better than forbidden sex? What if you're gay -- can you turn down partners of the other sex? Or, despite your qualifications, do you not get to go on the mission at all, since it's unlikely you'd get provided with more than one other gay partner in the article's 6-8 member crew? What if you're straight and just aren't attracted to a particular member of the opposite sex -- do you get to turn them down, too? Are you going to carefully choose four attractive straight men and four attractive straight women for your mission and hope that none of them realizes mid-journey that they're actually interested in someone of the same sex and messes your little rotations up? You really think mandating sex will be less disruptive than forbidding it or just letting it happen on its own?
These people are astronauts and know their lifes depend on working together. If they can't work together even when they hate each other (or worse - love each other) then they shouldn't be sent up.
Exactly. They're highly trained intelligent adults; there shouldn't be any need for either sex bans or your solution. They should be tested for their ability to peacefully coexist with a small group of people for sustained periods of time before they're chosen for the mission, since this is a key requirement for their job, and then trusted to live up to their training. Someone who's prone to jealous rages shouldn't be sent, regardless of their overall brilliance. Other than that, as long as the group regularly voices its concerns and deals with them, I fail to see what the problem of space relationships would be.
Parent
Employ Me (Score:5, Funny)
From TFA (Score:5, Informative)
"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."
Simple solution (Score:5, Funny)
Or... (Score:3, Insightful)
"One could perhaps select for people who seem to have less need for sex, or at least don't use sex as a form of self-validation", a quote from some random psychologist not part of the NASA board, but happens to be quoted in this article (seriously...do journalists just accept anything that agrees with their news titles as evidence?).
Heh sex is a major part of all forms of life...why paint it in such a light. This is like moral judgement.
There is validity to both sides (free choice versus disruption of work), but I don't think personal matters should be part of NASA's decisions...it just seems to be outside of their jursidiction, if you will, especially on long-haul missions where astronauts are away from other human beings for long periods of time.
In space, ... (Score:5, Funny)
Out-of-this-world sex? (Score:5, Funny)
Misleading title.... again. (Score:5, Informative)
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.
huge marketing opportunity (Score:5, Funny)
They'd be killing all their birds with one stone, for pete's sake. Huge media coverage, lucrative advertising sponsorships... man NASA would be overfunded and popular again for the first time since the 60's. C'mon NASA, give America what it really wants!
They could call it "Pigs in Space" or wait.. yeah that one was taken. Too bad it's a classic.
"Vote 'em off the shuttle!"
Somewhat Surprised, Heinlein pointed this out... (Score:3, Informative)
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
Meanwhile... (Score:3, Interesting)
Honestly, I'd tell this panel to go fsck themselves, but they can't now anyway... right?
Married couple (Score:3, Interesting)
I also heard a story of a pair on a shuttle having a relation and getting married shortly after the flight. Apparently NASA wasn't told before and was not happy. (Might have been the same couple.) And of course the rumours that some Russkies sacrificed themselves for science. I can't find a reference for both stories unfortunately.
What is worse (Score:5, Interesting)
Man, that would get me frustrated beyond reason. And the realisation of this is why I understand why NASA is doing this.
Actually, 30 months without sex, I think I could do it if I were on such a mission. Because I would be mentally prepared for this. I know the other crewmembers are not having sex either. And the sex fixation in our siciety would not be there on a daily basis. Of course, I would expect periods of frustration. But I don't think it would be a major problem.
When there is no potential for sex, when there is no constant reminder of sex around you, it is much easier to live without it. But if others in your crew are having sex, and you don't get any. That would really make things difficult.
Of course, drugs that temporary kill libido would be very welcome too.
Re:What is worse (Score:3, Funny)
It's called grad school. You don't have sleep either. I think that most of the scientists aboard such space missions are quite used to not getting laid, and the adaptation to life without sleep is probably beneficial in space as well.
No matter how weird things get... (Score:3, Insightful)
No Earth-based station simulation is going to completely capture the urgency of real space travel.
Just take a stable polyamorous group... (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm completely serious btw.
Fine, let's give it all to the Russians, then... (Score:3, Interesting)
How did the nation that BUILT the space shuttle get THIS stupid THIS fast? I want my tax dollars back!
Re:Fine, let's give it all to the Russians, then.. (Score:3, Insightful)
The only thing sexier than SPACE SEX (Score:5, Funny)
solution (Score:5, Funny)
General "Buck" Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature. Ambassador de Sadesky: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.
Re:For the consideration of our male astronauts: (Score:3, Funny)