Copernical Team
Is sex in space being taken seriously by the emerging space tourism sector?
What would a human conception in space mean for the sector? That's the situation posed by an international group of scientists, clinicians and other interested parties, who have authored a consultative green paper led by David Cullen, Professor of Astrobiology & Space Biotechnology at Cranfield University.
It highlights that the emerging space tourism sector has not openly considered or discussed the risks of sex in space or prepared suitable mitigation approaches. It argues it is unrealistic to assume all future space tourists will abstain from sexual activities—opening the possibility of human conception and the early stages of human reproduction occurring in space.
This appears to pose several risks, those of a biological nature such as embryo developmental risks and those of a commercial nature such as liability, litigation, and reputational damage. The authors recommend that an open discussion is now needed within the space tourism industry to consider the risks.
Open discussion on human conception in space tourism is lacking
Professor Cullen from Cranfield University led the work. He said, "Our starting point was a throwaway comment about sex in space, but when we checked, we were surprised the sector has not openly considered the risks and this led to the study.
What colour is an asteroid? Hyperspectral imager to find out
What colour is an asteroid? The latest instrument being prepared for ESA’s Hera mission for planetary defence will observe its target Dimorphos asteroid in a range of colours far beyond the limits of the human eye. In the process Hera’s HyperScout H hyperspectral imager will help prospect the asteroid’s mineral makeup – in the process helping to deduce how best to deflect future asteroids which might one day endanger Earth.
Defying gravity
Surely it has ever happened to you to shake an open bag of mixed nuts. Have you noticed that after such a procedure, the largest nuts in the mixture - Brazil nuts - float to the top? The phenomenon of large objects rising to the surface of a mixture of small objects, bearing the professional name of granular convection, is popularly referred to "the Brazil nut effect" and occurs commonly in natu Starship moves fast and breaks things
Flying chunks of concrete, twisted metal sheets, craters blasted deep into the ground: the thunderous power of SpaceX's first test flight of Starship - the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built - inflicted serious damage on its Texas launch site.
Repairing the damage from Thursday's unmanned test flight is expected to take months, potentially delaying further launch attempts and slow Potential Failure Modes of SpaceX's Starship
On April 20, 2023, a little after 9:30 A.M. eastern time SpaceX's new Starship system lifted off from the company's southeast Texas spaceport. This was an historic event because the Starship is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. The ship ascended smoothly for the first several minutes, but as the vehicle approached the moment of stage separation an anomaly occurred that resulted in Webb reveals primordial galaxy cluster 650 million years after the Big Bang
Every giant was once a baby, though you may never have seen them at that stage of their development. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has begun to shed light on formative years in the history of the universe that have thus far been beyond reach: the formation and assembly of galaxies. For the first time, a protocluster of seven galaxies has been confirmed at a distance that astronomers refer to China's space missions break new ground
Lunar samples, mineral discovery and experience for future missions among gains Chinese scientists have made major advances in the research of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor, the moon, thanks to samples and data gathered by China's lunar probes.
In the latest development, water locked in glass beads has been found in lunar samples returned by the Chang'e 5 mission.
A study publis Five ways open science is transforming NASA research and protecting our planet
In celebration of Earth Day, it's important to recognize the role of open science in protecting our planet and advancing NASA's research efforts. Through initiatives like NASA's Transform to Open Science (TOPS), researchers can collaborate and share data, promoting transparency and scientific integrity.
By sharing research findings and data publicly, NASA is enabling scientists and the pub Open cooperation, China Aerospace goes to the world
On November 21, 2022, President Xi Jinping pointed out in his congratulatory letter to the United Nations/China Space Exploration and Innovation Global Partnership Symposium that there is no end to space exploration. China is willing to work with other countries to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, jointly explore the mysteries of the universe, use outer space peacefully, and promote space t A staunch supporter of China's space undertakings
President Xi Jinping has been a staunch supporter of China's space undertakings. He has paid visits to several space launch sites and he frequently mentioned the country's space achievements in his New Year addresses.
Xi has a deep impression and high opinion of Dongfanghong-1, China's first man-made satellite launched in 1970. In a letter replying to veteran scientists in April 2020, Xi r