The idea of joining the mile high club is tantalizing for some, but taking things to the next level by attempting intimacy in space is an entirely different challenge.
While most of us won’t have to consider this scenario any time soon, unless we embark on interstellar journeys aboard massive space vessels, a select group of astronauts might ponder the feasibility of such an endeavor.
Unlike activities on Earth, the zero-gravity environment of space presents significant hurdles for intimacy.
The difficulties are not just mechanical but biological, raising intriguing questions about the feasibility of sex in space.
What challenges could arise from trying to engage in intimacy in a zero-gravity environment?
One of the primary obstacles is the absence of gravity.
All sexual positions, from doggystyle to missionary, depend on gravity to maintain contact between partners.
The challenge is that in zero gravity, when two bodies meet, they tend to drift apart, much like a puck gliding across an air hockey table.
In 2018, physicist and astronomer John Millis explained to The Sun: “Even the lightest touch can make it difficult to stay in contact if both persons are not properly anchored. The astronauts would need to brace themselves against the space station and even each other.”
Given the importance of maintaining contact during intercourse, couples drifting apart with every motion could be problematic.
Millis proposed using a ‘strap system’ to secure one partner, a practice which some couples on Earth are already familiar with.
“That could be a jungle gym–type apparatus that allows people to position themselves appropriately to a strap system that holds them together or clothing that accomplishes the same thing,” Millis explained to Glamour. ”Imaginative minds will create something ingenious, I’m sure.”
Beyond the challenge of drifting apart, zero gravity affects blood flow, directing more blood to the head.
Blood flow is crucial for arousal in both men and women, but zero gravity might complicate maintaining an erection.
Houston, this could pose a significant issue.