Thursday, April 29, 2004
*Ass*tronauts?
Dave Barry points us to an issue that shouldn't be an issue: sex in space, and NASA's policies vis. a long trip to Mars. Now really, this is bloody stupid. No matter what the "policy" is, people cooped up alone together, male, female, gay, straight, are gonna have urges. If you were to respect that fact, and prepare the astronauts for it (pre-trip counseling, etc.), and not make a big deal out of it, then there would be no problem.
Instead, people are talking about chemical sterilization. First off, sterilization doesn't stop you from getting horny, just from getting pregnant. Plus, this is a situation where we need the crews to be in perfect health and condition: mucking with their hormones is not a good idea: everything has side effects. F'rinstance: dropping the men's Testosterone levels might (although not necessarily) drop their sex drive, but it'll also KO their immune systems, muscle maintenance and growth, and overall reaction times. Sounds like a really good idea, huh?
Sounds like someone on the Bush science team thought that shit up.
Instead, people are talking about chemical sterilization. First off, sterilization doesn't stop you from getting horny, just from getting pregnant. Plus, this is a situation where we need the crews to be in perfect health and condition: mucking with their hormones is not a good idea: everything has side effects. F'rinstance: dropping the men's Testosterone levels might (although not necessarily) drop their sex drive, but it'll also KO their immune systems, muscle maintenance and growth, and overall reaction times. Sounds like a really good idea, huh?
Sounds like someone on the Bush science team thought that shit up.
