Space
The newly married couple gives their luggage to the porter and breathes heavily while lying on the bed. They wanted a honeymoon worthy of being photographed, and with a few million dollars, they achieved that.
Once the initial travel nausea fades, they feel as excited as any newlyweds. Perhaps the only thing that could distract them from their marital bliss now is the breathtaking view of the infinite space, with faint reminders of civilization sparkling at them from Earth, about 250 miles below.
If space hotels become a reality in the coming years or even decades, space holidays won’t just be science fiction. Even without hotels, long orbital space trips nearly guarantee tourists opportunities to join the “60-mile high club.” It is the “souvenirs” that these couples can bring home that worries some researchers – enough to publish a report on the risks associated with human reproduction in the future space tourism sector.
Gravity and radiation levels pose challenges
In space flights, humans are exposed to varying levels of gravity – sometimes less and sometimes more. Think of those warnings in amusement parks that prevent pregnant women from riding rides. They exist partly because excess forces can lead to early separation of the placenta from the uterine wall.
On the other hand, the weak or absent gravity, like that on the International Space Station, has its own challenges: over the past 60 years, NASA has been working on how to maintain adult health in the absence of weight. Astronauts are expected to exercise for at least two hours daily on a treadmill or stationary bike to combat bone and muscle degradation.
Research also indicates that cosmic radiation, like other radiation sources, can damage DNA, reproductive organs, sperm, and eggs. For women, this could mean infertility, ovarian failure, and cancer, leading to early menopause or premature death. In the case of pregnancy, risks can include miscarriage and premature births. For men, excess radiation can also decrease sperm count or lead to infertility, although some scientific findings suggest that sperm can be safely stored in space for a temporary period.
Concerning embryos and fetuses, the news is similarly concerning. Radiation can cause growth delays, cognitive disorders, deformities, and increased risks of neonatal death.
A startup aims to make reproduction in space possible
Dutch entrepreneur Edlbrock aims to make human reproduction possible in space by removing sex from the equation. His company, SpaceBorn United, may be the world’s first to plan research in the field of reproduction in space using in vitro fertilization, although it’s hard to know what the often-conservative Chinese government might do.
Through a series of missions, the startup aims to conduct experiments to monitor the effects of partial gravity on embryo development. The company, which has about 30 mostly part-time employees, will start with animal studies before progressing to human cells. In August, SpaceBorn United collaborated with Independence-X, a Malaysian space exploration company, to conduct a test drop from above the atmosphere of a return capsule containing biological samples.
So far, SpaceBorn United has developed a small in vitro fertilization device and embryo incubator using microfluidic technology. The prototype device, resembling a compact disc, contains multiple tiny channels that carry sperm and eggs. The disc spins to simulate different gravitational loads while the device automatically fertilizes the embryos. Now, the venture is working with a German company, Atmos Space Cargo, to launch mouse embryos on an orbital test flight by the end of next year, according to Edlbrock.
Ethics
Research on Human Reproduction in Space
While the ultimate goal may be to make natural reproduction and childbirth possible in space one day, that will not be achievable anytime soon, according to Alexandra Proshchina, a neuroscientist at the Petrovsky National Research Center for Surgery in Moscow.
She and her colleagues have worked on studies of animal reproduction in space through several missions organized by the Institute of Biomedical Problems. In the 1990s, they participated in a Russian-Canadian experiment on the BION-10 satellite concerning frog embryos and a Russian-American 11-day experiment aboard the space shuttle Atlantis that focused on the development of mouse embryos.
Then in 2014, in collaboration with Rustam Birdiev, a physiologist at Lomonosov University in Moscow, they conducted the world’s first attempt to mate decorative lizards on a spaceflight aboard the Russian FOTON-M4 satellite, although the lizards died due to mission difficulties. Since then, the team has been preparing for an orbital experiment involving exquisite chameleon embryos, but the project has stalled, partly due to funding challenges, according to the researchers’ comments to Mashable.
During pregnancy, women adapt to changes in body mass, hormone levels, metabolism, and a range of other biological processes that put significant strain on their bodies. Even astronauts in their best physical condition experience nausea in space, Proshchina remarked, who responded to Mashable in writing to overcome translation issues.
Regarding the ethics of the matter, taking a minor away from the planet, even for a space mission, would cross the line given the lack of data: children cannot provide informed consent, and yet their lives would be at a much higher level of risk from negative effects, according to Leindiker, who founded the Institute of Sexual Space Research, a nonprofit organization aimed at facilitating studies of sex and reproduction in space.
The process of cell division is faster in children than in adults. When ionizing radiation penetrates the human body, it destroys bonds and can lead to cancer. If a child develops cancer, it may spread more rapidly in outer space conditions compared to adults.
Ethically, taking a minor away from the planet, even for a space mission, would cross the line given the lack of data: children cannot provide informed consent, and yet their lives would be at a much higher level of risk from negative effects, according to Leindiker, who founded the Institute of Sexual Space Research, a nonprofit organization aimed at facilitating studies of sex and reproduction in space.
Whether a human conceived and born in space could adapt to other planets remains unknown. It is not even clear if this child could survive on Earth after returning home, according to Guleimova, who also works at the National Research Center for Surgery.
Or should long-duration spaceflights involving astronauts and their descendants be planned as one-way trips only?
“There are many questions, and many ground and orbital experiments must be conducted before happy parents aboard the spacecraft hear the first cry of the first citizen of the universe,” she stated.
Source: https://me.mashable.com/space/34471/could-humans-have-babies-in-space-safely-heres-what-we-know
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