Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/NASA
Topics: Space, NASA, Science, Sex and Relationships
Lucy Devine
Topics: Space, NASA, Science, Sex and Relationships
Scientists have apparently answered the question on all our minds - what would happen if an astronaut ejaculated in space?
With astronauts often spending months on end up in space, you might have wondered whether they're allowed to have sex, or even masturbate, while on the International Space Station (ISS).
And, is it even possible, or would there be catastrophic consequences?
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Discussing the topic on TikTok, sex historian Dr Esme Louise James and AI expert Dr Matt Agnew worked out what would happen if a man was to ejaculate in space.
According to the experts, the astronaut would be propelled backwards, due to the conservation of momentum.
Dr Matt explained: "The conservation of momentum says that the total momentum of two or more bodies in a system will remain the same.
"This means that the mass multiplied by the velocity of the ejaculate will equal the mass multiplied by the velocity of the man."
The pair explained that to work this out, they would need to estimate that the average volume a man would ejaculate would be around a teaspoon, with a density of around one gram per millilitre.
Meanwhile, the speed of ejaculation is around 45km/hr.
"We multiply the mass by velocity, and that gives us the momentum of the ejaculate," said Dr Matt. "Let's say the average man weighs 70 kilos. This means the velocity must equal 0.000562 metres/second."
Ultimately, the pair worked out that if a man ejaculated in space, he would travel backwards at a speed of around two metres per hour - which is pretty slow.
"How fast is that? About the speed of an average garden snail," said Dr Matt.
"So, if you ever find yourself in the vacuum of space, and you want to use ejaculate as propellant, you're not gonna be moving very quickly."
Despite this seemingly insignificant consequence, Adam Watkins, associate professor in reproductive and developmental physiology at the University of Nottingham told the MailOnline that sex in space would not be easy to achieve.
He said: "Sex in space is physically possible, but would not be as easy as it is here on Earth."
Apparently, there's never been a sexual encounter in space - that anyone has ever admitted to, anyway.
Although there's no strict guidelines on whether astronauts can have sex in space, Sandra Jones, a NASA Johnson Space Center spokeswoman told Mashable: "We depend and rely on the professionalism and good judgment of our astronauts."