How do you get rid of the body of a dead astronaut on a three-year mission to Mars and back?
When should the plug be pulled on a critically ill astronaut who is using up precious oxygen and endangering the rest of the crew?
NASA doctors and scientists, with help from outside bioethicists and medical experts, hope to answer many of these questions over the next several years.
One topic that is evidently too hot to handle: How do you cope with sexual desire among healthy young men and women during a mission years long?
Sex is not mentioned in the document and has long been almost a taboo topic at NASA. Williams said the question of sex in space is not a matter of crew health but a behavioral issue that will have to be taken up by others at NASA. Full story here.
Today’s tip for better living: Invent a better jetpack.
There are very serious consequences of biological reproduction in space; NASA is considering sending multi gendered crews to Mars for years at a time. What if a crew member becomes pregnant? Does NASA sanction an off world abortion, or even more serious, does the baby get born? If it is born off world, what are it’s chances of survival on the trip home? Could the foetus even develop properly in a different gravity regime? Could it survive living on Earth after the trip home?
Read about the subject in detail, “Sex in Space” by Laura Woodmansee on Apogee Books.