No Space Porn (For Now) 260
With the entry to sub-orbital flight, and even orbital flight, becoming ever so slightly easier, the obvious thought of space porn kicks in. Who wouldn't want to see two or more people going at it like rabbits in a weightless environment (or at least trying to go at it like rabbits in a weightless environment)? Sadly, Virgin Galactic has turned down a $1 million offer to do just that. The offer was made by an unidentified party who was willing to put the money up front to do a space porn movie. Considering that a flight aboard VG costs $200,000 for a two-hour flight, $1 million doesn't seem too bad. Though how much you could actually do and perform in two hours is debatable. And what if one or more of the actors gets sick?
Bah (Score:5, Interesting)
They can make weightless porn in a parabolic flight (the vomit comet) in front of a green screen. After that, adding a space background is piece of cake. Much cheaper than $1,000,000. Shit, have I just disclosed the best business plan on earth.
Re:Still waiting for... (Score:5, Interesting)
You know, I didn't think anybody remembered "Two Girls Two Catamarans"
(And in case you didn't, it's about a maverick sailboat designer who builds a cat and duly sails it across an ocean with the 2 girls - actually I think he did it twice, with 2 different boats. Not sure if it was 2 girls each time or not. Anyway, This was James Wharram in the 1950s, before sailing carts were even believed in at all [obviously the Micronesians didn't count. Obviously]. He went on to have a happy life building and designing cheap sailing catamarans with his partner. Their plans always had (have) sweet drawing of naked girls sitting about on said cats. And he is still at it).
The book is out of print, sadly, See Wharram (http://wharram.com/sales/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11&products_id=73)
MSNBC did a report on this subject back in 2006 (Score:5, Interesting)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14002908/ [msn.com]
My favorite quote from TFA
Woodmansee said sex would be "the killer app of space tourism ... because every couple who goes up there, or threesome or whatever their personal choice is, is going to want to try this."
TFA :
Outer-space sex carries complications
... because every couple who goes up there, or threesome or whatever their personal choice is, is going to want to try this."
Experts say new devices and data would be needed to hit the zero-G-spot
By Alan Boyle
Science editor
updated 4:38 p.m. ET, Mon., July. 24, 2006
LAS VEGAS - Having sex in the weightlessness of outer space is the stuff of urban legends and romantic fantasy â" but experts say that there would be definite downsides as well.
Spacesickness, for instance. And the difficulty of choreographing intimacy. And the potential for sweat and other bodily fluids to, um, get in the way.
"The fantasy might be vastly superior to the reality," NASA physician Jim Logan said here Sunday at the Space Frontier Foundation's NewSpace 2006 conference. Nevertheless, Logan and others say the study of sex and other biological basics in outer space will be crucial to humanity's long-term push into the final frontier.
"Sex in space is not just a good idea, it's survival," said Vanna Bonta, a writer who blends romance with space travel and quantum physics in the novel "Flight."
Sex in the space environment has long been a source of rumor and speculation: Several years ago, one author claimed that NASA had conducted a study of sexual behavior during a space shuttle mission, sparking a quick round of denials. Today, NASA follows something of a "don't ask, don't tell" policy on the subject â" leading Logan to stress that he was not representing the space agency at Sunday's panel discussion.
The subject is coming to the fore again now for several reasons â" including next month's publication of a book by Laura Woodmansee titled "Sex in Space," as well as billionaire Robert Bigelow's plan to host research into animal propagation on his commercial space modules.
After all, sometime in the next decade Bigelow Aerospace envisions putting a hotel complex in orbit, "where people will probably be recreating and having sex," Bonta said.
Woodmansee said sex would be "the killer app of space tourism
However, off-Earth romantics will have to cope with some practical challenges:
# Sex in space would likely be "hotter and wetter" than on Earth, Bonta said, because in zero-G there is no natural convection to carry away body heat. Also, scientists have found that people tend to perspire more in microgravity. The moisture associated with sexual congress could pool as floating droplets.
# The physics of zero-G make the mechanics of sex more complicated. Bonta said it was challenging even to kiss her husband during a zero-G simulation flight they took recently. "You actually have to struggle to connect and stay connected," she recalled. Partners would have to be anchored to the wall and/or to each other. To address that need, Bonta has come up with her own design for garments equipped with strategically placed Velcro strips and zippers.
# Although zero-G could be a boon for saggy body parts, Bonta said males might notice a "slight decrease" in penis size due to the lower blood pressure that humans experience in microgravity.
# Romantics will also need to guard against the type of motion sickness that space travelers often encounter, especially if they get too adventurous right off. "Save the acrobatics for post-play vs. foreplay," Bonta advised.
For all these reasons, Logan said spontaneous sex in space could be "a little underwhelming."
"It's a pretty messy environment, when you think about it," he said. "And for every
Re:Still waiting for... (Score:3, Interesting)
"There is some evidence that NASA et al has had astronauts have sex in space, all in the name of science, of course--so I think exoatmospheric porn has already been made."
Sources, please. I have suspicions, but it is just a guess. When I saw the list of shuttle astronauts with pictures from an internal NASA news letter in the early 1980's I circled one picture. http://space.about.com/cs/deceasedastronaut/a/judithresnik.htm [about.com]
$1 million not enough (Score:3, Interesting)
I think the real problem is that the money is too small for this sort of thing. Basically, they're going to take over a flight, it's going to require special gear, and such a film would probably be very popular.
Now, if that film maker were offering say, 10 million (or more), that might be enough to make it worthwhile for Virgin Galactic.
Re:Still waiting for... (Score:3, Interesting)
I distinctly remember news back in the mid-eighties about NASA sending a married couple into orbit, as part of a Shuttle crew. Needless to say, speculation ran rampant about sexy experiments in space, newscasters displaying a deadpan nod-nod-wink-wink attitude towards the whole thing. However, NASA being what it is, mentioned nothing about the topic in press releases either before nor after.
So all we have to show for anything is the end scene from Moonraker, with Bond and Dr Goodhead (yet another classic name for a Bond girl) floating in the capsule, in the missionary position with a ridiculous sheet draped over their bodies, and conveniently enough, the sheet is the only thing in the capsule that seems to follow the law of gravity. As boring as it could possibly be.
Re:MSNBC did a report on this subject back in 2006 (Score:3, Interesting)
I recall reading recently that astronauts on board the space station complained about not being able to get an erection. At all. Reduced blood flow due to zero-g might put a hamper on your porno plans. Now zero-g girl-on-girl is probably possible, and in the end a lot less messy.