![]() While the South China Morning Post does not say if Zhang Lu gave a timetable for the first test of turning Tiangong into a heavenly love nest for macaques, the speed at which the Chinese space program assembled the space station suggests it will happen soon. Previous studies have found that long-term exposure to cosmic rays can damage sperm and eggs, while zero-gravity conditions can damage testicles and other reproductive organs, causing a decline in sex hormone levels and a lack of interest. If that’s not enough, then the sheer lack of privacy on shuttles and spacecraft means there are no rooms into which two astronauts can retreat for some time together.” ![]() Secondly, as astronauts experience lower blood pressure while in space, maintaining erections and arousal are more problematic than here on Earth. ![]() “Firstly, just staying in close contact with each other under zero gravity is hard. Adam Watkins, an associate professor of reproductive and developmental physiology at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, explained some of the challenges for astronauts and monkeys. Of course, that is putting the cart far ahead of the horse in this initial experiment to induce jungle love in space. And, if there are one day children on missions or even born in space, it will be a challenge to help them through the trip without throwing temper tantrums. How to take care of the monkeys and keep them happy and comfortable will be a new challenge to the astronauts.”Īn anonymous Shanghai-based life scientist experienced with laboratory monkeys says this will help prepare space programs for dealing will humans on long trips in confined spaces as well. “On the ground it is possible to calm a monkey in panic with toys, music or simply letting them mingle with other monkeys. Kee says these experiments will be difficult and messy, but they “will be necessary” as longer missions and eventual colonization projects begin. In this case, what will they be doing the other approximately 23 hours and 50 minutes per day when they’re not attempting to make space history? Eating, pooping, throwing poop, screaming for more food, repeat. As Kehkooi Kee, a professor with the school of medicine at Tsinghua University who led an in-orbit stem cell experiment conducted by Chinese astronauts, points out, there are good reasons why no astronaut is allowed to take pets or companion animals to the space station. There have been very few space missions with humans and monkeys sharing the same capsule or ship – almost all monkeys have traveled alone (more on some of these missions later) or with one other monkey. “The astronauts will need to feed them and deal with the waste.” ![]() The experiment, most likely involving rhesus macaque monkeys, will be conducted in Wentian, the space station’s largest module, but it is expected to impact life in all of the modules for the up to six human astronauts sharing the space station with the amorous apes. That is the noble cause of the mission to the missionary position as described to the South China Morning Post by Zhang Lu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and the leader of the development of supporting equipment for scientific studies on Tiangong. “These experiments will help improve our understanding of an organism’s adaptation to microgravity and other space environments.” Ham - the first chimp to make a suborbital space flight The history of monkeys and apes in space has been far from pleasant for the simians, but China’s space program hopes this will be fun for the monkeys and also beneficial for future close encounters of the sex kind for humans. After adding the last stage, the Tiangong or Heavenly Palace is now ready to become a different kind of palace – one where two monkeys will attempt to join the 235 Miles High Club. China's space program hopes to change this. In fact, the only known animals to have attempted to reproduce in space are worms, Japanese rice fish and mice … and the mice failed to give birth upon returning to Earth. As far as we know, no monkeys or apes have ever had sex in space. As far as we know, no humans have ever had sex in space – either while in orbit or while living for an extended period on a space station.
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