Making Babies in Space May Be Harder Than It Sounds (2024)

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Making Babies in Space May Be Harder Than It Sounds? ›

Experimental mouse breeding in a near-zero-gravity space simulation suggests making babies is best left to Earthlings. According to Japanese biologists, defects in their microgravity embryos suggest that “fertilization can occur normally” in space, but standard Earth gravity may be needed for embryo development.

Like astronauts, fluids in their body could travel upwards into their chest and head, giving them a puffy face. As a result, a child born and raised in space might never be able to live on Earth. It's possible they might not be able to walk, stand, or even breathe.

Normally on Earth, all of the fluids in our bodies are pulled downwards due to the impact of gravity. Since this is not possible in space, it is assumed that space babies would develop bloated bodies and puffy faces.

In the 1960s, guinea pigs, frogs, cats, wasps, beetles and a chimpanzee followed. In 2007, Russian scientists celebrated after a co*ckroach named Hope became the first creature to conceive in space - giving birth to 33 co*ckroaches aboard a Foton-M satellite.

Though the ultimate goal may be to one day make natural conception and childbirth possible in space, doing so won't be possible anytime soon, said Alexandra Proshchina, a neuroscientist at the Petrovsky National Research Center for Surgery in Moscow.

Even though existing and proposed space conveyances have improved radiation protection, they don't contain nearly enough shielding to allow zygotes to develop. And even if a baby was able to make it out of the womb, it would have a high probability of birth defects from the radiation damage.

Findings from these studies showed that sperm motility was decreased after exposure to microgravity and ionizing radiation. Total sperm count was also found to be reduced by microgravity only. Sperm DNA fragmentation was increased by both ionizing radiation and microgravity.

Electrodes transmitted Laika's vital signs back to Earth, revealing the space dog died after her fourth orbit when her capsule overheated. Five months later, after thousands of orbits, Sputnik 2 — referred to as a space coffin turned shooting star — fell back to earth, disintegrating, with Laika's remains.

“I've come to the general conclusion that fertilization [in space] will probably work,” he says. Yet even if fertilization is successful, the embryos still have to get back to Earth. That part worries Dorit Donoviel, director of the Translational Research Institute for Space Health at Baylor College of Medicine.

Laika's vital signs were transmitted back to Earth, providing the scientists with valuable data. However, due to the lack of advanced technology and planning, the cabin quickly overheated and, tragically, Laika did not survive the mission.

Has anyone ever gotten pregnant in space? ›

If a child has ever been conceived in space, it was definitely off the clock. No-one has ever had sex in space, much less got themselves pregnant, according to both NASA and the Russian Space Agency. Spacecraft are crowded and cramped, with virtually no privacy.

Yuri Gagarin was the first human borne into space by a rocket. Nobody has been born in space yet.

The Outer Space Treaty

The treaty presents principles for space exploration and operation: Space activities are for the benefit of all nations, and any country is free to explore orbit and beyond. There is no claim for sovereignty in space; no nation can “own” space, the Moon or any other body.

None of the Apollo astronauts were pregnant when they left the Earth. Therefore, none of them had children while in space. it has never been reported if any were subjected to pregnancy tests upon return to determine if any had gotten pregnant while in space.

Astronauts experience decreased muscle mass, strength, and endurance because moving around requires reduced work from the legs and back. As a result, the muscles can begin to weaken or atrophy. To help combat this, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have a strict exercise regime.