Getting inside the spaceship, hearing the countdown and feeling the blast below you, pushing you into the void of space. Every child has dreamed about this moment at some point while imagining how cool it would be to become an astronaut. Yes, it is a cool job, but it comes with a cost.
Like any other workspace, the International Space Station (ISS) has its rules, that every astronaut living there should respect. These rules can get really strict, transforming a lot of things that you’re free to do down here to an absolute prohibition.
1/ No sex up there, fellas!
Intimate relationships are forbidden in space for many reasons. First of all, ISS is a workspace and astronauts are on a 24/7 mission, NASA likes to keep it that way.
Also, engaging in a relationship while working for months in the space will impact the professional life between coworkers, it gets more complicated since they’re obligated to meet and see each other every day for a very long period.
Spacecrafts’ design doesn’t help also. It’s nearly impossible to find privacy in a space (ironic, right?). Bedrooms are just small cabins while bathrooms can barely host one person.
Physically, it can be very exhausting to engage in sexual activities, due to the permanent low blood pressure. That goes without saying that getting pregnant in space isn’t something NASA has prepared a scenario for.
2/ Astronauts can’t drink alcohol nor carbonated drinks while in space
Up in space, carbonated drinks change their behaviour. So instead of letting the carbon dioxide out when you open the bottle as it does on earth, the bubbles remain inside the liquid. This complicates its digestion and causes much inconvenience to astronauts.
As of alcohol consumption, just like said earlier, the International Space Station is a workspace, so it’d be improper for an astronaut to get drunk while on a mission.
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