Russia is a country of many surprises. Last week a funny news story emerged, with Russian astronauts being the centre of a scandal: The explorers refused to donate sperm for experiments to study human reproduction on board of a spacecraft.

‘Sperm sabotage’

Travelling to other planets is going to become possible soon, this is why Russian scientists put a task of researching the quality and behaviour of a human sperm in the outer space conditions.

However, they faced an unexpected sabotage from the team of Russian astronauts, who point blank refused to be donors, EG.ru reported.

Researchers tried to convince the brave explorers, but the cosmonauts aren’t moving on the issue. None of the team members agreed to assists the science by providing a sample.

Irina Ogneva, the chef of department of biophysics of the Institute of Medical Biological Problems, complained that she had been unable to get such a “routine procedure” as checking of a sperm sample through, Newsru.com reported. The scientist pointed out she has been unable to find volunteers for the mission, which is necessary to understand how the sperm changes during and after a trip to the orbit, to evaluate whether a reproduction on board of a spaceship is possible.

Ogneva would love for Russia to be the first country that manages to have a baby born in cosmos. Great ambitions!

Russian scientists have a great ambition of being pioneers in human reproduction in outer space.

Do Russian astronauts fear paternity suits?

Some commentators joked that knowing the lack of control in Russian research companies, the astronauts are simply fearing paternity lawsuits, if their sperm were sold by inventive lab assistants to the highest bidders.

Being a product of smart and healthy specimen, such genetic material would be in high demand among wealthy Russian women wanting an exceptional child.

Romance in space is a subject of many movies such as 2016 film ‘Passengers’, but is making babies even possible on board of a spacecraft?

Sex in space

Although Russia as well as the USA sent females to the Earth orbit together with males as team members, no official program admitted there had been sex in space between the colleagues.

Even if such experiments have been conducted, the results had not been made publicly available. The officials deny any such experiments took place at all, despite the rumours.

There had been previous experiments to check the reproductive potential of males’ genetic material in the outer space, but with rodents’ sperm.

The sperm was frozen and spent 288 days on board of the international space station. The genetic material was then returned to the Earth to compare it with a sample that didn’t leave the planet.

The outer space samples had some non-critical DNA mutations (despite staying frozen all the time, surprise!). But the traveling sperm was good enough to use for reproduction, which the Japanese scientists conducting the experiment went ahead with, and got some healthy offspring.

However, to have a conception on board of a spacecraft and a gestation period outside the Earth is a task of a completely different level of complexity. But it doesn’t stop ambitious Russian researchers thinking of ways to find volunteers to give it a try.

What do you think about such attempts? Would you be willing to volunteer your genetic material for a breakthrough in science? Comment below!

Read also:

• Russians are becoming more conservative in love and sex
• What young Russian women think of sex, relationships, and family life?
• Sex helps older adults’ brain function
• Sex in Space — How It Would Work, According To American Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson