A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientist has made headlines for his stark warnings to male astronauts heading up to the skies above: under no circumstances should you masturbate in space, Indy100 reported. Simply put, those who are making the trip into the world of zero-gravity should not pleasure themselves at all. But why exactly is that?

The answer provided is quite surprising—and pretty much unbelievable. The prohibition on masturbation is allegedly to protect female astronauts from accidentally being impregnated by “stray fluids,” the publication added. These strict guidelines may seem a tad extreme to the regular people earth-side, but NASA scientists have supposedly warned that even the tiniest drop of rogue ‘fluid’ could lead to disastrous consequences.

It was an alleged NASA engineer and astronaut Smythe who disclosed more on the hot topic while appearing on Conan O’Brien’s podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. The scientist answered questions on whether space travellers were allowed ‘alone time’ or even porn in space. Had any pornographic material been sent to the International Space Station (ISS), for instance?

“No, none of that,” Smythe replied. “Does porn work in zero gravity? It goes everywhere,” O’Brien went on to ask. “Three female astronauts can be impregnated by the same man [in] the same session… it finds its way,” Smyth responded.

Astronomer Doctor John Millis also commented on the issue, as per The New York Post. Citing that it would be a logistical nightmare for all those involved, the expert said that sex in space would be similar to attempting the act while “skydiving” and the act (as well as pregnancy) would be “not impossible.” Several people have gone on to reject the claims made in these reports, arguing that they are not based in fact and have not come directly from NASA itself.

NASA or anyone working for NASA didn’t say this about masturbating in space. It was an apparent joke by a co-host in Conan O’Brien’s podcast ‘space porn’. Source: https://t.co/li3WALwjiO https://t.co/UoNufWXjr0

— HoaxEye (@hoaxeye) July 22, 2022

In fact, the more you investigate, the more you discover that the issue of sex, pleasure and climax in space is a far more complicated issue than ‘it might get female astronauts pregnant’. A 2020 investigation by Vice dove into the possibilities of masturbation for astronauts in space and highlighted how “NASA and ISS frequently dodge all questions related to sex in space.”

While we may never really hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, some other experts have even spoken up and recommended the act in space. Marjorie Jenkins, a NASA advisor and expert on sex and gender health, was cited in the Vice investigation as having promoted masturbation to prevent men from having bacteria build up in their prostrate (which could lead to infection) as well as the psychological benefits of ejaculation and pleasure while in a high-pressure environment.

While the subject remains divided, we might never really find out if astronauts can actually ‘get down’ while they’re up there…