Can Humans Have Babies In Space? SpaceBorn United Wants to Find Out
Are humans able to give birth to babies in the empty vacuum of space? It’s one of those questions that you haven’t ever really thought about, but once you hear it it’s all you can think about. We may have an answer soon, thanks to the biotech startup SpaceBorn United.
The company was founded by Egbert Edelbroek, a Dutch entrepreneur with a profound curiosity for interplanetary exploration. In an interview with MIT Technology Review, Edelbroek explains his motivation for discovering the finer points of space-borne childbirth. “Humanity needs a backup plan,” he says. “If you want to be a sustainable species, you want to be a multiplanetary species.”
Now don’t get too excited and try to sign up for some kind of intergalactic baby-making experiment. SpaceBorn United is only looking at testing the effects of in vitro fertilization in space. So you won’t be able to add the title of “intergalactic baby-maker” to your job resume just yet.
The company looks to send a rocket into low Earth orbit sometime in the next year. This rocket will contain a mini lab where IVF can occur. If it succeeds, Edelbroek thinks it could open up the door for humanity to further expand its planetary conquests for future generations.
Assuming the initial mission goes off without a hitch, SpaceBorn is confident they can conduct other IVF experiments and have babies in space for years to come, expanding all the way to 2028. You can see a full timeline of their projected mission schedule here.
How to Tell If You're in the 'Xennial Generation'
You remember the Challenger tragedy..but barely
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and tragedy took place in January 1986. If you’re a Xennial, you might have very faint memories of this happening, but you were very young. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 3 and 9 when this happened, whereas, Millennials would be 2 or younger or not born yet. Consequently, Gen X would be older than 9 so have much more distinct memories of the event.
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION – NOVEMBER 11: (FILE PHOTO) Space Shuttle Challenger crew members gather for an official portrait November 11, 1985 in an unspecified location. (Back, L-R) Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Teacher-in-Space participant Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Payload Specialist Greg Jarvis and mission specialist Judy Resnick. (Front, L-R) Pilot Mike Smith, commander Dick Scobee and mission specialist Ron McNair. The Challenger and its seven member crew were lost seventy three seconds after launch when a booster rocket failed. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images)
You remember the fall of the Berlin Wall..but barely
If you were a child during the fall of the Berlin Wall, then you might be a Xennial. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989. Xennials would be somewhere between the ages of 6 and 12. So, you were perhaps too young to understand or really comprehend what was going on, but you knew it was going on.
BERLIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 09: A young woman peers through concrete slats among flowers left by other visitors at the Berlin Wall memorial at Bernauer Strasse on the 26th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. On November 9, 1989, East German border guards opened barriers at the Berlin Wall and allowed thousands of East Germans to cross into West Berlin, symbolically heralding the end of the division of Europe and the conclusion of the Cold War. Today politicians across Europe, even in Germany, are debating erecting border barriers of their own in order to stem the influx of migrants. According to the latest estimates Germany could receive up to 1.5 million migrants seeking asylum by the end of the year. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
You remember a time with no cell phone..but you've had one most of your life
The first cell phones came out Xennials were in their 20s or even late teens. So, Xennials remember a time with rotary phones and phone booths. But, most of their lives, they’ve had cell phones.
Getty Images / Ivan-balvan
You aren't an optimist or a pessimist
In general, Gen X is regarded as being a fairly pessimistic generation, while Millennials are optimistic. But, Xennials have both traits. At the very least, they have both their pessimistic and optimistic moments, but don’t sway one way or another.
Getty Images / kitzcorner
You weren't born into an era with computers or Facebook, but you had them early on
Xennials got computers as young as in their elementary and middle school years. But, these computers were very primitive, and this was long before Facebook or, ha, MySpace. So, Xennials tend to be pretty tech-savvy, having grown up with tech, but they come from a different perspective, since their first experiences with technology were nothing like the tech of today.
Getty Images / solarseven
