Human colonies on Mars may be able to expand their gene pool with shipments of sperm from Earth as a new study suggests that exposure to low gravity environments does not damage the viability of frozen samples.
Sperm exposed to microgravity on the edge of Earth's atmosphere was just as viable as sperm samples that were kept in ground conditions, a preliminary study found.
The samples were taken in a plane which went into repeated free-fall for eight seconds at a time to simulate the effects of space, to fill in the gaps on the effects of low gravity.
Researchers say the findings, although early, opens the possibility of "safely transporting male gametes to space and considering the possibility of creating a human sperm bank outside Earth."
Previous research has shown that the structure and function of human cells can be disrupted by being in a low gravity environment so she said it was important to test how reproductive cells would be affected.
"If the number of missions and spaceflights increases in the coming years, it is important to study the effects of long-term human exposure to space and probably consider thinking about the possibility of reproduction outside the Earth," Dr Boada said.
"I think this is a really interesting idea," said fertility expert Professor Allan Pacey, of Sheffield University.
"It gives you the opportunity of having female astronauts that go to Mars, they take the sperm with them to populate a new world.
"They could boldly go where no man has gone before, and won't need to go if just his sperm can go there."
Spaceballs was truly visionary before it's time.
Also, inb4 Space Force intensifies.