Sperm bank could be set up in space, study suggests

Frozen samples exposed to microgravity appear to keep their characteristics.

A sperm bank could one day be set up in space, scientists have suggested.

Frozen samples exposed to microgravity conditions and those kept on the ground appear to retain similar characteristics, according to the results of a small preliminary study.

The findings suggest frozen sperm could be transported to space and “open the possibility of creating a human sperm bank outside of Earth”, the researchers said.

However, further work is needed to fully understand the effect of space conditions.

The study has been presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual meeting in Vienna, Austria.

The researchers said little is known about the effect of different levels of gravity on sperm.

Dr Montserrat Boada, from Dexeus Women’s Health in Barcelona, said: “Some studies suggest a significant decrease in the motility of human fresh sperm sample.

“But nothing has been reported on the possible effects of gravitational differences on frozen human gametes, in which state they could be transported from Earth to space.”

The researchers used sperm from 10 healthy donors, exposing some of the samples to microgravity using a small aerobatic aircraft.

The samples were then analysed for concentration, motility and DNA fragmentation – tests which are all performed to check for fertility.

No significant differences were found between the samples kept on the ground and those exposed to microgravity, according to the study.

“The lack of differences observed in the sperm characteristics between frozen samples exposed to microgravity and those maintained in ground conditions open the possibility of safely transporting male gametes to space and considering the possibility of creating a human sperm bank outside of Earth,” the researchers said.

However they added that this is a preliminary study, and they need to validate their findings with more samples and expose the sperm to space-like conditions for longer periods of time.

“Our best option will be to perform the experiment using real spaceflight but access is very limited,” Dr Boada said.

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — NASA confirmed Monday that a mystery object that crashed through the roof of a Florida home last month was a chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.

The cylindrical object that tore through the home in Naples on March 8 was subsequently taken to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral for analysis.

The space agency said it was a metal support used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal. The pallet was jettisoned from the space station in 2021, and the load was expected to eventually fully burn up on entry into Earth’s atmosphere, but one piece survived.

The chunk of metal weighed 1.6 pounds (0.7 kilograms) and was 4 inches (10 centimeters) tall and roughly 1 1/2 inches (4 centimeters) wide.

Homeowner Alejandro Otero told television station WINK at the time that he was on vacation when his son told him what had happened. Otero came home early to check on the house, finding the object had ripped through his ceiling and torn up the flooring.

“I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage,” Otero said. “I’m super grateful that nobody got hurt.”

This undated photo provided by NASA shows a recovered chunk of space junk from equipment discarded at the International Space Station. The cylindrical object that tore through a home in Naples, Fla., March 8, 2024, was subsequently taken to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for analysis. (NASA via AP)