Sex in Space and the 2Suit

Recently, my IPs and I had a discussion about the topic of sex in space. Turns out it's not as simple as all we science fiction romance writers like to make it sound. There's an extreme degree of logistics involved in doing the simplest....um, acts...in zero gravity or microgravity. Of course, many solve this complexity in novels by mean of AG (artificial gravity), but that's currently one of the fiction elements in the science fiction.

But let's stick to the contemporary topic. Why is sex in space so difficult? Well, because nothing acts in space like it does on good old gravity-enhanced Earth. Things tend to float around, like people, limbs, liquids....you get the drift (pun intended). So attempting something as simple as a kiss can send you off on an unplanned trajectory...usually in a direction away from your partner. Things can get tricky.

Though NASA astronauts have (supposedly) not done any research or experimentation in this area, sooner or later it's going to become a question for someone, somewhere. Most likely on the three-year mission to Mars.

Vanna Bonta, author of FLIGHT: A QUANTUM FICTION NOVEL has taken this research topic to heart by inventing the 2Suit which she and her husband took on a trial run in a G Force One aircraft the simulates weightlessness (ala the Vomit Comet as the NASA version was known). Their attempts were documented in a Universe series episode entitled Sex in Space.

What's a 2Suit? It's a specially designed flightsuit where the right side detaches and can be pulled forward. When your partner dons his 2Suit, the the panel of your suit can be pulled forward and velcroed to the side of his suit, while he does the same with his, fastening to yours. The outcome? Two 2suits become like one, and allow more intimate contact while velcroed together to thwart inpromptu launches in opposite directions.

How did the experiment work? Well, marginally. It took Ms. Bonta and her husband nearly all thirty seconds (the length of time they could be weightless in the parabolic flight path) just to manage one kiss before they were floored, quite literally. It seems the human species has a bit of practice to do if we're going to master an act of love in the stary, stary night.

Fun research project though, don't you think?

Check out this 9 minute video that includes the introduction to the Universe Series Sex in Space, Vanna Bonta, the 2Suit demonstration and the challenges of sex in space. It's quite an education.

Writer Musings Blog: Free Book Drawing

One of my fellow members on Critique Circle is having a celebration. In honor of the one year anniversary of her blog, Writer Musings, she's announcing monthly drawings for free books. The first book is National Book Award nominee, THE SPECTACULAR NOW by Tim Tharp. You can check out the post here.

Congrats to Tabitha and Writer Musings on achieving this blog landmark.

I Don't Understand Twitter

I just checked out Twitter because I've been hearing so much about it in the media. I watched the little video and thought to myself, "Huh?"

According to the video, Twitter is a site dedicated to answering one question--"What are you doing now?"--in short little bites in between blog posts, cell phone calls or emails. I'm sorry but...isn't living your life what you're supposed to be doing in between?

I can't understand why people would possibly be interested in a day that goes something like this:

I turned off my alarm and overslept (again).

I just stubbed my toe making coffee.

I'm watching the news. Stock market fell again.

I can't find anything to wear.

I've lost my keys.

I just packed two slices of bread and a pickle for lunch (again) and fed the dog a treat.

I'm cleaning up dog vomit when I should be heading out the out the door.

[Insert LONG gap because work computers do not allow access to blogs and Twitter.]

Eleven and a half hours later
(yes, eleven and a half...and you wonder why I never have time to blog)....

I just walked in the door, dropped an armful of mail (on top of my keys so they'll be lost in the morning again) and turned on the news.

Graham crackers and milk for dinner again.

I'm sitting down at my computer to work on my WIP

[Another long gap while I get lost in WIP land.]

Well, g'night. Going to bed now.

Uhhhh...why would anyone want to read this drivel? There must be a lot of people out there with way too much time on their hands. You know the sort, same breed as the ones who live with a cell phone permanently glued to their ear?

But seriously...I really don't get Twitter. Would any of you TwitterDudes or -ettes out there be kind enough to explain the fascination? I must be missing something major, because a lot of people love Twitter.

I'm going to close this post now.

Goodbye. :)

Book Rant: Category Five

Just for the record, a book rant is a Good Thing. :)

I just whittled down my Leaning Tower of TBR(c) and finished CATEGORY FIVE. I got four words for ya.

What. A. Freakin'. RIDE!

This is not a romance, but I think it might qualify as romantic contemporary Sci Fi. The author, Philip Conlay, cranks up the tension at every turn—mental, emotional and otherwise. Just when you think things are beyond recovery...they get worse. And there's a big surprise at the climax. This book made me laugh, cry, cringe, bite my fingernails and say "Ahhhh."

I can't think of one single plot thread that wasn't tied up in a nice little bow.

I did have some editing issues—mechanical stuff like USING ALL CAPS FOR SHOUTED WORDS which drove me to distraction and I couldn't see the characters using long, drawn out sentences while they're getting thrashed by the rain and wind of a hurricane, but I can overlook such minor nuissances when the story is so good. The MCs are totally likable, I could relate to both their situations and their emotions. A couple of the supporting characters are outstanding. Michael is the kind of guy I think a lot of female readers will fall in love with, the kind of man male readers wanna be.

The wealth of knowledge this author had on his subject matter was either indepth to an awesome degree, or he totally had me believing he knew what he was talking about. [I did a little research after completing this book and as a pilot with over 30 years of flying experience, I now know he wasn't dazzling me with bulls**t. He knew his stuff.] A couple of situations pushed my Suspension of Disbelief envelope just a tiny tad, but didn't break it. Hey, it's fiction. It's all about possibility.

If I graded books on a scale (which I don't) I'd give it five stars out of five (which I didn't). *smirk*

I'll do a full blown review later, but for now, you can find this one on Amazon. Oh, and the buzz is Philip Donlay's second novel in the Nash Donovan series, CODE BLACK, might be even better!