[extropy-chat] astro lass goes orbital

[ben]

"spike" <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:

 >I have a notion that might explain the bizarre behavior of the young woman
 >who managed to make NASAs elite astronaut corps, earn a master's 
degree and
 >make the rank of captain in the US Navy.  Brain tumor?


I doubt it's necessary to invoke something like that. She might have 
been an astronaut, but she's still a transmonkey, just like the rest of us.

Is her behaviour so bizarre? I suspect that in evolutionary psych. terms 
it's not.

 >I would rather think her bizarre wackiness is caused by a tumor than to
 >worry that any one of us could flip out at any time over that endorphin
 >surge we call love.

Wishful thinking, i suspect.

Not trying to harsh anyone's buzz, here, but we have to face the fact 
that we are still very largely the products of undirected evolution. I 
bet there are things that can make even you 'go apeshit', even if you 
wish they didn't.

Anders said:

 >The whole affair is so interesting because it clashes with Nasa's "No sex
 >please" policy: the official story is that there has never been any sex on
 >any space mission ever.

These guys are saturated with physiological monitors when they're up 
there, no? All the time? (I think so).
So NASA would *know* without any doubt, if any orbital nookie had ever 
occurred. I wonder if/when some kind of freedom of information act will 
make their records publicly available? Should be interesting (if you are 
a monkey interested in such things, that is :>)

So when that celeb does claim to be the first, expect some hoary old 
ex-NASA astronaut to pipe up "Well, actually..."

And there will be evidence to back them up.

ben zaiboc