(Of course, if you read carefully, it appears this treat is available only to married couples)

---------------------

The Russian space agency is against its astronauts having sex in the International Space Station. But space tourists paying 20 million each? No problem!

Russia's Rosaviakosmos space agency is proposing together with US firm Space Adventures for couples to fly together to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian Soyuz space craft, said Rosaviakosmos spokesman Sergei Gorbunov.

"Under our contract with Space Adventures we have an option for sending two space tourists at once on a Soyuz. So theoretically, young married couples could make use of this possibility," he said.

The asking price for a 10-day visit to the ISS is around 20 million dollars (16 million euros), a sum only two space tourists -- Californian businessman Dennis Tito and South Africa Internet millionaire Mark Shuttleworth -- have so far been willing to pay.

Both tourists jaunts were organised by Space Adventures. The price for a couple would be twice that amount.

Candidates, who would travel on board one spaceship accompanied by a professional astronaut, would have to show they are in a good health and undergo eight to 10 months of training, the official said.

In addition, "they will have to prove they don't have bad habits, money from illegal sources and don't belong to any terrorist organization," Gorbunov added.

The Russian space official did not specify whether sex would be permitted for the space-bound honeymooners.

Astronauts are banned from having sex in space because of the possible risks to the embryo if a female cosmonaut became pregnant.

Space Adventues, the Arlington, Virgina-based firm, which brokered the first two tourist space flights in 2001 and 2002, has signed a contract with Rosaviakosmos to fly two more tourists to the ISS in 2004-2005.

Russia and the United States, the major partners in the 16-nation ISS project, have clashed in the past over Moscow's keenness to raise money for its cash-strapped space program by selling tourist tickets to the ISS.

Russia sends Soyuz rockets to the ISS every six months on so-called "taxi missions".

----------------------

I can imagine the view. I CANNOT imagine cleaning up afterwards!

cum shots would be a problem. this reminds me of a story told by a friend of mine who was the shuttle commander/pilot when senator jake garn from utah flew in the space shuttle.

the senator was absolutely worthless the entire mission (even VIPs have jobs to do on a shuttle mission).  they tied him in his "sleeping cocoon" to the bulkhead for the entire mission and spent a great deal of time "netting" his frequent vomitus contributions to the craft's atmosphere.  they use these collectors that are like butterfly nets.

the only thing that made dave laugh about it after his return was a t-shirt i found at a wyoming-utah border liquor store.  it said "Jake-off in space" under a cartoon of a hand masturbating the space shuttle.

"The Mile High Club"