NASA has recently announced that they are looking for participants who are willing to stay in bed for a good two whole months, and to reward your efforts, NASA will be paying these individuals $19,000. No, NASA is not a charity organization that advocates you staying in bed and doing nothing, but rather the organization wants to look at the effects of “artificial gravity” on the human body to see if it has any benefits to astronauts who might spend a long time in space.
There will be two groups involved in this experiment, where one group will be rotated around in a centrifuge similar to an artificial gravity chamber. This will force blood back into their extremities. The other group will not be moved at all. They will conduct all their activities while lying down, which includes eating, watching TV, reading, and so on.
It is an interesting experiment, although we imagine that at some point in time, too much time in bed might actually not be such a good thing. For those who are interested in applying for the job, head on over to NASA Germany’s website for the details.