NASA ready to pay volunteers $19,000 to stay in bed for two months

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says it will pay volunteers $19,000 (N6.8 million) to stay in bed for two months for a new study.

The study which is a brainchild of NASA, the European Space Agency (DRL) and German Aerospace Agency is on the look-out for 24 volunteers, 12 men and 12 women.

According to a statement by DRL, participants will be on bed rest for artificial gravity bed rest study (AGBRESA), a study aimed at measuring how the body changes in a state of weightlessness.

“Bed rest simulates this condition. We are looking for test persons who will take part in a bed rest study from September to December 2019 in Cologne and spend 60 days lying down,” the statement read.

“Based on the study results, scientists are developing countermeasures that reduce the negative effects of weightlessness on astronauts.”

Findings from the study will help scientists develop more effective preventive measures which would allow astronauts on the space station spend lesser time doing sports.

“A stay in space, in weightlessness, changes the body. The reduced physical stress leads to the breakdown of muscles and bones. In addition, the body fluids shift towards the head. The same is observed in people who lie in bed for a long time,” the statement added.

Therefore, the study simulates the condition in space with bed rest. In order to simulate conditions as similar as possible in space, the subjects have to lie with the head 6 ° down.”