Photo by npicturesk
Finally I’ll have an excuse for lying in bed all day and watching “Law & Order” marathons! The folks over at NASA are paying $5,000 per month to participants of their bed rest study. The study lasts for 87 days and is designed to help them research the effects of zero gravity space travel on the human body.
The study takes place at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX and despite this being a cool way to help the NASA program; this could fatten your bank account by more than $15,000.
The Study
Participants in the study will spend the entire 87 days at the Johnson Space Center. Your job is to simply lie in bed, pass the time and allow the researchers to perform periodic tests on your body. It’s less creepy than it sounds…
From NASA’s website:
“During the (first 15 days) of the study, participants will be free to move around inside the bed rest facility and do normal things. They will also take part in a number of tests to find out the normal state of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory system, brain and nervous system, and vestibular (inner ear balance) system as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.
After the first 11-15-day period, participants will spend 60 days lying in bed, (except for limited times for specific tests) with their body slightly tilted downward (head down, feet up). Every day, they will be awake for 16 hours and lights out (asleep) for 8 hours. During the bed rest time they will also take part in a number of tests to find out changes in the state of their bone, muscle, heart and circulatory system, and nervous system, as well as their nutritional condition and their ability to fight off infections.”
The final 14 days is a recovery period where they begin the process of helping you regain muscle strength and readjust to a normal life.
What You’ll Do
Once you’ve entered the 60 day bed rest portion of the study, your options to pass the time are, of course, somewhat limited. Every participant is setup with a TV, computer, and video game console. You can also read or spend time with visitors. The researchers suggest that every participant begin the study with a goal so that the time in bed is productive. Learn a foreign language, transcribe War & Peace, beat Pac-man, you get the idea…
All of your meals are provided for and the diet is designed to keep you at your current weight. If 3 months of watching TV and reading magazines didn’t already sound enticing, add not having to cook to that list.
The Requirements
Obviously if you are going to get accepted as a participant than you need to be in good health – body and mind. The application suggests that the researchers are looking for participants that resemble the average astronaut’s age and health. That probably excludes those who are, um… mature.
You need to be a non-smoker and able to pass the Air Force Medical Examination.
How to Apply
The initial application can be done online and is pretty easy. The application form requires your contact information and some basic medical history. You can fill out the application here. I also found a great interview at Wired magazine where a researcher answered common questions that prospective applicants had. You can read that here.
What do you think Penny Hoarders? Could you stay in bed for 60 days?
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Sounds awesome, but I’m a smoker so I’m out, lol. Don’t think they’d fall for it if I quit now xD
Yeah…not sure if you’d be able to trick ‘em, but who knows…lol.
I would love to stay in bed and noodle around on a computer but I’m too ahem mature.
ROFL I spplied highly doubt Ill get in, but I dont smoke so worth a shot lol. I work online anyway so as long as I have a computer Im good to go
Two months of relaxing in bed sounds fabo
Doesn’t it? Heck, I could blog in bed for two months. I might even be more productive without all the distractions at home. Plus, i wouldn’t mind catching up on my TIVO.
Do you get to bring female company in or is that not allowed – that’s the only flaw I can see in this so far
awesome post!
my ass hurts just thinking about it. I think I would go nuts just laying in a bed after a few days. But I’d just picture $15K and then it would be all good.
I am not in the physical shape they require otherwise, I’d probably apply.
Hmmm, you can get stiff, develop aches and pains, and get bed sores. I wonder if you are able to shower, shave etc. Bathroom, is a bed pan? 15,000 sounds good tho.
I could totally do that if my kids had a sitter that whole time and I didn’t have issues with my job. lol
I’d love to but I’m overweight and had surgery and have to pass my docs ok before I can even do my reg job at work
In my last pregnancy 15 years ago, I was on complete bed rest for 23 weeks so this would be a peice of cake for me lol!
If I had found out about this 20 years ago, absolutely! These days, not only am I too old to be part of their study, I’m too old to recover nicely from the inactivity. But what a cool thing for some college student!
If I was 20 years younger, didn’t have a family and was not quite so rotund, I would love to earn money this way!
I doubt that being mature should necessarily automatically disqualify people.
The first Space Shuttle flight was flown by John Young and Robert Crippen. Mr. Young was 50 years old at the time.
The former Mercury astronaut, John Glenn, flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery as a Payload Specialist, at the age of 77.
If a mature person is in general good health, they should be allowed to participate.
The study should have as broad an age range as possible, from both genders because in the future NASA may need to rely on Astronauts with special skills and experience, and such people may be found among older age groups.
I fit the profile perfectly but how can I tell my employer I’ll be taking 87days from work. My long service + Annual leave will not add up to any where near 87days
Lying inverted for 60 days would give me the mother of all sinus headaches, and given that infections seem to be of interest I’d anticipate that this sort of effect would be prominent in the results. My ears are aching now just thinking about that! No way, health is the most important thing you have. Does this indicate how poorly our astronaut’s need for healthy living conditions are accommodated? Ironically, we will ultimately have to get off this planet to survive – but not for awhile yet. Enjoy!
I don’t trust my government to do anything lke that – believe I will pass -
This sounds good to me as I could get a break and I might be able to get some work done. Only I am overweight and have no one to watch my son so this leaves me out.
I would love to do this! Expect from the fact that I would be too young (teenager) and I don’t live anywhere near NASA
Also it would probably get a bit boring after a while!