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SALT LAKE CITY — Does lounging in bed for 70 days straight sound enticing? NASA recently announced it is looking for volunteers to spend 15 weeks at its test facility in Texas and most of that time will be spent in bed. Participants in the study will receive $1,200 per week, bringing the grand total to $18,000.
With a mission to Mars looming in the future, NASA is anxious to examine the effects of microgravity on the human body. The 70-day duration of this bed study replicates the time that will be required for long space flights. The beds that participants will spend their days in aren’t quite as plush as some might hope. Instead, they are specially designed units that tilt the subject head-down at a six-degree angle. The purpose for the uncomfortable angle is so that body fluids flow to the upper part of the body, causing cardiovascular conditions akin to those that occur in space flight.
So what happens to your body if you lie in a declining bed for 70 days? First off, your muscles will begin to atrophy. Second, your bone density will also begin to decline. While that may not sound particularly pleasant, it replicates the physical effects experienced by astronauts floating in space for extended periods of time.
Couch potatoes is not an accurate description for what we are looking.
–- Kelly Humphries, NASA News Chief
In case you’re wondering, subjects will not be granted time to go to a restroom when they need to. Instead, NASA will provide them with bedpans. Ditto for showers, which must also be done in the bed. What will subjects be able to do? Lots of things, actually. NASA is seeking active individuals who will use their bedtime for productive purposes, such as continuing their current job remotely, learning a new language, painting, reading books or taking online classes. Subjects can even receive visitors, though “conjugal visits” are not permitted.
As NASA’s news chief, Kelly Humphries, stated in a recent interview with Forbes, “Couch potatoes is not an accurate description for what we are looking.”
While the bed portion of the study lasts for 70 days, subjects will also undergo rigorous pre- and post-testing, accounting for the 15-week required commitment.
If you are interested in participating, click here to go to the official application form. NASA officials will select a short list of applicants to go through an Air Force Class Three physical, which determines physical conditioning. They will also perform a psychological screening prior to making their final selection.
Who knows? Your 70 days of lounging in bed could actually help a team of astronauts one day reach Mars. Grant Olsen joined the ksl.com team in 2012. He covers travel, outdoor adventures and other interesting things. Contact him at grant@thegatsbys.com.
