NASA is paying $19k for lying down on bed… sounds bizarre? Read on

Cologne, March 29: Do you want to get paid for just lying down on the bed for 60 days? The proposal might sound bizarre but American space agency NASA has come up with it.

According to a report in NBC News, NASA on Tuesday, March 26, started a three-month study in Germany's Cologne whereby it requires the participants to lie in the bed for long hours to carry out the gravity test and assess how the body adapts to weightlessness.

The space agency has joined the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Bed Rest Study which will be held at the German Aerospace Center's ":envihab," (from environment and habitat), Cologne.

The participants - 12 men and 12 women - will be paid $19,000 (Rs 13.14 lakh) each for undertaking the test. They must east, exercise and take bath while lying in head-down tilt position. The study will also test the possible benefits of artificial gravity. They will be spun to encourage blood flow back to their feet. When the participants are not in a spinning mode, they will be subjected to cognitive function tests, blood draws, etc.

"Currently, astronauts on board the International Space Station exercise for up to 2.5 hours per day and maintain a balanced diet to help mitigate microgravity's effects, but scientists believe adding a dose of artificial gravity could be key during longer-term missions," People.com cited ESA as saying.

The participants are sought from the second phase which is starting in September.