By Colette Bennett
(HLN) — If spending a few months in bed sounds like your idea of a dream come true, NASA may be able to help.
The space agency is looking for participants willing to lie in bed at its Flight Analogs Research Unit at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, for 70 days in a row without getting up, except for specific tests.
While in bed, you can read, watch TV and even use the internet. However, the catch is that you can’t stand up to stretch your muscles — not even to go to the bathroom. NASA developed a special gurney for that while you’re lying down.
The study will help researchers understand the effectiveness of exercise on loss of muscle, bone and cardiovascular function. By using a machine called the Horizontal Exercise Fixture, participants will help NASA understand if that same exercise program will be useful for astronauts in the future.
The entire study lasts about 100 days, including the recovery period (which, hopefully, doesn’t include any more lying down). According to HLN affiliate WESH, participants who complete the study could have a sizeable paycheck coming their way — nearly $18,000.
The-CNN-Wire
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