Congratulations, because you're eligible to work with NASA. You won't be designing rockets, but you'll get paid to lie down on the job!
The US space agency has teamed up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to conduct a study on sleeping in artificial gravity. It's the first time that scientists will study how artificial gravity could help astronauts better cope with the rigors of space.
For the experiment, NASA is looking for 12 men and 12 women between the ages of 24 and 55 to basically lie in bed for two months. And for their trouble, they'll be paid a hefty $18500, or approximately Rs 12.81 lakh.
The AGBRESA (Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study) will take place at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Cologne, at their envihab medical research facility. And not just sleep, but all activities like experiments, tests, meals, and leisure will happen with the subjects lying in bed.
During the study, the volunteers will also not be allowed to exert themselves. They will also be subjected to various tests of their cognition, muscle strength, balance, and cardiovascular function throughout the duration. Additionally, half the participants will be subjected to the effects of an anti-gravity chamber.
Scientists hope to compare the physical deterioration of the two at the end of the study and uncover data that this technique could help astronauts in space.
"Although the effects of weightlessness are primarily investigated on the International Space Station, analogues such as :envihab are helpful when studying certain research topics under controlled conditions on Earth," says Leticia Vega, Associate Chief Scientist for International Collaborations for NASA's Human Research Program.
The thing is, when in space for a long time, astronauts have a load of physical consequences to deal with. Because of the weightlessness, their muscles can atrophy, which is why they have to work out up there more than they would have on Earth. There's also a considerable loss in bone density, that can lead to easier breaks. And that's on top of the cosmic radiation, stress of isolation, and mental trauma from being cooped up in a tiny box with the same people for months or years.
If this study proves fruitful, it means NASA could actually spend money on developing antigravity devices for the ISS, and especially for spacecraft to distant places like Mars. At the very least then, those astronauts will be physically healthier.