NASA to pay volunteers about $19,000 to stay in bed for two months

Do you enjoy sleeping? Do you also enjoy space? If so, we may have found the perfect job for you.

On behalf of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center is studying how the body changes in weightlessness. They say that bed rest actually simulates this condition.

The center is currently looking for test person to take part in a bed rest study from September to December 2019. The study will take place in Cologne and will require participants to spend 60 days lying down. 

Participants must be women between ages 24 and 55. They cannot smoke, must stand between 152 and 190 centimeters tall (between 4.9 - 6.2 feet tall), and have a BMI between 19 and 30. Those who participate in the study will reportedly receive several rewards, including an expense allowance of 16,500 Euros. This converts to about $18,564.98. 

The center says that weightlessness changes the body, as reduced physical stress leads to the breakdown of muscles and bones. It also shifts body fluids towards the head. 

Through this study, the German Aerospace Center says that they hope to develop countermeasures that reduce the negative effects of weightlessness on astronauts. The German Aerospace Center was commissioned by NASA and the ESA to conduct this bed rest study. 

A team of scientific, physiotherapeutic, and medical professionals will reportedly be present to take care of the participants well-being. A nutrionist will also assist in the study.

If you are interested in participating in this study, the German Aerospace Center asks that you go through a multi-stage selection process. The first step involves a questionnaire, then a follow-up event, and finally a mental and physical fitness examination.

To participate, contact the German Aerospace Center at +49 2203 601 3472 or by emailing them. For more information, visit their website. However, note that you will have to translate the page into English.

This story was written in Orlando, Florida.

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