Job of the Day: NASA Test Subject

Here’s another “Would You Rather:” would you rather not have a job, or spend around 100 days in a NASA bed rest facility watching your muscles decay?

NASA has re-opened its application process for individuals interested in becoming subjects in the CFT 70 Countermeasure and Functional Testing in Head-Down Tilt Bed Rest study. To quote NASA: “Head down bed rest is a good way to mimic a person traveling in space without gravity.”

And sure, we’re all going to try a little head down bed rest this evening to see if it really feels like floating through space, but only a handful of us are going to apply to spend “70 days lying in bed, with your body slightly tilted downward.”

Yes, NASA is using this study to figure out how to keep astronauts fit and healthy during their missions. But the study’s description is pretty clear: spending 70 days lying in bed is hard on your body, and they’re going to do a lot of tests to figure out just how hard it is and how to improve the experience.

On the plus side, the application form looks pretty straightforward, and you’d get to be part of NASA, if only for a few months. You’d be doing SCIENCE!

According to Business Insider, spending 70 days in bed (plus additional test days in the NASA facility before and after the bed rest) pays approximately $18,000.

What do you think? Ready to sign up for some head down bed rest?

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