In preparation for a possible flight to the moon or Mars, researchers want to examine in more detail how the human body reacts to 60 days of strict bed rest. The German Aerospace Center is looking for volunteers in Cologne. As “terrestrial astronauts” they are supposed to simulate the long journey in weightlessness by lying in a bed with the headboard lowered for 60 days.
The researchers want to investigate which methods can be used to avoid the consequences of weightlessness that astronauts fear, such as dizziness and coordination disorders. The study participants’ beds were tilted six degrees so that their heads were lower than their feet. “At this inclination, the fluids in the body shift in almost the same way as astronauts do in space,” said study leader Edwin Mulder. The pressure in the head increases, physical inactivity causes muscles and bones to break down, the sense of balance is confused and the cardiovascular system changes. According to Mulder, this is a “real challenge.”
Rehearsals receive compensation of 18,000 euros. You must be healthy, a non-smoker and speak German well.
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