They are looking for 24 selected volunteers.

To understand how space travel will affect astronauts, NASA is offering £14,000 (Dh68,000 approx) to 24 selected volunteers who will spend 60 days simply lying in bed in Cologne, Germany. The study aims to see how 'artificial gravity' affects the human body and participants will need to do everything lying flat, including going to the toilet.  

The volunteers will be under continuous observation by space experts from both NASA and ESA to understand how astronauts may be affected by prolonged spells in space, with muscle wasting the main concern. ESA claim it is integral in understanding the damage that may be caused by weightlessness, cosmic radiation, isolation and spatial restrictions.

To grab the 60 days of permanent bed rest, participants must speak German and should be between 24 and 55 and healthy. They will be provided with ample entertainment and reading material, and can also enroll in online courses to utilise their time.  

"The use of artificial gravity might be the best solution for human health protection during human long-duration deep space missions," said lead scientist Dr Edwin Mulder, from the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine, according to The Sun reports quoted by Daily Mail.

Under the study, the participants will be propped up at a slight incline with their feet elevated above their head and body to reduce blood aggregating in the body's extremities. This is expected to mimic the effects of being in space and may result in numbness and muscle wasting.  

While 12 of the participants will undergo treatments akin to that of an 'artificial gravity' chamber and also be spun around in a centrifuge at 30 revolutions a minute in the hope it will force blood back into their extremities. The 60-day study will be followed by a two-week period of rehabilitation.

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