A relaxing bubble is the perfect way for many people to unwind after a long day at work, and now you could get paid for the pleasure.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is carrying out a bizarre study in which participants will be suspended in the bath for five days.
The experiment, which is looking for 20 female participants, will use dry-immersion baths to study the effects of weightlessness on the human body.
ESA explained: “Dry-immersion studies benefit from placing less pressure on the body as volunteers are supported and suspended evenly in the tub, a condition that mimics the floating astronauts experience on the International Space Station.”
While the idea of lying in a bath for five days may sound pretty appealing, the scientists have warned that the experiment is ‘no joke.’
Jennifer Ngo-Anh, ESA’s human spaceflight team leader, said: “We get many requests to be a volunteer for these studies, but they are no joke.
“Lying in bed sounds fun but the pleasure wears off very quickly – especially when blood is drawn and muscle biopsies are involved – we constantly salute the volunteers that sacrifice their daily lives for the benefit of human exploration!”
While Medes is yet to announce how much volunteers will be paid, or when it will start recruiting, based on previous experiments, it sounds like volunteers could receive a hefty sum.
Last year, NASA paid participants £14,000 for its Artificial Gravity Bed Rest Study, during which they spent 89 days in bed!
NASA explained: “The results of the study help scientists develop more effective countermeasures or preventive measures so that astronauts on the space station do not have to spend most of their day doing sports.”
For updates on how to apply to experiments in the future, make sure you look out for updates on the Medes website.
