What if you stay lying down for 60 days to better prepare for manned flights while being paid?
Should astronauts ride a bit more bikes when they’re in space to better cushion the consequences of weightlessness ? At each of his stays in the international space station, Thomas Pรฉsquet forced himself to run or even pedal, more than two hours a day, just to keep in shape. But above all in order to limit bone and muscle loss due to weightlessness.
Is this rhythm the best for the body of the astronauts? Should other measures be put in place to prevent any risk to their health? To prepare for future space flights, the Toulouse space clinic (MEDES) regularly carry out studies by subjecting volunteers to the simulation of microgravity, while of course they are on solid ground.
Cycling Effects Tester
A little over five years ago, ten men spent two months lying down, their bodies tilted at 6 degrees, to see if a mixture of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories could be of interest. In the spring, a new operation of the same kind, baptized BRACE, to Bed rest with artificial gravity and cycling exerciseplace of aura.
The twelve men who will be selected will not have to send themselves a cocktail of pills for breakfast before settling comfortably on their tilted bed to watch the latest TV series. For this new study, part of the 12 reckless will have to ride a bicycle, sometimes even when they find themselves in a centrifuge that rotates at full speed.
โWe want to test the effectiveness of physical exercise coupled with artificial gravity, ie centrifugation. By drawing lots, one third of the volunteers will cycle Coupled with the centrifuge six days out of seven, one third only on the bike and one third will have no exercise and will serve as a control”, indicates Arnaud Beck, one of the coordinating doctors of the ‘study.
Fourteen scientific teams will take advantage of this experience to look closely at the impact of microgravity, simulated by reclined bed rest, on feelings, from the eyes to the myocardium, via the brain. The twelve volunteers will be examined from every angle and will benefit from a more than complete check-up.
Compensation of 18,000 euros
An extraordinary study financed by the European Space Agency and the CNES which has just launched the recruitment of its first recruits, since a second campaign will also take place next year. To apply, you don’t have to have a CV as long as your arm. But some criteria are still required.
He must be between 20 and 45 years old, be in perfect health, exercise regularly, have a body mass index between 20 and 27, not smoke, not have any allergies or dietary restrictions. Those who failed at the gates of Koh Lanta, free for 88 days next spring, can already line up. Just like those who have an interest in science or the conquest of space.
During their stay at the space clinic, on the Rangueil site, these twelve men will spend 60 days lying down, their heads slightly lower than their feet. But they will also follow a battery of exams two weeks before, as well as a recovery during the fortnight following the lever. Those who join do not do so solely for the glory and love of space: compensation of 18,000 euros is provided by Medes.