Imagine earning thousands of euros without ever leaving your bed. No early alarms, no commutes, just sixty days of rest — for science. It sounds like a lazy person’s dream job, but this unique opportunity is part of a serious space research project aiming to help astronauts stay healthy during long missions.
A dream job for the right kind of volunteer
Every so often, a job offer comes along that sounds too good to be true — like being paid to look after an island or taste chocolate for a living. This one, however, is backed by science. The Space Clinic in Toulouse is looking for twelve volunteers to take part in an experiment that involves spending 60 consecutive days in bed, for a total pay of €18,000.
The goal? To better understand how weightlessness affects the human body. In space, astronauts lose muscle and bone mass because they’re not under the constant pull of gravity. Even the fittest among them, like French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, have to exercise for more than two hours a day aboard the International Space Station just to stay in shape.
The Toulouse clinic is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French space agency CNES to simulate these conditions on Earth — using volunteers instead of astronauts.
How the experiment works
Here’s the catch: participants will need to lie in bed without getting up for two full months, with their heads tilted slightly lower than their feet to mimic the effects of microgravity. No walking, no sitting upright, not even short strolls to stretch their legs. Meals, showers, and all daily routines will take place from bed.
But not everyone will just lie around. As part of the study, the twelve participants will be split into three groups. One third will do cycling exercises while lying down, another third will perform the same exercises inside a centrifuge — a spinning machine designed to recreate the pull of artificial gravity — and the final group will do nothing at all, serving as a control sample.
‘We’re testing how physical activity combined with artificial gravity might protect the body from the harmful effects of weightlessness,’ explains Dr. Arnaud Beck, one of the coordinating physicians. The centrifuge simulates gravity by spinning, forcing blood and body fluids to redistribute as they would in space — though it’s not for the faint-hearted (or those prone to motion sickness).
Throughout the study, participants will undergo regular medical check-ups. Fourteen different scientific teams will monitor everything from muscle tone to heart function and bone density.
Who can apply?
Not everyone can sign up for this rather unusual gig. The ideal candidate is a healthy, sporty man aged between 20 and 45, with a body mass index between 20 and 27. Participants must not smoke, suffer from allergies, or follow any restrictive diets.
Before the official start, selected volunteers will undergo a full medical assessment over two weeks. After the 60-day bed phase, they’ll remain under observation for another fortnight to help them regain their strength — because, unsurprisingly, two months of immobility takes a toll on the body.
The reward: €18,000 and a contribution to science
For their efforts (or lack thereof), each volunteer will receive €18,000 for a total commitment of about three months. It’s not just an easy paycheck — it’s a chance to support cutting-edge research that could one day make life safer for astronauts exploring Mars or living long-term in orbit.
Of course, this isn’t exactly a holiday. Lying down for weeks on end affects circulation, sleep patterns and even mood. But for those curious about science — or simply up for a once-in-a-lifetime experience — this project offers a rare glimpse into the world of space medicine.
So, if you’re fit, patient and not afraid of a little bed rest, this might just be the most unusual way to make money — and make history — without even setting foot outside your bedroom.
