18,000 euros for two months of lying in bed. The scientists' experiment is to investigate the effect of microgravity on humans

During the examination, you cannot stand up even for a moment for two months. At least one arm must be touching the mattress at all times. In this position, the subject works, takes care of his hygiene and spends his free time. – In addition to lying down, these people will also be placed in the same lying position in centrifuges, and there will also be training on a specially adapted bicycle – says Leszek Orzechowski, director of the habitat of the Lunares analog base. In addition, participants in the experiment will lie on beds inclined at an angle of six degrees, with their heads lower than their legs. – Bedrest research, as it is called, involves trying to recreate the effect of microgravity on our body. In fact, we do not even lie flat, but about six degrees with our heads down, because this is the best simulation – explains Col. Reserve, M.D., Ph.D. Krzysztof Paweł Kowalczuk from the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine.

A simulation to help find the golden mean for long space travel. – First of all, recognizing various physiological phenomena, looking at them from a scientific and medical perspective, how the body reacts, how it tells stories and, most importantly, to find countermeasures – says Dr. Grzegorz Słowik from the University of Zielona Góra. German scientists will pay 12 volunteers EUR 18,000 each to spend 60 days in similar conditions, but the positives end there. – Most experiments are like this, they are limited to 60 days. Because it is commonly believed that these negative changes – there is no denying that they are not good for us – up to 60 days of bedrest are still suitable for rehabilitation later – explains Kowalczuk.

Returning to Earth after weeks or even months in orbit poses many problems. Some people forget that they are no longer in microgravity. Others do not tolerate the attraction of our planet.

– We can see how it all works best by looking at photos of, for example, astronauts after landing, carrying them out of the capsule in their arms. It's not because we love our astronauts so much that we carry them in our arms. These people simply wouldn't be able to stand on their own, says Kowalczuk.

Because there are many changes in the bodies of space travelers, especially in the muscles and bones. After just two weeks in microgravity, human muscles shrink by 20 percent and about two percent of bone mass is lost each month. Scientists compare this to 20 years of aging.

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– The longest stay in microgravity at the moment is over 420 days. Astronauts, or as Soviet cosmonauts prefer to call them, these people never fully recovered, admits Kovalchuk. Despite this, space agencies are announcing even longer expeditions. NASA wants to send people to Mars in the next decades. It's hard to imagine what effect this would have on a person.

The flight to Mars would take about nine months, then live on this celestial body for a year, where conditions are also unfavorable, and then return.

– We won't be able to cope without some appropriate mechanisms and procedures and an appropriate training system – says Orzechowski.

Being in space does not only leave a mark on your health, but also on your psyche. – Man is generally a herd animal. We are used to interacting with many people every day. Our herd suddenly has a maximum of five members and we have been together for three years – says Kowalczuk.

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Little is known about the uncontrolled behavior of people in orbit. Space agencies do not want to publicize such cases, but recently American journalists learned the story of Taylor Wang, who flew into space in 1985. During the mission, the man allegedly threatened the flight center that he would not return to Earth if controllers did not listen to him. Fortunately, nothing bad happened, but since then the expedition commanders have been flying around with special padlocks in case someone wanted to open the hatch and kill the entire crew.