The European Space Agency (ESA) is offering Rs 4.72 lakh (5,000 euros) to volunteers for a 10-day study where they simply have to lie down but it comes with a twist.

Recently, on March 13, ESA announced that the final phase of its Vivaldi experiment had begun at the Medes space clinic in Toulouse, France. As part of the study, volunteers will spend 10 days lying on a waterbed in a special "dry immersion" test. This experiment is designed to simulate some of the effects that space travel has on the human body.

Scientists hope this research will provide valuable insights into how astronauts’ bodies adapt to weightlessness in space. The study could help improve astronaut health and develop better ways to support long-term space missions.

In the Vivaldi III experiment, 10 volunteers lie in special tubs covered with waterproof fabric. This keeps them dry while making them feel like they are floating in water, similar to how astronauts feel in space, the European Space Agency (ESA) said.

The water reaches just above their torso, while their arms and heads stay above the surface. Since there is no solid support under them, they experience a weightless feeling like astronauts on the International Space Station.
For bathroom breaks, they are carefully moved onto a trolley to keep their body position the same. During meals, they use a floating board and a neck pillow for support. To stay connected, volunteers are allowed to use their phones to talk to family and friends.

After spending 10 days in a floating tub, the volunteers will go through five days of recovery and medical tests to check how their bodies react after the experiment. They will also have a follow-up visit 10 days later.
This study helps scientists understand how the human body adapts to space, prepares astronauts for space missions, and develops ways to keep them healthy.

Along with the dry-immersion test, scientists are also running a separate 10-day experiment where participants stay in a bed with their heads slightly tilted down. This study involves 10 male volunteers.

“We are extending the dry-immersion period and comparing it with bed rest to better understand how these tests simulate space conditions and affect the body differently,” said Ann-Kathrin Vlacil, a team leader at ESA.

The selection of volunteers for the Vivaldi III experiment began last year. Only men aged 20 to 40 were eligible. They had to be between 1.65m and 1.80m tall, have a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 20 and 26, and have no allergies or dietary restrictions.

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