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This experience offers you €5,000 to lie down for 10 days!

undefined undefined 15 février 2026 undefined 18h00

The Editor

@ Medes

A scientific institute in Toulouse is looking for ten volunteers to lie down for ten days to simulate weightlessness. This is a supervised study, paid at 5,000 euros, aimed at better understanding the effects of long-duration space missions on the human body.

The announcement may make you smile, but it is perfectly serious. The Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology (Medes) launched a new recruitment campaign this Tuesday, February 10, for a study to be conducted in June in Toulouse. The goal: to recreate the effects of weightlessness on the body on the ground.

Specifically, participants will need to lie down for ten days, in a slightly inclined position, without the option to get up. This position helps to replicate the physiological changes seen in microgravity. Another special detail: food intake will be strictly controlled, limited to 250 calories per day, to precisely analyze the body's metabolic reactions.


Carefully Selected Profiles

The experiment is aimed at men aged 20 to 40, in perfect health and regularly engaging in physical activity. Ten candidates will be selected and each will receive 5,000 euros in compensation (which makes us think there are worse dilemmas...). 

Yet, behind this unusual proposal, the scientific stakes are significant. As space missions get longer, researchers are increasingly interested in the effects of weightlessness on muscle mass, bone density, and metabolism. Extended weightlessness today represents one of the most reliable models to simulate these conditions on Earth.


« The body eventually gets used to it »

A former participant in a similar study recently shared that the first few hours are the most disconcerting. The loss of references is real, but the body adapts faster than you might think. He had already experienced a much longer situation: two consecutive months without getting out of bed, compared to a ... .significantly higher organization.

These testimonials highlight an essential point: while immobility may seem simple at first glance, it represents a true physical and mental challenge. But for some, the prospect of contributing to space research, while receiving a substantial financial compensation, is enough to take the leap...

r the step.

Because before sending humans further into space, scientists must first understand, here on Earth, how the body reacts when it is no longer subject to the usual laws of gravity. A research program as vast as it is ambitious.