...In Bed

A while back, NASA advertised for test subjects who wanted to lie on their backs for about three straight months to test the effects of zero gravity on astronauts. Yes, TV, the Internet, video games, and excessive masturbation were all available as entertainment outlets, but the rub of this experiment was that subjects would have to lie at a six degree tilt toward their heads in order to more effectively simulate zero g. But with $12,000 thrown in, it's no wonder that NASA was flooded with applicants. CNN.com has a profile on one of the testees (he he), a 40-year-old chemist named Roderick Jones. Since he was between jobs and trying to save for a move, Jones jumped at the opportunity, and then he didn't jump again for three straight months. The most interesting factoid from this profile? Keeping someone in bed for three months costs NASA a quarter of a million bucks. While this research could lead to treatments for people with osteoporosis in addition to better medicine for astronauts, I guess it's a small price to pay. But just to be on the safe side, let's hope congress doesn't get an itemized bill. More details here.