It seems like we're talking about the ideal job for the lazy on duty: spending days and days lying in bed doing nothing. It may sound easy, but it was actually a challenge met by 11 brave Russian cosmonauts.

The experiment - which began in January 1986 - made the volunteers stay 370 days in the same position, unable to get up or sit down. The goal behind this feat was to find out what could happen to a person during a long journey in microgravity.

Boris Morukov of the Institute for Biomedical Problems in Moscow, Russia, was a cosmonaut, physician, and was responsible for the study. In his career he has specialized in cardiology, gastroenterology, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology. And precisely because he knew the human body well, he decided to go further and perform what NASA called the "370-day experiment dedicated to conducting experimental testing of a countermeasure complex for extended spaceflights."

The consequences of rest

In other words, it was the challenge of 11 men to hold on for the same year for the sake of science. They were between 27 and 42 years old and, interestingly enough, many of them were doctors as well. Most had a wife and children, which they could only see on Sundays.

As astronauts spent longer and longer periods in space since the 1960s, such experiments were not at all uncommon, but this was the first time volunteers had committed themselves to such a long period.

The cosmonaut and physician Boris Morukov. Image source: Reproduction / Wikimedia Commons

The position chosen by Morukov to carry out the experiment is justified by producing effects similar to microgravity: the heart has its rhythm slowed because it no longer has to work against gravity, the skeleton and muscles no longer receive so much stimulation and red blood cell count. it decreases - all because the body works less and needs less oxygen.

The first consequences of this absolute rest - in which one has to eat, do basic necessities, and cleanse the body without changing position - is the loss of muscle and the weakening of bones. The internal organs also begin to have their functions affected, such as the heart that is slowing down and the digestive system that has problems.

The recognition of effort

To make days go faster, study participants spent some of their time watching television and reading. Early on, they planned to learn a language, but dropped out of the project two weeks later.

After four months, some of them began to exercise, such as lifting and walking on a vertical treadmill installed in front of the bed. The idea was to try to reverse the effects of body deterioration with exercise, but they found that it was not enough to keep them fit.

Image Source: Reproduction / Shutterstock

Throughout the experiment, volunteers were also placed in centrifuges whose acceleration was eight times greater than Earth's gravity. When the experiment was over, the volunteers spent two months learning to walk again.

More curiosities about the experiment

• As a reward, each participant won a car - not an easy feat to achieve in Russia at that time;
• One of the volunteers gave up after three months. Interestingly, he had a car;
• Not all marriages resisted the experiment. On the other hand, one of the volunteers fell in love with a researcher who was involved in the project;
• Participants took advantage of the aluminum containers in which their meals were served to create gifts for the team. The nurses were awarded medals, and Morukov was presented with a warrior in armor.